Thursday Tryouts (#3) – BUTI Yoga

Welcome all to my Thursday Tryout Link-up! A weekly link-up where I aim to share a new adventure I’ve tried out and the experience I had. Feel free to join me every Thursday by sharing a try-out you have had (whether it was a great or not so great experience!) Perhaps you’ll save someone from a bad experience or inspire them to give something new a try they wouldn’t have otherwise!

Today’s post is focused on a new form of Yoga I recently tried, BUTI Yoga. Let me start off by saying I’ve never really thought of myself to be a “yogi,” and still don’t because I don’t practice it very often. I’ve always found yoga to be challenging, but relaxing at the same time. I enjoy the soothing music that the instructors play during class, although I almost always am tempted or do fall asleep when we are given minutes to lie on our mats. The first time I took yoga, I was completely lost as I’d never taken classes with many first timers. So the instructors would just throw out all these yoga name titles that I had no idea what they meant. Chaturanga, Vinyasa, Upward Dog, Tree, and I don’t know what else. These names and poses may seem so basic. I’ve luckily learned and understand most of the basic poses now, but I felt like a complete foreigner when I walked into my first class. I felt the instructor was speaking a different language completely, and maybe she was! I couldn’t believe the way people were able to twist their bodies and balance for long periods of times. I was surrounded by crazy warriors, trees, cats, and eagles. I was just happy to be a child in child’s pose!

Somehow though I liked the craziness I associated with being a yogi,
because they did all these complex poses with such grace and strength, I respected them. Despite my embarrassment of my entangled mess of a “flow,” I kept trying at yoga. I’d go to classes and even started videos at home on my own to work out my flexibility, balance, and focus. I don’t do yoga as much as I would like to still, but I look forward to the day where I can bend and flow my way with ease without breaking up a sweat and heaving! Yes, yoga wears me out! Even the gentle kind!

So recently in one of the Tone It Up groups I’m in on facebook, a fellow TIU member posted up a flyer for Buti Yoga. I’d never heard of this type of yoga, but I probably don’t even know the half of them! I was immediately drawn to the whole Halloween feel to the flyer, as I really like Halloween. Buti Ghoulish Glow Party it said. I decided I wanted to go as it was only a few minutes away from where I lived, so I reached out to other girls in the group to look for some carpool companions. Two other girls in my area were interested in joining me. I was excited to try something new, get a workout in, and finally meet up with some fellow TIU girlies! So on a Thursday night, we carpooled ourselves up with our yoga mats and headed over to Athleta in Pasadena.

I was surprised this class was held in a fitness store as I have never heard of fitness stores hosting classes, let alone free ones! My group got there a little late, but we were welcomed enthusiastically still! Which I was really happy and grateful for as I’m usually quite intimidated walking into group fitness classes late, because they usually always put me on the uncomfortable spotlight where I feel like I’m being scolded. This class was in no way like that though! The moment I walked in I felt a surge of positive energy. The music was a fun mix of upbeat tunes and still some Halloween splash in there. The instructor, Lili Daniel, was super energetic and sweet. She even headed to the back to greet us personally. The class itself was held in the dark with the yoga go-ers wearing neon body paint for an “enhanced experience.”

I hadn’t done any research about Buti Yoga before going and just thought the name sounded much like butt or booty so maybe it’d be a little bit of a booty focused course. I quickly realized that these thoughts of BUTI sounding very much like butt or booty were no coincidence. This class seriously had a connection to some BOOTAY!

On Lili’s website, butiyogaatthepark.com, Buti Yoga is described as a fuse of yoga, tribal dance, and plyometrics. Sounds crazy right!? And it was! But so much fun! Buti is said to mean “the cure to something hidden or kept secret.” The focus of this type of yoga is to unlock your “Shakti Spiral” to allow the free flow of chakras. The website says that Buti Yoga is a balanced workout that releases an endorphin rush in both mind and spirit. I confirm this statement as I really believe this type of yoga takes the title in spiking up your heart rate and breaking a sweat. It felt like a cardio session on its own! Something I was not anticipating. I said before that yoga tends to make me sweat and lose some breath as I try to catch up with the flows and hold poses. This, however, was an entirely different kind of experience.

Lili and I after! It was costume friendly, but sadly I didn’t have one to wear that night!

I was surprised how energized I felt throughout the entire class even though I felt like I was doing much more work than other yoga classes. It was hard to see Lili all the time in the front of the room because it was dark and I was all the way in the back, but I fully believe I could feel her smile and positive energy radiate throughout the entire room. Everyone else seemed to be having the same positive energy as I was and it boosted mine even more. I’m normally an introvert type of person who shies away in the corner or tries to shrink her movements to be small. This class definitely did not allow any of that though! Lili had us doing some downward dog butt shakes, hip thrusts, and all these crazy moves (Check some out here!) that threw shame and discomfort out the door. I admit I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I’m no dancer and definitely don’t feel like I have any idea how to use my hips. Yet, there I was sweating and smiling the whole time! I felt a sense of empowerment and love for my body’s ability to move. The class was dark so maybe this helped me connect with myself more and avoid comparing my movements to others.

Normally I add yoga in my routine for a rest days. This was not the case with this class as I felt like I had completed a full workout afterwards. I find lilsjourney inspiring, and believe she really believes in what she does and is passionate about sharing this passion with others. If there is Buti Yoga class available in your area, I’d definitely suggest giving this a try!

A successful try-out indeed! I got to make new friends, break a sweat, and have some free goodies too!

I’m hoping to try a variety of new workout types next year and would love to hear any suggestions you might have for fun fitness classes or styles of workouts that you’ve really enjoyed!