Yogi Karaoke: The Greatest Car Concert Ever

The first thing you need to know is that I totally rock the house with my car concerts. I’m the person that you give strange looks to at the stop light. I’m beating the drum of the steering wheel, expressing the soul of the song through weird facial contortions, and if the window is down – you will hear me belting out my bhakti.

Yoga music, and especially devotional chanting has been my main yoga practice during my recent period of intense travel. I love to have a good sing-along and it occurs to me that the holidays are a time when everyone needs a great playlist to jam in the car before contemplating the endless “Is Yoga a Religion?,” questions that often creep up from concerned family members.

Fortunately, this holiday, YogiTunes is ready and able to supply you with the music you need to save your sanity. My own personal offering is a playlist dedicated to my favorite songs to car karaoke. The MC Yogi groove, Krishna Dub Remix (featuring Jai Uttal and Sharon Gannon), has been a saving grace for me through this time of busy-ness. In fact, the entire Elephant Power album is “singable” and would be a great addition for any YogiTunes road trip.

I’m always on the lookout for great, sing-along songs. What are some of your favorite sing-along YogiTunes? If we cultivate the intention, hopefully we will see Bhakti Yoga Car Concerts at every stoplight in America and BEYOND!

-Written by Kirsten Hedden, who teaches at Namaste Wellness Studio in Peoria, IL

CHECK OUT MY YOGI CAR KARAOKE PLAYLIST:

SUP Yoga Interview with Lauren Peterson

Q: Where did SUP originate?
A: Some believe SUP Yoga originated in Florida. SUP Yoga really did not start taking off until around 2009, it was about this time that YouTube videos of SUP Yoga started appearing on the web.

Q: Why do you think it has become such a widespread trend, so rapidly?
A: SUP Yoga, is unique and offers something for everyone. Yoga is therapeutic, as well as a work out. When you put those two characteristics together with water and nature it adds another dimension to Yoga.

Q: What postures do you find especially difficult to perform on a SUP board compared to on a mat?
A: Any of the one legged standing postures can be quite difficult on a stand up paddle board. Asana’s like: Vrksasana: Tree pose, Virabhadrasana III: Warrior III, Utthita Hasta Padangus
tasana: Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose, or Natarajasana: Lord of the Dance Pose. Standing on one leg can be challenging, standing on one leg on a board on the water, adds another set of difficulties.. Although difficult and challenging nothing is impossible.

Q: Do you find that SUP yoga forces you to focus on internal sensations more?
A: There are no mirrors in SUP Yoga for individuals to check their alignment; instead they have to use their internal organs to sense when they have reached that point of correct alignment. It is amazing how connected the yoga practitioner is to their board as well. The board identifies if the weight of the yogi is too heavy during weight transference or not enough.

WHILE YOU'RE READING, CHECK OUT LAUREN'S AWESOME SUP PLAYLIST!





Q: Is SUP yoga practiced on the open ocean or mostly in bays?
A: SUP Yoga can be practiced in the open ocean as well as in bays. Classes are mostly held in bays because there are less chance for certain variables to interfere with the class. These variables include, wind, current, tide, waves, marine life, etc. To help with these variables, some sup yoga classes offer an anchor to keep the board stationary, as well as keep the class together. It depends on the level of difficulty you want for your yoga practice. The great thing about sup yoga is that every class is different; the conditions are never the same. It really strengthens your yoga practice, and makes you learn to let go.

Q: Are some SUP boards easier to practice on than others?
There are yoga mats that are easier to practice on than others, as is the same with boards. Anything less than 10’ can be challenging, for sup yoga its best to stick with boards 10’ or more in length. Width no less than 28.5”. Any board around 30” is more ideal for width. Thickness: Nothing less than 4.25”. Anything with a lot of volume is always great as well, anything less than 142.3 L could be a little bit of a challenge.

Those dimensions are great for boards used for sup yoga classes, especially for beginning to intermediate sup yogis. As you get more comfortable with doing yoga on a stand up paddle, it can be fun to change the board used, with more challenging dimensions. This can change the muscles you engage and your focus during your sup yoga practice as well.

Q: Is SUP Yoga seasonal, or can SUP Yoga be practiced year round?
A: Sup Yoga can be practiced indoors as well, for those places in the winter where the water freezes and outdoor activity might decrease. There are two options: Place two Bosu domes under the board, or Indo Board offers the Indo Board IndoFLO Gigante' Cushion that works well too under the board. Both of
these give the feeling of being on the water, and can enhance or prepare you for sup yoga when the snow and ice melt and spring arrives.

Q: Is there a SUP yoga hub?
A: Florida seems to be the most popular location right now for SUP Yoga, with California in a close second.

Q: What do you think the future of SUP yoga holds?
A: Our hope is that SUP Yoga begins to pop up in more places around the world. Yoga is becoming more and more integrated into the school curriculum; we would like to see SUP Yoga get into the schools as well.

