Use it to prime your body and mind for the practice.
For Equinox Gramercy members in New York City, relaxation is only six to eight minutes away.
At any time of day (barring mid-class), you can enter the yoga studio, sit down, and listen to the down-regulating soundscape radiating from the speakers. You can hear it there, and nowhere else.
The 10-minute track was created by Andrew Abaria, a musician, composer, and yoga teacher who splits his time between NYC and LA.
"We wanted to add experiential touches to the yoga studio so members are immediately transported into a stress-free zone when they walk in," says Kay Kay Clivio, senior manager of yoga experience for Equinox in New York City. The effect is achieved through flameless candles, a signature Palo Santo-lime scent developed in collaboration with Helios Essential Oils, and of course, Abaria's melodic soundscape.
It uses a scientific concept called brain entrainment to relax body and mind. “The brain actually produces electricity, which you can see on an EEG,” Abaria says. The resulting currents are measured in hertz.
Most people spend their days hovering between 15 to 40 hertz, characterized by things like driving in the city or listening to a presentation. “It’s only when your brain’s frequency drops below fifteen hertz that you enter a more contemplative, creative, and restored state,” Abaria explains.
His soundscape clocks in at ten hertz, which helps you enter that state. Furthermore caught up with Abaria to learn more about his creative process, the down-regulating power of music, and how you can take advantage in your at-home practice.
This interview has been edited and condensed for publication.