#29: Erin — Yoga, Nonviolent Communication, Music Curation
Harnessing hummingbird energy.
Welcome to Mia’s Queue, a newsletter spotlighting the secret agents of taste among us. In each edition, I chat with an undercover tastemaker infusing creativity and wonder into their (and our!) everyday life. Learn what lights them up, where they find inspiration, and what they think we should all be enjoying right now. Meet Agent 029: Erin Gilmore, a writer, yoga, and meditation teacher based in San Francisco.
A friend was always gushing about this yoga teacher, Erin Gilmore, so I just had to check out her class. It kicked my non-Lulu Lemoned ass, but let me tell you about the music! Erin curated a playlist better than I’ve ever heard in any yoga class. I might even have shed a tear or two from the sheer emotion of it all. Erin picked songs that touched me and made me feel expansive. And now, her weekly newsletter, Living Room Yoga, brings the same energy to my inbox. Who is this person? I had to find out more about this stellar stealth curator and how she knits together music, movement, and motivation so powerfully.
As you know, I love the music you played in class! How do you think about curating it?
My intention with every single song is that it's its own experience. There's a general idea in yoga classes that there's a bell curve of energy and music. Mine is more like a heart monitor: up and down, up and down…which can sound chaotic. But for me, it's a way to make it feel more cohesive. This song is here because I am hoping it helps you feel x, y, or z, and the movements that we're doing are meant to be hopeful, jubilant, or “aggressive.” They're meant to complement each other. My music sets the stage song by song.
I do have a formula. The beginning of my class tends to be pilates. It goes from a two-minute ethereal, hopeful intention-setting song that's always lyric-less, so that you can hear yourself a bit better, and then eight minutes of pilates. Those songs tend to be rap or anything with an upbeat tone. Then the heart rate monitor goes down quite a bit, to softer notes; I want it to feel like it's morning.
How do you discover music for class?
I go through my Discover Weekly and rely on friends. One of them likes guys with guitars, which I will tend to put either as a sun salutation song or at the end of class. I have another friend who's all dance, disco, and techno. I’m constantly asking Siri: “What's that song?” whenever I'm out.
The mood of your week also comes through in your newsletter. How do you think about putting yourself out there so much?
It feels therapeutic. In the beginning, when I first started writing the newsletter, I would have a bit of a hangover the next day: “Why did you say that?” But then you get the feedback of: “Thank you for helping me feel less alone.”
When I’m thinking about theming my classes, just like with the playlist, I can't solve for anyone outside myself. I'm just saying the things that I need to hear that day or week. I am also conscious that certain moods or emotions move through a lot of people at once, almost like the weather. I listen for what themes I'm hearing from my students. I'm so nosy. I love talking to them.
This week, I've been theming classes around holding people in my life accountable and how that's actually compassionate. I used to think it was mean, strict, or authoritarian, but it's [actually saying] “I believe I can tell you the truth. I can be honest with you. I trust you. I know you can handle this.”
I listen to the Ten Percent Happier podcast religiously. I notice which episodes I'm drawn to and that helps me acquire more tools or understanding.
This week, I felt hummingbird energy — not able to touch the ground and not in a beautiful, fun hummingbird way, but in a frenetic, manic hummingbird way. I'm theming my class on this moment.
The biggest theme in my classes, in general, is listening deeply. That's why I'm so interested in nonviolent communication. That’s why I’m so interested in the playlist. Each song isn't here by accident; it's not background noise.
Everything is intentional.
I'm asking you to show up, set an intention, and move with intention. Everything from my side needs to feel the same way.
What are your rituals and routines for finding and sharing inspiration?
My Notes app is a constant bank. I dump thoughts there, little things that pass through my mind during the week.
I always have these constant streams of inspiration coming in, and then for whatever reason they'll pop back up when I'm feeling hummingbird anxious energy.
Like what? Tell us your picks!
👶 Dr. Siggie Cohen, parenting expert
I follow a lot of parenting Instagram accounts because I have no idea what I’m doing. [laughs] Dr. Siggie is phenomenal. She was talking about how the opposite of anxiety is not calm, it's trust. It's in your abilities to make it through any unknown so there's no need to wrap yourself up in worry.
🕊 Nonviolent communications teachers
I reference Judith Hanson Lasater every week. I've done a bunch of communications trainings with her. I have an orange notebook with a seminar from Byron Katie in it; a seminar from Bessel van der Kolk in it. My three nonviolent communication trainings; it's my inspiration bible.
❤️🔥 Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries
I read “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion” on a plane. I did not realize I would be sobbing and laughing and then sobbing; it must have looked out of control to my seatmates. It's such a touching book, and it's fraught with actionable inspiration.
I like to take the abstract and make it actionable. Sometimes wellness can feel really wishy-washy and word salady. What do I do with that? That collection of teachers and books (along with Jenny Slate’s “Little Weirds”) all live right where I do my living room yoga, so my eyes are constantly glancing over at them.
Mia’s Queue is a free newsletter at the intersection of curation, connection, and personal change. Each edition is full of links hand-picked by authentic people who savor the hunt for the Good Stuff, always strive to be their best, and know that sharing is caring. Thanks for being here!
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