FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
FLOWING TO THE BEAT
JOHN TRAN'S SPIN ON YOGA
By Lindsay McClelland | Photography by Sofia van der Dys
If you’ve ever been to an outdoor yoga class in Houston, you’ve experienced the
music of JOHN TRAN . This local DJ has established himself as the yoga DJ. And
through music, he's helped make yoga more accessible to the masses. As Tran puts
it, “Adding music turns a yoga class into an entertainment event that has the possibil-
ity to reach more people than a studio class. It gives them a little taste so they can
get enticed and discover the practice for themselves.” Listening to Tran describe his
love of yoga and his passion for providing music at outdoor events like Revolution
Studio’s Yoga on the Avenue or at Discovery Green, you’d think he’d been doing
this for a long time. In fact, he’s only been in the yoga community for a few years.
Tran’s yoga journey began in 2014 at Burning Man in the
Nevada desert. It was there that he was introduced to a
lifestyle completely different from how he’d been living in
Houston. Up until that point, Tran had been working late
nights at clubs around town playing music. At Burning Man,
he met people who did yoga, meditated and used music to
find spiritual connection.
As fate would have it, when Tran came home from the festi-
val, a couple of friends independently invited him to a yoga
class. Turns out, it was more than just a yoga class. It was
one of BIG Power Yoga’s bi-annual 40 Days challenges. He
jumped right into 40 days of meditation, mindfulness, healthy
eating and, of course, yoga. Through the process, he learned
that yoga is much more than the physical poses. Tran said,
“It was then, during that 40 Day challenge, that I fell in love
with all aspects of yoga.”
His love of the practice was seen and noticed immediately.
And when BIG Power Yoga was planning its party to celebrate
the finishers of the challenge, they approached Tran to DJ
the yoga practice. He put together his first yoga “set” for
an hour-long outdoor practice and that set everything else
in motion. From there, studios and yoga teachers across the
city began approaching him to put music to their yoga classes
and events. Now, early morning sunrise yoga sessions have
replaced the late-night club music of his past.
4.12.2017
11:47am
And, Tran wouldn’t have it any other way. His goal in provid-
ing music to accompany yoga is to help people deepen their
practice and find inner peace through the music. “Our lives are
pretty busy and filled with so much hustle and bustle. I try to
choose songs that sound like what your body movements are
going through. I look at the students and try to complement
that vibe,” Tran explained. He also uses his personal practice
and knowledge of yoga to inform what music he should play.
As his practice evolves, so does the music.
While yoga is something that Tran is newer to, music is some-
thing that has been in his life since sixth grade when he was
first introduced to percussion, which he’s played ever since.
Being a DJ came later, as a student at St. Thomas University.
But ultimately, becoming a DJ evolved from his desire to
create music with his hands. Tran still plays the drums and,
through his travels and discovery about yoga and music, has
learned about Tibetan singing bowls and steel drums that
enhance meditation and yoga by creating healing frequencies.
He’s also a member of The Anjali Project, a yoga-inspired
group that plays its own original music to classes and in
meditation sessions. Through his work as a DJ and musician,
Tran has found a more profound way to combine the things
he loves – music, people, connection and yoga.
What’s next for Tran? You’ll find him all over town this
summer at outdoor events and every Thursday night at BIG
Power Yoga. But beyond being the yoga DJ, his 2017 goals
are to complete yoga teacher training and develop Houston’s
first conscious festival, the YOUniverSOUL festival, featuring
yoga, meditation and music.
may 17 |
L O C A L
55