Sometimes, stuff gets stale in our lives.

Stale jobs, stale Friday nights, stale Pandora stations, stale class playlists.

Rather than complain, do something about it—mindfully and with purpose. One way to break out of a rut, creatively or in your life, is to expose yourself to external stimuli you would normally shirk away from. If you have a week, get on AirBnB and drive away somewhere. If you have a few hours, try a new yoga workshop or class that sounds just awful, like something you wouldn’t go to in a million years.

And if you have a few minutes, jump on a streaming service and try out some of these songs. I hope you love some of them, and I hope you hate some of them. Finding out what we love and what we hate brings us closer to our truth.

1. Running to the Sea by Röyksopp feat. Susanne Sandfør

Tip: Try the DJ HMC Remix for a different sound:

Good for: Warming Up, Building to Peak Pose
Spirit: Haunting, Inquisitive

2. River Runs Dry by Eliot Bronson

Good for: Restoratives, Cool Down
Spirit: Quietly optimistic, Gentle
Tip: His significant other is an amazing yoga teacher named Astrid Santana, based in Atlanta.

3. Pizza Guy by Touch Sensitive

Good for: Warming Up, Long Holds
Spirit: Silly, Upbeat

4. Warning by Air Dubai

Good for: Edgier Classes, Building to Peak Poses
Spirit: Ambitious, Pumped-up

5. I Need Answers by Asta

Good for: Strengthening Series, Peak Poses
Spirit: Driven, Longing

6. The Stockholm Syndrome by CLMD vs. Kish feat. Fröder

Good for: Intense Portions of the Class, Flowy Sequences
Spirit: Pulsating, Eerie
Tip: The music video alone is a piece of art unto itself, worthy of a semester-long philosophy course.

7. Dancer by Thulin (Kygo Remix)

Good for: Rhythmic flow sequences, warming up
Spirit: Happy, Uplifting
Tip: Kygo is pretty much the next Avicii, so look for him to go mainstream soon. It is why he is on this list twice.

8. Angels by XX (Kygo Edit)

Good for: Warming Up, Building to Peak Poses
Spirit: Flowy, Feel-Good, Romantic

9. Your Rocky Spine by Great Lake Swimmers

Good for: Savasana, Softer Periods in the Practice, Cooling Down
Spirit: Quiet, Nostalgic, Intimate

10. Bohemian Rhapsody by Jake Shimabukuro

Good for: Savasana, Cooling Down
Spirit: Soft, Spiritual, A little sad
Tip: Jake covers a lot of songs very well; try his cover of Mrs. Robinson too!

11. Top Notch by Manchester Orchestra (Acoustic Version)

Good for: Savasana, Cooling Down
Spirit: Somber, Wistful

12. Hunger by Sam Sure

Good for: Warming up, Cooling Down, Slow Flow Classes
Spirit: Unorthodox, Modern

13. Geronimo by Sheppard

Good for: Energetic sequences, Peak Poses
Spirit: Active, Lively and Encouraging

14. Imprint of Pleasure by Tube & Berger

Good for: Peak Poses, More Challenging Sequences
Spirit: Determined, Rhythmic

15. The Wizard of Us by Andhim

Good for: Maintaining Flow Rhythm, Warming Up
Spirit: Trippy, Eccentric

16. Stripes by Brandy Clark

Good for: Warming Up, Cooling Down
Spirit: Silly, Playful, Mischievous

17. Things Can Only Get Better by Cedric Gervais feat. Howard Jones

Good for: Peak Poses, High Energy Flow
Spirit: Encouraging, Hopeful

18. What I Might Do by Ben Pearce

Good for: Peak Poses, Flow Sequences
Mood: Soulful, Smooth

19. Budapest by George Ezra

Good for: Warming Up
Spirit: Charming, Sprightly

20. Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paloma Faith

Good for: Cooling Down, Slow Flow
Spirit: Melancholy, Glamorous, Tender

21. Silence
Good for: Everything
Spirit: Whatever you make it.
Tip: Instead of telling your students you forgot your music (so unprofessional), tell them you are having a special silent practice. Heck, maybe you can even get brave and forget your iPod on purpose every once in awhile.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Author: Christina Scalera

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Vladimir Pustovit/Flickr