Marcus Veda is one of the fantastic teachers on our Shoreditch schedule. Read on to discover how his yoga practice began and his thoughts on getting more men on the mat.
Where and how did your yoga practice begin?
London 2009? I was injured in a charity football match which was made worse by some on stage shenanigans. I tried yoga for rehab and was doing a lot of martial arts at the time – which seemed to work really well with my body at first and then it started tickling the crevices of my mind… I fell deeper and deeper until it [yoga] took over my life.
What styles of yoga do you prefer and why?
Rocket yoga – remixed Ashtanga Vinyasa. I love how the sequence is a continuous challenging flow and all the postures seem to have their place and purpose, even if I can’t do half of them – or maybe because of that. It is the perfect moving meditation for me. But I also practice Yogasana with Stewart Gilchrist, Dharma yoga with Mark Kan, Eileen Gauthier’s torture vinyasa, Kristi Johnson’s Forrest and Iyengar with Alaric Newcombe; just because I like to continually learn new approaches to the old ways of moving and being still.
Define your style of teaching in 3 words.
Breath, Rhythm, Flight.
What’s your favourite place to practice and why?
In a room full of booming Ujjayi- the connection to the group energy through that sound is like singing along to the songs of your favourite band at Glastonbury with 100,000 people.
Tell us about your journey as a yoga teacher – what have been the highlights so far?
When someone tells you after class they “got” something you said (regardless of whether they “got” the posture) they understood the why and the how. Or when you see a whole row of people moving and breathing in unison, so ‘in it’, like cogs in a cosmic machine, you are suddenly aware of ‘this happening right now’, that you are a part of it, and its simplicity is striking and perfect. At the Last Dead Yogis Society event I caught myself just watching in wonder when I was ostensibly mid flow teaching and I thought – this is it. Like DJing at Glastonbury 2003, to here, now. Pow, the moment is perfect when you truly find yourself right in it. From my first class of 4 people, to one of 50 years later. There are more noteworthy benchmarks of events and achievements perhaps, but when the energy and rhythm synchronises in your regular weekly class, for a second, those are the real highlights…hold them, let them go, and on to the next.
What advice would you give to someone who is feeling tentative about attending their first yoga class?
Ask yourself ‘what are you afraid of, truly?’ Nobody is watching you or cares that you have no idea what you are really doing. Nobody can do anything at the beginning and soon enough you realise we are all struggling away at different things, even though it seems everyone else can do it. They can’t. That’s why it’s all practice and not a show. Just keep breathing and be prepared to laugh at yourself at how ridiculous half of what you are being asked to do is. Getting up on stage, giving speeches, doing interviews, getting on the dance floor, even meeting people, these are all situations that can justifiably make you feel nervous. Playing around on a mat and occasionally falling over is honestly easier than any of those things. Nobody is watching, just your ego – take it for a walk. It’s natural to feel tentative about anything you do for the first time, if it’s worth doing.
How can we encourage more men onto the yoga mat?
I think the idea that “men” are a distinct/unique species unto themselves is the first problem. Men come in different shapes and sizes. Athletic, sporty types are usually strong but stiff, so for them you need to show them the practice is challenging enough physically, yet not just about how bendy you are. Those guys are used to competing with others and themselves… that is why Bikram draws them in ‘endure the heat etc.’ But I think, show them the breath alone can make them sweat, and that yoga can be as hard as anything they’ve ever done before for many different reasons and they may get beyond preconceptions.
Other guys who are less inclined to physical activity may feel they aren’t flexible or strong enough. They need to see that not only will yoga bring them these things, but it will ultimately help them move beyond the physical limitations imposed by the body, and see themselves opening up in unexpected ways: mentally, even spiritually. The boys need a helping hand first time in the jungle. Show them, on the mat, everyone can be their own Tarzan.
How do you carve time out of your busy schedule for our own yoga practice?
I’m due to have a baby any time now so get back to me about how easy I find time to practice in a few weeks. I think I’m about to become a very different type of yogin.
Recommend us a book on yoga that you love, and tell us why you like it.
Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar. Simple and clear exposition of yoga as a practice for life. Doesn’t get lost in opacity like many other yoga books.
What are your favourite sounds to practice to?
My own mixes – I put them up at www.soundcloud.com/marcusvedayoga
Marcus spent his 20s touring the world as an international DJ. It wasn’t until an over enthusiastic stage-diving mishap that he finally took a therapist friend’s advice in trying yoga to get fixed. A need to properly heal the body coincided with a sneaking desire for change in the mind that landed Marcus on the yoga mat. He trained to become a teacher with the It’s Yoga affiliated Yoga People in Goa. Marcus’ classes embrace the joyful rebel spirit of The Rocket, experimenting with advanced balancing postures along with the traditional grounding poses.
Marcus teaches at triyoga Camden and Shoreditch. For his schedule and to book a class, please click here.
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