Yoga

Take a deep, lung-cleansing breath. You're getting sleeeepy. No, wait — that's not right. You're getting ready to roll out your yoga mat, in hopes of steamrolling all the ups and downs of the day. That's gonna take some concentration, though, which might be hard with all the passing cars and white noise outside your window. Well, hard if you don't listen to our Yoga Essentials, a spine-tapping mood stabilizer that includes the airy ambient techno of "Anthem" and "Porcelain," the keyboard caresses and whimsical flutes of "Part 1 — Sunlight," and the wobbling sitar of "Friar Park."

Nestle up to our Next Steps and you just might be on your way to enlightenment.

Amazing how just a few hours of yoga can change your whole outlook on life, isn't it? Think of it as a sort of spiritual detox, with some limb-loosening exercise thrown in to set your blood to a slow boil or simmer. With a playlist that ranges from East (the traditional Hindu chants of Krishna Das, the beat-centric French programming and poignant Pygmy choruses of "Sweet Lullaby") to West (the sinking synths and placid piano playing of "To Take…To Hold," the rhythm-riding "urban shaman" music of Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors), our Yoga Next Steps is all about assisting your two ears in developing a Third Eye.

And with a set of Deep Cuts still to come, there's no need to leave your own personal cave just yet.

When it comes to yoga, the goal isn't to look like a rock-hard bodybuilder — one you can bounce quarters off of. It's about achieving a healthy and stable state of mind, along with a loose and limber body. As a yoga master might tell you, when the surface of a lake is still, one can see to the bottom clearly. This kind of inner peace is impossible when it's interrupted by the rising tides of everyday life, however. Hence the soothing, wave-taming nature of our Deep Cuts, including the clicks and cuts of "Eastern Glow," the fireside guitar licks of "Causeway," and the swift turntable scratches of "Lost."

Any physical activity that offers you the door to spiritual enlightenment and the ability to coil your legs behind your head has the support of the entire iTunes Essentials staff. Finding the right music to fulfill one's soul-searching quest is a task unto itself, though. As we quickly found out in assembling this playlist, not just any tabla/sitar/finger cymbal (i.e. what belly dancers use) combo is going to cut it. A delicate snowstorm of drumbeats, crisscrossing synths, peace-channeling vocals, and the aforementioned traditional stuff will, though. Now focus on your breathing and the moment. We'll take care of the soundtrack.