A yoga experience combining movement with a live vinyl DJ is returning to Harrogate following a sell-out debut.
8BPM will take place at The Fitness Garage on Saturday 21st November, offering a 90-minute vinyasa yoga practice set to deep electronic house music.
The concept was created by Harrogate yoga teacher Leah Hester alongside vinyl DJ and music producer Al Bradley, of 3am Recordings and Dragon Parade.
Unlike a conventional yoga soundtrack, the music is played live and entirely on vinyl, with Al selecting deep and hypnotic tracks, many of which are unavailable digitally.
Leah Hester said:
“The sound is deep, subtle and incredibly physical.
“Low bass frequencies are not simply something we hear. Research has shown that very low frequencies can influence how we move, even without us consciously hearing them.
“Those deep, resonant vibrations seem to travel straight to the abdomen. In yoga, the abdomen is the region of the Sacral Chakra, traditionally associated with emotion, creativity and fluidity.”
The class uses a repeating mandala-style sequence, helping participants become familiar with the movements as the session progresses.
As less verbal instruction is needed, the aim is for movement to become more instinctive and responsive to the music.
Leah said:
“For me, there's something wonderfully primal about that connection. Rhythm and movement have always been part of the human experience, and deep electronic music has an almost tribal, hypnotic quality.
“When you combine that with breath-led yoga, the music becomes something you move with, rather than simply listen to.
“The intention is to move away from thinking about the postures and towards a natural flow state, feeling your way through them.”
The number eight runs throughout the concept, with participants encouraged to inhale for eight beats and exhale for eight beats.
Set against a house music tempo, this creates approximately eight complete breaths per minute – giving 8BPM its name.
Organisers describe the session as a challenging and dynamic physical practice, designed to create a meditative quality through repetition, rhythm and breath.
The Fitness Garage, which is a finalist in the Gym Innovation of the Year category at the 2026 National Fitness Awards, hosted the first sold-out event in September.
November’s session will be the second instalment, with plans already underway to take the concept to a larger venue in Leeds in the new year.
Leah added:
“The response to the first event was awesome. What we are trying to create is something that sits somewhere between a yoga practice and an immersive musical experience.
“There is an energy that comes from practising together in a room with a live vinyl soundtrack that is very difficult to replicate anywhere else.”
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