Marcus Veda
“It’s a matter of life and breath.”
Like many others, I came to yoga for the physical fix, but soon found the magic went deeper. With a degree in philosophy I’d spent most of my 20s exploring the good life as one half of the Loose Cannons band/DJs, remixing, recording and touring the world, living the dream.
Football was my game but I came to the mat through martial arts- enchanted by the tradition and self-discipline of ninjutsu, combined with the freedom and flow of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The yoga came later as an attempt to recover from lingering injuries that weren’t healing like they used to.
An undying urge to fly landed me on the Ashtanga inspired Rocket system but I soon became more interested in it as a way of life rather than just a way of moving… or“the martial art you do against yourself” as Nic Gregoriades, the BJJ black belt once said. For me, it is about observing the mind stuff, while gravity, balance and resistant limbs defy you.
My first Rocket class (and teacher training) was with The Yoga People. They later introduced me to Yin Yoga, as an antidote to the up & up of Rocket (and London yang life.) With that came a deepening appreciation of meditation, stillness of mind and yoga beyond the asanas that originally got me hooked. I went on to advanced trainings with David Swenson, David Kyle and Jason Crandell (earning my YA E-RYT 500… then realising how pointless that accreditation really is.)
I now run my own teacher trainings with Hannah Whittingham through the Good Life Yoga School in London and online. We have also co-written two books : ‘Greed, Sex, Intention– Living like a yogi in the 21stCentury’ on yogic philosophy in the modern era, and “How To Win at Yoga” on postures and posturing in the age of social media.
Back in 2015 we co-founded the Dead Yogis Society, a karma yoga movement to wipe the gloss off the lips of #instayoga and return to the rawness of real practice with real people for real causes. But that was all before Corona wiped the gloss off everything. A different time. I long for the return of the Society, to be back in the rooms, mat to mat, but thank god for Zoom and the new world of online yoga which not only kept us together through the worst times, but has connected me to so many new (and old) faces out there beyond the studio.
