Bringing your smart phone to your yoga mat is a serious faux pas. But I’m rarely more tempted to Shazam songs than when I’m downward dogging in Cher Aslor’s class. The Denver instructor has exquisite taste in music. In fact, the word ‘music’ doesn’t do her selections justice. Aural pleasure is more appropriate.

image: Kelly Shroads

image: Kelly Shroads

Aslor credits her father with her early music education. “My dad loved Stevie Wonder the most,” Aslor recounts. “And George Benson and the Jackson 5. He’s partially responsible for my R&B/soul/hip hop heart.” Wonder has certainly seen action on Aslor’s playlists, as have more modern genre purveyors like Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu (via The Roots).

Curating playlists for om bodies requires “tonework”–the sonic equivalent of homework. “I use Spotify a lot. I find new music with the ‘Radio’ and ‘Discover’ features. I also follow a lot of great teachers and friends who turn me on to good stuff. And if I hear a song I love in a fellow yoga teacher’s class, I always ask what it was. I love discovering new music. I never listen to [terrestrial] radio.”

While it’s feasible to teach yoga without the aid of organized sound, Aslor wouldn’t dream of it. “Music gives students something to feel into and can often help get their minds off of their outside life thoughts. It also makes them smile.”

What’s on Aslor’s radar currently? “I love Message to Bears and Rhye—her voice is mesmerizing and so sexy. I enjoy following fellow teacher Claire Anderson and also Kayla McGowan.”

Aslor leads 11:30 am classes on Thursdays at the Cherry Creek location of Kindness Yoga. Follow Cher Aslor on Spotify to stay abreast of the latest programming.

George Peele enjoys dancing on stilts and delivering Custom Singing Telegrams. He is a contributing writer for 303 Magazine and a freelancer for Vegas Seven. Follow Peele on Instagram: @Orangepeelmoses. Avatar image courtesy Jonathan Shoup.