Sing Me Your Song!

"If music be the food of love, play on!" -William Shakespeare

Music can be such a great thing to connect with our emotions, mood or just something to distract and entertain us. Keep us in our chosen melancholy moment or keep our energy high if it's time to dance, just because. It helps bring joy when we crave it and closure when we need it. It has always been a love of mine before I probably really knew it. I would listen to my tapes and CD's and write down the lyrics to my favorite songs. A slower process back then. Listen, hit pause. Write the words. Listen again, write the next set of vocal bliss as it hit my ears. Hit rewind, play, rewind, play again just to make sure I heard it right. I wasn't alone with this tedious yet enjoyable process of voluntary writers cramp. A dear cousin of mine who is practically a sister enjoyed this task of listening and taking turns writing down these amazing creations produced with talent and passion by musicians of all kinds. A 3 subject notebook worth of songs was in our hands and we loved it! So proud of our work but so tired from our many late nights of staring at the cassette/CD player straining to hear those few words that could be interchangeable. Did the say "I'm adopted" or I'm a doctor"??? The world may never know sometimes. Now, you can google lyrics to any song in any language. So do people today really appreciate the art of song writing? I hope so. Maybe I have a deeper appreciation after writing down someones work of art so I can remember the lines and sing them proudly the next time I heard it play. Maybe because I secretly would have loved to have the talent to create such amazing harmony of melody and poetry. To have the talent to tell a story with notes and vocals is pure magic really. But as I listen to Amazon radio and the lyrics scroll up to the classic "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. You still don't know if Freddy Mercury says he's adopted or if he's a doctor. Some things are meant to remain a mystery. I'm OK with that. It's the memory of trying to figure it out at 2am and determined to know every word. Some people don't even listen to the words, some just enjoy a good beat or an amazing guitar solo. Who says we all have to listen to a song with the same ear.

In my yoga class, my music choices are a big deal to me, it sets the vibe for the class. I try to tell a story with my playlists. Keeping positive thoughts with each music choice hoping my students will feel comfort, happiness and progress throughout their practice. Here are some of my favorites I would like to share with you. Enjoy these tunes at home, car or whenever. Feel free to comment and add your favorites to the list. I hope these cherished songs of mine will keep you at ease.

1. 10 Laws by East Forest
2. Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd
3. Heart is a Drum by Beck
4. One Love to Another by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
5. In the Wind by Lord Huron
6. Wash it Away by Nahko and Medicine for the People
7. No Hard Feeling by The Avett Brothers
8. Brandy Alexander by Lisa Hannigan
9. A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan (Walk Off the Earth covered it very well too)
10. Sleep on the Floor by The Lumineers

I could keep going but at the moment these are pleasing.

Conscious Life Magazine has a great article explaining the amazing connection with music. Find it here.