Music is found in every culture around the world, past and present, and has long been used as a vehicle to express ideas, emotions, and events. For the month of January we are honoring this great invisible uniting force of MUSIC!
Our Kunga Yoga theme for the month of January is positive music with inspirational messages!
“Kunga” is the Kinyerwandan word for “to help, to serve, to reconcile.” All Kunga Yoga classes have a monthly community service teaching, and all Kunga Yoga certified teachers donate 5% of their proceeds to charity.
How does music relate to our Kunga mission of service? It offers us many gifts. It has the ability to build community, spread smiles from ear to ear, and moves us to dance, laugh, sing along, and spread joy.
Please enjoy the following quotes on music:
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”
santiz
“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music” – Sergei Rachmaninov
“To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.” – Aaron Copland
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent” – Victor Hugo
“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul” – Plato
Suggestions for Kunga Yoga Class teachers:
1. Offer music with lyrics that inspire community, thoughts of others, and service. Some examples:
- Imagine – John Lennon
- Beautiful Day – U2
- What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
- Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson
- Lean On Me – Bill Withers
- My Heart Will Go On – Celine Deon
2. Allow silence during opening meditation and savasana to balance the stimulating energy of music during your class.
3. Encourage your students to sing-along/have fun!
4. Teach a closing inspirational song
5. Read/share stories of how musicians have utilized music for inspiration or positive social change: Those affected by slavery singing the blues, songs of peace and positivism activism from The Beatles, Bob Marley, Michael Franti, and/or events in which music has been used to raise funds and awareness for social causes such as Farm-Aid for American farmers and Live-Aid to benefit the Ethiopian famine. Encourage students to utilize music and inspiration from activist musicians to create positive change in their lives and in the lives of others.
