What Is Buti Yoga and How Is It Practiced?
Buti yoga is a variation of traditional yoga that incorporates movement in the best aerobic exercise style. Its creator is none other than Bizzie Gold, a well-known celebrity trainer. Although its popularity is recent, in fact, the first classes date back to 2010.
This modality has more than 6000 instructors in 27 countries. Although, in theory, its function is not to make you lose weight, on its official website it’s assured that in a single session you can burn between 600 and 1000 calories. Do you want to know everything about this popular practice? Stay tuned, we will soon tell you what it’s all about.
What exactly is buti yoga?
Buti yoga is a combination of traditional yoga, tribal dances, small improvised shakes, and plyometric exercises. The word buti comes from the Moroccan Indian tradition to designate a cure or antidote that has been kept secret. In short, each session is like a dance class to which yoga postures and tribal dances are added.
All classes are intensive. That is, they move away from the classic yoga sessions in which you pursue peace and relaxation with static movements. Although at the end of a buti yoga routine, you do achieve these two attributes, you do so with a high activity load that gets you working all your muscles.
A typical routine includes a lot of sweat, movement, dancing, and side shaking. The latter is certainly a highlight. Bizzie Gold, its creator, calls this principle spinal structure technique (SST).
In short, the technique consists of actively engaging the lateral muscles of your core. To do this, movements are made in these axes, which are often ignored in other types of disciplines or classical exercises. The buti yoga classes usually range between 30 and 60 minutes long.
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Benefits of practicing it
We have already mentioned that a single session of buti yoga can make you lose up to 1000 calories. This is why many choose to practice it, although we must point out that the classes are not designed for weight loss (although this is not its main function). Since you are always moving, completing a class is a challenge for the participants.
The above should not inhibit you at all. You can sign up for shorter routines or those intended for beginners. Little by little you will acquire the technique and endurance necessary to complete a high-intensity class. Returning to its benefits, we highlight the following:
- Your mood improves.
- Strengthen your muscles and tone your body.
- You acquire better balance and coordination.
- Improve your flexibility.
- You get to know your body and what it can give you.
- Strengthen your social relationships (all classes are in a group).
- Improve your endurance and physical attitude.
- Learn to accept your body attributes.
- You connect with yourself and free yourself from daily stress or anxiety.
The benefits of buti yoga manifest both physically and mentally. The practice focuses on accepting the body, learning all that it can give you, and increasing your happiness. This is why many sessions are done with only the necessary garments to encourage self-acceptance. Of course, the latter is not a mandatory requirement.
How is it practiced?
All buti classes are accompanied by music. If we must highlight one external feature of the sessions, this would undoubtedly be the most important. The instructor chooses a playlist that covers the scheduled minutes of the class.
Generally, it starts with relaxation songs and then includes some more intense electronic or hip-hop music, for example. The sounds mark the rhythm of the movements and breathing. In the end, soft music is included to finish as it started.
Another feature is that the amount of light in the room is usually minimized and, if the room allows it, some mirrors are included. Participants do not passively follow the instructor’s movements, but there is the freedom to include variations according to the physical or emotional capacities of the moment.
For example, singing, shouting or crying is not prevented in the middle of the sessions. The sense is always liberating, so everyone is encouraged to be uninhibited during the classes. Of course, the instructor is always attentive to make recommendations to avoid injuries or muscle trauma.
How is a buti yoga session?
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We have already taught you what is buti yoga, its benefits, and some principles of their classes. Now it’s time to show you what a classic session is like. It’s normal to start by doing conventional yoga. For this, an average of 4 to 5 asanas (postures) are chosen according to the experience of the participants.
Gradually, the asanas include small modifications to encourage movement. After these serve as a transition, the active stage begins in which yoga, dancing, dancing, and lateral shaking are combined in one place.
It’s not uncommon for trainers not to plan the sessions, so each bati yoga class is different. The rhythm sets the movements to be followed, as well as the intensity, disposition and emotion of the participants. The practice in turn has two variants: buti sculpt and buti band.
These usually last 30 minutes, although they are more intense than a conventional buti class. They include the principles of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and cardio workouts. They are only recommended when you have fully mastered the classic variant.
In the beginning, the practice was exclusively female, although today it’s possible to find some men teaching classes or joining the group. Although nothing prevents you from attending a session without experience, the ideal is that you have mastered some yoga postures to make it less difficult to follow the rhythm.