Let’s start with this, no traditional Yogi would refer to Buti Yoga as Yoga. With that out of the way, we can now discuss what this exercise class is really about.
Buti Yoga was the invention of renowned trainer Bizzie Gold and made its way to the mainstream world in 2012. It is a hybrid workout between Yoga, Tribal Dance, and Polymetric movements (jumping like a toddler high on sugar). It is paired with pumped-up music, in dimly lit rooms, with mirrors as many yoga and dance classes are.
The ethos of Buti Yoga is to have fun and to celebrate moving the body. Ideally, a class should not feel like a hardcore workout even if the participant is sweating buckets because they are enjoying themselves so much.
Buti enthusiasts and trainers claim that it has benefits beyond the physical in addressing mental stress and blockages as well as toning the body and helping build strong lean muscles. Participants are encouraged to behave in a “primal” manner in class, chanting, screaming, laughing, or any other appropriate feeling self-expression. One newspaper reported that a 75-minute class can burn between 800-1000 calories – we wonder how they got this number…
Are there any facts behind these claims?
To our knowledge, Buti yoga specifically has not been put to the test in any randomized controlled trials for mental health, weight loss, muscle gain, or any other purpose. That however does not mean it doesn’t work. Let us discuss each claim in terms of currently accepted scientific terms and see what we can make of it:
- Building Lean Muscles: We believe this to be fully possible, as exercise types such as dance, Pilates, yoga are known for building long lean musculature and these are the basis for Buti.
- Improvements in mental health: studies have shown that cardiovascular exercise especially in the form of running 3-4 times a week can significantly improve symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve mental performance. Seeing that Buti Yoga has a strong focus on cardiovascular fitness it is likely to be of benefit for mental health in a similar way to other types of cardiovascular exercise. It does however have the added benefit of being practiced with others with an ethos of fun and living in the moment which can also benefit your mental state as it can help you feel connected to others.
- Burning 800-1000 calories: this is probably the tallest claim and to be fair it was not made by the founder of Buti Yoga or any instructor to our awareness. It is not impossible for a person to burn that many calories in 75 minutes, but it is difficult. How many calories a person burns during exercise depends on a few factors including their weight, their fitness level, and how much effort is being exerted. The fitter you are the more calories you will burn, as you’ll be able to perform more aerobic work. The positive caveat to this though is if you have a few pounds to get rid of you’ll also burn more calories.
Although the claims of any new health craze (not that we think 2012 is new anymore), can seem both a little overzealous and difficult to believe as well as really promising at the same time when we take a practical approach to the topic in question, we can make some simple deductions that go past those claims based on the facts that are given.
Should you Try Buti Yoga?
If you like moving your body and have an interest in trying or already know you enjoy dance-type workouts with music and a positive attitude to the training (it’s meant to be fun not torture), then it may be something you really enjoy. If you approach it from an angle of having, increasing your fitness, and trying something new then it might well end up being something you love and can add to your arsenal of self-care. If you reap additional benefits, then absolutely brilliant!
How to Try Buri Yoga in a Pandemic
Okay, so quite a bit of the fun is doing it with others – for some. For the rest of us, the thought of dancing in front of others and horsing around can be terrifying. Luckily, we can now try Buti Yoga from the comfort of our own homes using some of the sites below. It might be good to eventually get out and join a class though.
Try for Free on YouTube by clicking here or here, or by searching for Buti Yoga and scrolling till you see one you like the look of.
Once you’ve tried a couple and think you might enjoy more in-depth classes and DVDs here and even consider doing the instructor training if you so wish!
We wish you fun and excitement in your Buti journey!
