Week 41 - Tassy offers a deep reflection on the role of music in her yoga practice, and life more broadly

Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan



My happy song – I’m so excited by Pointer Sisters

My sad song – Creep by Radiohead

My mood changing tune - Little by Little by Lane 8

I have to dance when I hear - Jeruselama by Master KG

My morning song - Soul Harmony (Theta waves) - Camille Enyal

My night time song – Midnight in Peckham by Chaos in the CBD

My most listened to song of 2020 – Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

I couldn’t have made it through 2020 without listening to  - Cello Suite No 1 in G Major – JS Bach Yo-Yo Ma





Since my day starts with my meditation and yoga practice followed by yoga classes for my students, listening to music does not feature at all in the mornings for me. 


So pandemic or not, listening to music in the mornings has never been something I have done. 


Sometimes if I choose to teach meditation with music or meditate with music then I would listen to some Delta or Theta sound waves, or music created by Tibetan singing bowls. 


Mornings are a sacred time for me and I revel in the silence or listen to the natural sounds of birds outside in my garden, the pitter-patter of Mario, my Shih Tzu, running around the marble floors, and the sound of traffic from the road outside.





Ever since the first lockdown began around the end of March last year, the music that I listen to slowly evolved. 


With my young adult children spending almost half the year with us due to university shutdowns and other travel restrictions, I was exposed to their music and began to appreciate new genres that I wouldn’t normally listen to. 


 A lot of it was indie music and unconventional compared to what I would usually listen to.


As I saw many more movies I also began to take an interest in the soundtracks of films I watched, often adding songs I liked to my Spotify playlists. 

 In Karachi, where family and friends play a huge part in one’s life, socializing has always been the norm. 


 With regular get-togethers of friends, there was a certain genre of music that I would listen to which would be playing in the background as we entertained. 


 With our social life becoming practically non-existent, the music I once listened to has begun to change.  With closures of gyms, my fitness routine has also changed to home workouts and walks in the park. 





 I try and walk with a friend as I crave human company, but the days she is unable to join me I listen to music while I walk. The music varies from being energizing to more soothing and reflective depending on my mood that day.


The song Jeruselama with its lyrics in Zulu went viral during the pandemic. It has a dance associated with it that was practiced by the people from Southern Africa.


The song by Master KG produced in quarter 3 of 2020 went viral during the Coronavirus pandemic because the dance challenge associated with it became a simple way to connect people together. 


 I did this challenge with friends and practiced together through Zoom in our respective homes. The song has a catchy tune and now that I have mastered this popular line dance it never fails to put me in a good mood as I dance along to it.





 Overall, the music that I listen to has become more subdued as I find myself listening to more calming and therapeutic music for the soul. 


 I also like the acoustic versions of several songs I used to listen to. 


 I am also enjoying the quiet in some ways, and often prefer the lack of sound as I find myself getting more inwards as I deal with the changes brought on by this new way of living.

 

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