Yoga novices, don’t stress out about being the newbie in class.
The most important benefit of yoga is making yourself feel better, said star yoga instructor Vinnie Marino, who has taught celebrities such as Heather Graham, Kate Hudson, Marcia Cross and David Duchovny.
“Yoga creates a feeling of calm and more focus and reduced stress,” he told RedEye. “It keeps calling you back to practice more because of all the benefits it gives you. You want to recreate feeling good.”
Marino, who teaches at Yoga Works studios in L.A., said that whether you’re a beginner or experienced, out-of-shape or in peak physical condition, most yoga studios offer classes that will work for you.
“First, find out what kind of yoga lessons you want to take,” he said. “There are many different types.”
The Niyama Yoga School in Wilmette, where Marino will be a guest instructor this weekend, offers seven class levels, ranging from “gentle,” which is stretching techniques and meditation for people with limited mobility, to “advanced,” a more challenging course that requires students to do inversions, back bends and arm balances.
To get the most out of yoga classes, Marino said it is best to listen to your body and not push yourself too much.
“You want your breath and your mind calm. Don’t compare yourself to other people. It’s not a performance, it’s something for yourself,” Marino said.
He also stressed commitment. “Be consistent. Don’t just go to a couple classes and then stop. You should go about three times a week,” Marino said.
Marino said that people who prefer to practice yoga at home with the help of videos can get benefits, but beginners do better learning the basics in live classes.
“There are a lot of videos and CDs. Some of them are very good,” Marino said. “But I recommend going to the studio, if only to learn the basics. You should learn the basics and then practice what you learned at home. A beginner is at a loss if he practices only at home.”
Besides its stress-reducing benefits, yoga also can help you lose weight. “The more vigorous the yoga class you take, the more weight you’ll lose,” Marino said. “Yoga makes you aware of your body. You know when you have had too much food or how much you should eat.”
LEARN FROM THE MASTER
There are currently open spaces available, but you’d better hurry up and register if you’re interested in taking a yoga class taught by Vinnie Marino.
He packs yoga studios.
“It’s really exciting that he’s coming here,” said Mac McHugh, who owns Niyama Yoga in Wilmette, where Marino will teach this weekend.
McHugh said she has taken his classes in L.A. “There are usually lines out the door waiting to get in,” she said.
Marino’s classes are designed for individuals with extensive yoga experience. Individual classes are $45 while all four cost $175. To register, e-mail Nancy Clark at nancy@niyamayoga.com or call her at 847-424-0835. Here’s the schedule:
– 6:30 p.m. Friday; Niyama Yoga studio, 742 12th St.
– 10 a.m., 3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday; Lakeview Center in Gillson Park, 1200 Wilmette Ave. [C.P.]
Beginner poses
Star yoga instructor Vinnie Marino shared three exercises with RedEye that beginners can do on their own.
Bridge pose
Benefits: Stretches the chest, neck and spine and helps alleviate stress and mild depression.
How to do it: Lie down with your spine on the floor. Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible. Lift buttocks until thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your thighs and feet parallel. Clasp hands below your pelvis and extend through arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders. Press the top of the sternum toward the chin.
Seated forward bend
Benefits: Stretches the spine, shoulders and hamstrings. Soothes headaches and reduces fatigue.
How to do it: Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press actively through your heels. Press through your palms or fingertips on the floor beside your hips and lift the top of the sternum toward the ceiling as the top thighs press to the floor. Keeping the front torso long, lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist.
Downward-facing dog
Benefits: Calms the mind and provides all-over body stretch and strengthening.
How to do it: Get on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and lift your knees away from the floor. Stretch the sitting bones toward the ceiling. Your arms are straight. Most beginners will need to keep the knees bent to keep a straight spine. There should not be any rounding in the spine.