If you’d like to learn more about SUP Yoga, or find a sup yoga class near you, or a sup yoga retreat check out our website at namastesup.com

Written by Brooke Kettering

Music to Make Love to?

Recently, when I created a Facebook ad to help spread the word about music that's great for love making, I was DENIED by Facebook (twice) for using inappropriate language. Are you kidding me? Few things are sacred in the world these days... Facebook has been accused of everything from data mining to allowing hate groups to proliferate, but I can't advertise music that helps people have better sex?

Something we get a lot of from our fans is the following quote: "I use your music to make love to all the time. I just put it on repeat and it helps me and my partner drop deeply into a space of intimacy and love."



As artists, we couldn't ask for a better blessing... deep relaxation and embodiment being the goal for our music, love making is the ultimate expression of both. How honored we are to be a supportive energy in helping people connect in this beautiful, essential way.

Thus was the birth of Sensual Sutras. A series of special playlists sequenced specifically for making love to.  Seriously... I had no idea Mark Zuckerberg was such a prude!

Perhaps it's the way in which big sites like this have to create broad sweeping protocols to reduce the likelihood that a 12 year old wil be turned on to 'adult' content while trying to 'Like' his favorite new band. Who knows...

I just wish we didn't live in such a world of paradox when it comes to sexual content. The stuff you'd rather not see is always staring you in the face... asking you to click here, join this, watch this, absorb yet another inappropriate image of some plasticated human being and their artificially hyped reality.

It makes it very hard for the really good stuff, that promotes safety, connection, integrity and positivity to get through.

Please Facebook, allow me to promote Music to Make Love to, or Music to Enhance Your Love Life, or however else I want to say it, because at the end of the day I'm a trustworthy source who has countless fans out there who already endorse the music we make for this very purpose. So I of course want to turn on more - pun intended.

With that being said, check out this awesome Sensual Sutras Playlist!

Paypal now supported!

As of this week, YogiTunes will now support Paypal in it's shopping cart. This is all thanks to a YogiTunes fan who wrote us recently saying that while he loved the site, he just wished we offered Paypal as a more secure way to checkout.

We love hearing from our fellow Yogi's! So we responded and now you can feel safe and secure using Paypal as a way to pay for your lovely YogiTunes yoga music.

Paypal also hosts a really nice gift certificate solution that we'll soon be implementing, that nicely complements our existing gift card option. This will allow you to create an email or printer friendly version of a redeemable gift certificate, and Paypal keeps track of how much has been spent on it. So you can gift YogiTunes music to your family and friends instantly!

For those unfamiliar with Paypal, it's a secure online form of payment that allows yogis to spend money via credit card, debit card, paypal balance or direct from a bank account. For credit and debit cards, no Paypal account is needed. You can simply purchase as a guest and enter your card info for payment. If you have a Paypal account, all you do is login to your account when prompted and Paypal will handle the rest.

There are some amazing other systems of payment out there like Dwolla founded by 28 year old entrepreneur Ben Milne. A favorite of mine right now due to the fact that it moves away from relying on credit card companies to support the transaction, therefore greatly reducing fees for folks like us!
YogiTunes is committed to making music purchasing fun, easy and exciting - so we'll be staying on top of the best practices available for our beloved community.

As online purchasing has become so popular, and yet for some a source of anxiety, we want to assure you that we take every precaution in ensuring total privacy and security within our website and particularly during our checkout procedure. Credit card information is never stored on our servers, and while that may mean having to re-enter your information each time, it ads an additional level of security.

If you have any questions about Paypal, our checkout procedure, or any other aspect of shopping at YogiTunes, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Namaste!

Adri Kyser @ Yogavibes!

One of the beautiful perks that come with this particular job is that I keep being introduced to amazing teachers all across the country who are doing unique things with yoga and happen to have a passion for music. How cool is that?

Adri Kyser is one such teacher, and her recent videos created for YogaVibes were an awesome opportunity for us to work together a little more closely in providing a special selection of music that she could teach to in the videos. 

She created 2 classes, Awaken to the Flow and Backbends: Open to your Highest Potential. The music in both classes is 100% YogiTunes music and available for purchase as separate playlists for each video. Click here to check out the playlists: AWAKEN & BACKBENDS 
Read below for class descriptions, and for links to check them out at YogaVibes.com!


Awaken to the Flowhttp://www.yogavibes.com/store/paid-classes/product/online-yoga-video-awaken-to-the-flow-adri-kyser-inner-beauty-yoga/

Join Adri during this dynamic and energetic Prana Flow® class. You will be encouraged to let go of your inhibitions, allowing you to find the natural and innate flow of your breath and personal practice.

