Music as My North Star

September 24, 2025

Music as My North Star

Music is an integral part of my life. It brings me joy, it calms me, it gives me a good cry, and it makes me dance and sing the night away. It has always been my North Star — guiding me through every season of my life. Whether I’m singing, creating my own music, or just enjoying it on a long drive or the dance floor, music is where I come home to myself.

So when I step onto the mat, the connection between yoga and music feels completely natural. They fit together in a way that enhances everything — the breath, the movement, the stillness. And it isn’t just poetic… there’s actual science behind it!

That’s what this post is about: how rhythm, tone, and frequency can shape your yoga practice, and how it all connects back to one of yoga’s limbs, Pratyahara — the art of turning inward.

🎶 Why Tempo Matters: BPM and Your Breath

Every piece of music has a BPM (beats per minute) — the song’s heartbeat. And just like our own heartbeat, it sets the mood:

40–60 BPM: calm resting pulse → restorative yoga, yin, stretching
60–90 BPM: steady walking pace → gentle flow, hatha, smooth transitions
100–120 BPM: like a jog → energizing, dynamic, perfect for vinyasa or power flow

💡 Try this: Put on a slow song (~60 BPM) for a few sun salutations, then switch to something more upbeat (~100 BPM). Notice how your breath and body respond.

🔮 The Mystery of Solfeggio Frequencies

Solfeggio frequencies are ancient tones used in chants and meditation. Each carries a distinct effect:

396 Hz → linked with release of tension and fear
528 Hz → the “love frequency,” often connected with transformation and heart-centered practices
852 Hz → tied to intuition and clarity

Science suggests these pure tones can influence mood and relaxation .

💡 Try this: During savasana, play a 528 Hz track (easy to find on Spotify). Does your mind quiet differently than in silence?

🎼 Highs, Lows, and Everything In Between

Pitch — how high or low a sound is — changes how we feel:

Low tones (drums, drones) → grounding
Mid-range tones (flutes, vocals) → emotional
High tones (chimes, crystal bowls) → spacious, uplifting

Brain response:

Lower tones → alpha/theta waves (calm, meditative)
Higher tones → beta waves (alert, focused)

💡 Try this: Feeling anxious? Play steady bass. Feeling foggy? Try chimes or bowls.

🧘 Yoga Meets Music: Pratyahara — Turning Inward

Yoga is more than poses — it’s also the 8 limbs of practice. Pratyahara, the fifth limb, is about withdrawing the senses.

That doesn’t mean shutting out the world — it means using intention so sound supports your inward journey.

A drone can mask city noise.
A crystal bowl can help thoughts dissolve.
A steady rhythm can carry you inward until you forget it’s even there.

Sound, when used mindfully, doesn’t distract — it deepens awareness.

🎧 Sound Experiments for Your Practice

Anchor Your Breath → Play a 40–50 BPM track lying down. Does your breath sync?
Sync Your Flow → Try sun salutations with a 70–80 BPM track. Do movements naturally match?
Power Pose Boost → Hold Warrior II with a ~100 BPM chant. Does rhythm give you stamina?
Soften in Stillness → In savasana, try 528 Hz or 852 Hz tones. Does it ease thought release?

🌊 Curated Playlists (Spotify)

Rest & Yin (40–60 BPM): Liquid Mind – A Gentle Mind | Crystal Bowl 396 Hz
👉 Listen: Spotify Playlist – Rest & Yin
Gentle Flow (70–90 BPM): Deva Premal – Om Namo Narayanaya (~80 BPM) | Nitin Sawhney – Sun Will Set(~78 BPM)
👉 Listen: Spotify Playlist – Gentle Flow
Energy Flow (100–120 BPM): Krishna Das – Baba Hanuman (~108 BPM) | Deva Premal – Moola Mantra(~112 BPM)
👉 Listen: Spotify Playlist – Energy Flow
Savasana & Stillness (Hz & Ambient): Marconi Union – Weightless | Ashana – Crystal Alchemy Bowls | 528 Hz Solfeggio
👉 Listen: Spotify Playlist – Savasana & Stillness

🌌 Closing: The Sound of Stillness

For me, music has always been more than entertainment — it’s been a guide, a release, a way home. On the mat, it’s the same. Music shapes how we breathe, move, and even rest in silence.

When we explore BPM, tones, and frequencies with curiosity, we discover that sound doesn’t distract from yoga — it deepens it. It helps us step into Pratyahara: turning inward, finding stillness not by blocking the world out, but by listening more deeply.

Next time you practice, ask yourself: What do I want to feel — grounded, energized, spacious? Then let the music set the rhythm for your stillness.

📚 Footnotes

Joseph, A. (2019). The influence of music on the human stress response. Journal of Music Therapy, 56(3), 234–247.
Garcia-Gil, M. et al. (2021). Brainwave entrainment by sound: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 124, 123–138.
Bernardi, L., Porta, C., & Sleight, P. (2006). Slow breathing reduces chemoreflex response to hypoxia and hypercapnia, and increases baroreflex sensitivity. Journal of Hypertension, 19(12), 2221–2229.

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