Yoga Music

Yoga music goes beyond just music that is listened to while doing yoga, it is the soundtrack for a lifestyle.  I would suggest that yoga music encompasses all of the genre definitions below. My favorite yoga music blends exotic instruments from around the word with downtempo or ambient electronica, but for others it could be solo acoustic guitar or piano.

The one thing that comes to mind when I think of yoga music is an emotional connection. Music that moves my heart and mind, as well as my body, is what yoga music is to me.

Downtempo Music

Downtempo (also called Downbeat) is an electronic music style that is similar in many ways to ambient music, but it usually has more of a noticeable rhythmic infused groove with drums and percussion. Downtempo serves as an umbrella term that can include many other styles that usually fall within 50 to 90 beats per minute. (such as Chill or Chillout, Lounge, etc.)

Downtempo generally has a hypnotic or trance inducing groove made up of rhythmic beats and melodic motifs that repeat in various forms throughout the track.

It's not easy to define Downtempo music in words as it encompasses a wide range of styles and genres, but those familiar with it know it when they hear it.

Chillout or Chill Out

Chill out (also called chill, chillout, or chill-out) is a laid back, mellow, slow-tempo music, usually with juicy, emotional rhythms and melody motifs. Some say Chill out is a way of being, not just a musical label.

It is believed to have originated in the early nineties in "Chill rooms" set off to the side of dance floors to give attendees a place to take a break from the pulsing dance beat and "chill out" with a more relaxing vibe.

Chill out is a genre label that includes many other sub-genres such as smooth electronica, hybrids of techno, some new age, and many other kinds of music.

World Ethno Fusion

World Ethno Fusion is what I call a genre of music that is often thought of as Yoga Music.

It falls within the Downtempo, or Chillout genres, but in addition to electronica, it generally adds in some of the exotic world music acoustic sounds of India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and others.

Blending in such evocative instruments as tabla, doumbek, ezraj, duduk, bamboo flutes, vocal chants, and many more with the synthesized electronic sounds creates the unique flavors of this genre. Add in some eastern scales for the melodies and you have World Ethno Fusion.

Buddha Lounge Chillout Music

Buddha Lounge music is pretty much synonymous with my definition of Yoga Music.

Buddha Lounge music is a term most likely coined from a style of music brought to awareness through the popular Buddha Bar series of CD sets. The series was created by DJ and Buddha Bar (Paris, France) founder Claude Challe who compiled and produced the first two albums.

Blending together many instruments and influences from around the world, Buddha Lounge music offers up supremely chilled multi-cultural grooves and world-trance rhythms.

The result is an ethno-ambient mystical fusion that has influenced artists and fans the world over.

(I first heard music from Buddha Bar one afternoon during lunch at the restaurant Ku De Ta on the beach in Kuta, Bali. When we asked our waiter what it was, what we heard was, "Budaba". We spent the rest of the afternoon going from shop to shop asking if anyone had "Budaba". Finally, the proprieter of a tiny music store on Legian street pulled out a CD and we read, Buddha Bar. So much for our grasp of the local language.)