Marcus Veda

4Beat Vinyasa + Yin

Like many others, I came to yoga for the physical fix, but soon found the magic went deeper. With a degree in philosophy I had 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 had been my first love but the union of mind and body came through martial arts. I was enchanted by the tradition and self-discipline of ninjutsu, but found a spiritual connection to the freedom and flow of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Yoga arrived much later as an attempt to recover from lingering injuries that weren’t healing like they used to. And then it took over everything.

 

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 the yang of daily London life.) With that came a deepening appreciation of meditation, stillness of mind and yoga beyond the asanas that originally got him hooked. I went on to do advanced trainings with David Swenson, David Kyle and Jason Crandell (earning my Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500… before realising how pointless that accreditation really is.) The final piece of the asana puzzle came through practising Iyengar, which taught me what I was actually doing in the individual poses. 4BEAT blossomed out of all of this around 2015 and is growing by the day.

 

I like to incorporate different movement modalities into the traditional yogic form, with influences from Jiujitsu, Capoeira and FRC (functional range conditioning), but the overarching intention is always to find meditation in the movement by tuning the breath into the beat. Feel more, feel better.

 

Qualifications:

  • Co-Founder of Good Life Yoga School
  • Co-Author of “Greed, Sex, Intention: Living Like a Yogi in the 21st Century” and “How to Win at Yoga”
  • 200 hour TT, The Yoga People (2012)
  • 100 hour advanced Rocket TT, The Yoga People (2014)
  • 100 hour Yin TT, The Yoga People (2015)
  • 20 hour Ashtanga TT David Swenson (2016)
  • 50 hour Advanced Rocket TT David Kyle (2017)
  • 500 hour TT, Jason Crandell (2019)

Class Descriptions

4Beat

4Beat is a dynamic vinyasa flow class created by Marcus and born out of the Rocket Yoga system. The core of the practice is the alignment of the breath to the slow, regular beat of the music. Focusing the mind and the breath on a 4 beat count leads to a sharp, single-pointed and unwavering ability to concentrate. You will find yourself completely immersed in a state of synchronous moving meditation.

 

The two main sequences are based on the arc of the (Ashtanga-inspired) Rocket Yoga system. You’ll start with sun salutations before moving into a sequence of standing postures. Marcus will lead you to the floor for back arches, twists and forward bends before guiding you into the closing, calming postures. There are inversions and arm balances taught throughout, but they are totally optional. Consistency of the slow, steady breath is always more important than any posture, difficult or not.

 

All you have to do is breathe in … one, two, three, four …. and breathe out … one, two, three, four.

 

This class is taught with music.

 

4Beat is suitable for adventurous beginners and beyond. Everyone — whether newbie or frequent flyer — syncs together.

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Yin

Yin is the passive, mindful meditation in stillness: stop doing anything – do nothing – and simply observe the things that normally keep you distracted – ie constant thinking. See what’s there rather than actively looking.

 

In Marcus’ Yin classes you will explore poses to help you find stillness, any movement here is a distraction. This enables not only a different way in to meditation but also the calming of the autonomic nervous system – into a parasympathetic: rest, digest and healing state.

 

As a counter to the hectic and over-stimulated lives we often lead, and sometimes compound, Yin is the alternative. As strong as it is soft, it is a practice many of us need more than we think.

 

Yin classes are suitable for all levels.

Testimonials

Sam

“I have been in this process of ‘rediscovering’ my practice after injury and depression, and Marcus’ class helped me find the raw bits of spirit and fortitude that I have been trying desperately to find. What a difference a short, Friday evening class can make for someone.”

Student

“… thank you Marcus 🙏🏻 my nervous system has been all over the place last few weeks and today was the first time I’ve felt like I was finally able to bring it down to a baseline. Thanks to you x stepping onto the mat with you was one of the best things I ever did in my life. And I am forever grateful.”