Yoga for every body
Dario Bruno
Sicilian lawyer Dario Bruno first came to Ibiza in 2010, where he first met his future partner, Hot Yoga Ibiza founder Sebastien Carincotte, who introduced him to the practice of yoga. It was love at first sight, and love at first practice! Today he divides his time between Italy, where he works, and Ibiza, where he continues to practice.
What first attracted you to yoga?
[Smiles] Sebastien. We met and I didn’t know anything about yoga, I had never practiced before. The very next day Sebastien took me to the studio to try a class and I have been practicing ever since – for five years now.
Did you feel a connection with it straight away?
Yes. At first I did a lot of Bikram yoga and a little Ashtanga. It was really tough, and I found it difficult but I instantly felt the benefits of the practice and wanted to continue.
Tell us a bit about your practice?
It’s never as regular as I would like it to be, because I come and go from Sicily to Ibiza. I do every style of class on offer at Hot Yoga Ibiza. In the beginning, I was doing three classes a day and then Sebastien told me I couldn’t! It was too much, it wasn’t a good balance so for the last two years I have gone back to two classes a day. CORE 40 is my favourite – I love Bikram and Ashtanga too, but I feel the CORE 40 classes offer a more complete practice. I really receive the benefits… and I always fall asleep at the end of the class!
Do you practice at all when you are at home in Italy?
No. I work too much and there are no Bikram yoga studios in Sicily. But when I feel very nervous or stressed, agitated, when everything just gets to the point of arrrrrgh I do the breathing exercises from Bikram. It is the only thing that helps.
Is it difficult to maintain this balance?
Yes. I know it is very unbalanced but this is my life. Work, work, work, yoga, yoga, yoga. When I don’t practice, it’s like going backwards. I start to get full of stress, tension, and go back to day to day life.
How does practice affect your life and work off the mat?
I don’t think it affects my work, but I feel it affects my everyday life very much. When I am practicing, I feel a much stronger connection with people, with nature, with everything around me. In Sicily, I am a really closed person but when I am practicing yoga, I am much more open. I feel much better when I am here in Ibiza.
What kinds of physical benefits have you seen with the practice?
A lot of benefits – weight loss, it helps controls my diabetes, I have more energy, I’m more flexible and I never get sick anymore.
And have you noticed any changes in the mind?
I think a lot better, and with more clarity. And my mind is much more quiet.
How much do you know about the yogic philosophies?
I know a lot, because Sebastien talks with me all day about it! I know all about the physical practice from experience, but I also understand what is behind it through our conversations.
Are you still learning in class after five years of practice?
Every class is different from the other, I’m always learning. The sacrifice you make inside the class and the benefits outside of the class are different every day.
How do you describe Sebastien’s teaching style?
I have only ever practiced yoga with Sebastien, and I think he is the only teacher I can ever practice with. He puts his whole heart into yoga and I see the sacrifices he makes every day to keep the studio running, and to keep studying – that’s what makes him such a great teacher. When you have something this good at your fingertips why would you go anywhere else?
How what is your relationship with him like?
Amore! Pure love. If we are still living separately like this in five years from now, it’s because each time we finally meet again, we are happy and in love.
Where do you see your practice going in the future?
I would like to go to a teacher training, but just for myself. I would love to be full immersed in the practice, maybe for one or two months intensively. Not everyone is born to be a teacher but I would like to learn more.
