One Tiny Tweak to Change Up a Workout

If I asked you to put together a playlist for a yoga workout, I think we could all imagine the types of music you’d likely choose, right? Something soothing and calming and tranquil, maybe something strictly instrumental. Same thing goes for running or weights — the songs (and even genres) themselves would certainly vary, but whether you went for rap or pop or country or indie, you’d probably choose something upbeat and energizing.

But what if you switched that up?

I’ve had a few at-home yoga sessions where, to be honest, I didn’t feel all that tranquil. In fact, I didn’t even feel like I wanted to feel tranquil. I wanted to move and sweat and push myself, and come out of it feeling energized and strong … but I still wanted to do it through yoga. So, I played with my music. I put on some nasty old school jams and started with a few sun salutations, noticing how my body flowed with the beat and my breath continued to connect with the poses. It didn’t feel the same as a typical, peaceful session, and it didn’t exactly lend itself to a nice long corpse pose or meditation at the end, but it felt pretty awesome.

Going with something new during a run changed things for me as well. I tried listening to some classical music, and while it didn’t give me the same high-cadence cues that my normal 180 bpm songs provide, it felt … nice. Like it still gave my brain something to do, but something a little more relaxing.

So now, of course, I have to ask: Do you play around with your tunes like this? Do you switch it up (and I don’t mean swapping your Beyonce playlist for Beastie Boys), or do you like keeping your fast workout playlists fast? —Kristen