Adri will guide you through a series of hip openers, core work, arm balances and fluid movements that will awaken your body to the flow of Prana - Universal Consciousness. The purpose of this class is to help you let go of the thinking mind and to soften and surrender as you let your breath and the Flow of Prana guide every movement.

Awaken to the Flow is open to all levels as Adri offers several stages or kramas suitable for every practitioner. You can visit her free vignettes instructional videos here at yogavibes.

Backbending: Opening to your Highest Potential
http://www.yogavibes.com/store/paid-classes/product/online-yoga-video-backbends-opening-to-your-highest-potential-adri-kyser-inner-beauty-yoga/

Join Adri as she guides you through this slower pace Prana Flow® class. During this lunar flow, we will explore a series of heart opening poses opening to our highest potential. We will work on opening the chest, shoulders, and hips to release and let go of stiffness and tightness while strengthening the back side of the body to bring balance and equanimity. You will become more receptive and in tune to your internal rhythms as you shift your awareness from the outer world to your heart center.


This class is open to all levels as Adri offers a series of options and stages suitable for every yoga practitioner. You can visit her free instructional videos here at yogavibes....

Festival of Lights

Happy Hanukkah (Chanukah) to those that celebrate. Although I do not practice the Jewish faith, I honor the lineage through my blood bonds and the DNA strands that reach back to the infinite and connect me to my ancestors, some of whom were Jewish. 

I think it is important to be aware and respectful of any religious or faithful tradition that is different from the one you call your own. I find the HOLY-days to be an especially good time to honor the differences within the similarities that make us all human beings.




Thus, on this, the first day of Hanukkah, I honor the Festival of Lights. As yogis, are we not always on the quest for the light of truth, for the light within, the bright soul yearning to know the Divine? That is the connection that makes us the same while the traditions and the literature make us different, yet still beautiful.

How can we, as yogis, internalize the lessons and meaning of Hanukkah and connect them to our own practice? I think the symbol of the Menorah is a great place to begin. This ancient and sacred piece represents the light of G-d, a beacon to all nations (Isaiah 42:6) and ancient sages are known to have thought that it represented non-violence as the path to promise, never force. That sounds a lot like something we yogis believe.

What I find interesting in yoga philosophy is the symbol of the chakras, the centers of light and energy in our own bodies. This corresponds nicely to the traditional 7 branch Menorah and may make an interesting meditation as you explore the meaning of Jewish tradition and the relevancy to your own belief systems.
For your own knowledge, the Menorah for Hanukkah is special, it has 9 branches; the center candle is the light for the 8 candles of celebration. I encourage you to find stories of Hanukkah and learn more about these traditions on your own.

And please, instead of wishing your Jewish friends “Happy Holidays,” take the extra step and wish them well in their own tradition. Try to wish a Happy Hanukkah instead and know that you are also celebrating your own inner light, which is also a miracle.


Maybe you can gift someone you know with 8 days of new music. Type light into our search bar and see what comes up – maybe you can make your own special Yoga music Hanukkah playlist and share it with us!

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Nichole. She took a look at the love of her life and made a leap of faith – literally, this is her first Hanukkah as a Jewish woman and I am so proud of the hard work and love that went into this conversion.

-Written by Kirsten Hedden, who teaches at Namaste Wellness Studio in Peoria, IL

Yoga Rocks the Butte~!

Hey there yoga music fans. YogiTunes has hooked up a sweet deal - $100 off tickets for an amazing yoga and music festival in the breath taking mountain resort, Crested Butte in Colorado.

3 days of asana, good vibrations and of course powder-riffic turns for boarders and skiiers alike. Benefitting Yoga World Reach, this exciting weekend festival allows participants to engage their bodies, minds and souls through yoga classes from some of the world's most respected instructors, music, and organic food, surrounded by an inspiring mountain scenery.

We've connected with this super cool festival because some of our dear musician friends are playing there: Steve Gold, Dave Stringer, Joey Lugassy, Govindas, DJ Drez and more... so after connecting with festival producer Monica Mesa (Yoga for the Peaceful), we decied to make a Yoga Rocks the Butte playlist featuring our peeps!

There is also an amaizng line up of great teachers, including Micheline Berry, Shiva Rea, Twee Merrigan and many, many others...

It's so frickin' cool that amazingly creative, motivated yogis are putting their hearts and souls into organizing experiences for us all that bring together the outdoors, yoga, music, love, grooviness, compassion, good food, workshops... all for us to dive deeply into, enjoy, and bring back to the world so that we may fill it with our love and exuberance. HOW COOL IS THAT!

TO GET $100 OFF YOGA ROCKS THE BUTTE TICKETS, 

CLICK HERE AND ENTER THE CODE:

"YT"

WHEN CHECKING OUT

And of course, here is the Yoga Rocks the Butte playlist for a taste of what you'll be in enjoying musically: