Stillness requires silence. To be still and look inward we have to shut off all distractions. It truly seems that today's fast paced world keeps distancing us further from ourselves. It's important on your journey to recognize that some distractions are impossible to shut off and instead embrace them. While silence is imperative, sometimes music can help you achieve stillness.

This upcoming season we combined Merkaela's latest offering with music that can offer you stillness without complete silence. Songs that ground you. Songs that allow you to reflect.

When thinking about songs to choose for our Soul Sounds Playlist, I immediately thought of more instrumental, piano based music. But for our first song I chose Here Comes The Sun by Nina Simone. A vocal sure, but one that acts as the perfect opener of things to come. The feeling of stillness watching the sun rise on the horizon. The beauty of that moment moves through the song as we move deeper into the playlist. I used some electronic based music that still had the organic and atmospheric feel. Songs by Theo Parrish, Soofy & Darius helped set the perfect tone for stillness.

To give the playlist some depth I dug deep into Stevie Wonder's discography and included Kesse Ye Lolo De Ye from his genre bending album The Secret Life of Plants. I also included some beautiful songs by Yaruma, Jorja Smith and Blackbird Blackbird.

Finishing the playlist are 3 really special cuts by Brian Eno, Corry Hanna, and my favorite tune by Helios called Halving The Compass. It's an hour and a half journey that I hope you find helps you find stillness in our fast paced world. Something that feels like a luxury lately.

Stream the playlist below or click here.