Whole Story

The Official Whole Foods Market® Blog

Putumayo's World Yoga

By Dan Storper, November 3, 2012 | More posts by Dan Storper

Read on for a chance to win a CD set of Putumayo’s Yoga and World Yoga, available in most Whole Foods Market Stores. Dan Storper is the CEO and founder of Putumayo World Music.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Throughout the world, people of all ages and backgrounds are practicing yoga to relax and rejuvenate, and musicians are creating music to accompany it. This global interest in the age-old Indian practice inspired World Yoga, the latest CD release from Putumayo.

Drawing on contemplative sounds from Wales to Tibet and Armenia to Uganda, this collection leads listeners to deeper relaxation and connection with life. With an engaging balance of more traditional yoga sounds — mantra-based pieces with Indian elements — and unexpected acoustic gems from Africa and beyond, World Yoga reflects the practice’s planetary impact and grace.

Created from Putumayo’s massive music library and tested in a New Orleans yoga studio, World Yoga follows the same arc as a yoga class. It begins with a call to focus and quiet the mind and body, thanks to the lush, evocative voice of Gambian-British singer Sona Jobarteh (“Reflections”). Later tracks offer more dynamic moments, without breaking the flow or concentration. And the album closes with deeply relaxing songs such as Tibetan-Nepalese singer Kelsang Chukie Tethong’s “A Prayer to Dispel Sickness and Harm,” designed to accompany the more meditative period of practice

These songs hail from disparate yoga, musical and cultural traditions, such as the Kundalini tradition as expressed through Mexican singer Mirabai Ceiba’s “Ong Namo.” They may flow from regional roots (the Welsh electronic folk of 9Bach) or display an electronica kick (DJ Drez’s “Floating Sweetness”).

The diversity of World Yoga reflects yoga’s ability to transcend borders and cultural barriers to move people of different backgrounds. The music promises to turn a daily commute or round of yoga practice into a meditative yet energizing experience.

Do you enjoy world music as you practice yoga? Share your favorite meditative music in the comments by November 21 for a chance to win a CD set of Putumayo’s Yoga and World Yoga CDs.

The fine print: No purchase necessary. Promotion ends November 21, 2012, 11:59 PM CDT. Must be a legal resident of the US or Canada (except in Quebec, where it is void) age 18 or older to participate. Taxes on prize, if applicable, are the responsibility of the winner. Employees of Whole Foods Market, Inc., are not eligible. Void where prohibited.