I teach yoga, and I love hip hop. But just because I’d enjoy hearing some Meek or Jeezy during a fast-clip Vinyasa class doesn’t mean that my students would appreciate rap’s excessive profanity, misogynist themes and R-rated content in their ears as they endeavor to physically turn-up and clear their heads. I might be numb to all that delightful savagery, but are they?
The argument can be made that if a student is truly practicing yoga, song lyrics – whether they fall in line with yogic teachings or not – shouldn’t necessarily distract or bother them, but any mindful yoga instructor will face being conflicted about what songs to play in their classes at one point or another regardless. Erring on the side of caution, I started compiling a playlist of hip hop-sample origin songs to use in my classes; still nodding at the melodies, vocal snippets, and drum-patterns we know and love, I can safely be on my rap shit while not offending anyone in a class.
In case you didn’t know, Sounwave took the melody for K-Dot’s “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” from “Tiden Flyven,” an incredibly wavy song by Danish DJ/producer collective Boom Clap Bachelors. Luckily for you guys, I stumbled on it earlier this week, and if you’re a fan of Kendrick or just appreciate good music, it’s a must-listen.
There’s more where this came from though, so check out the Spotify playlist of other mat-friendly samples below, too. Namaste, bishes!