When I first heard about BUTI yoga (pronounced, as you might have guessed, “booty yoga”), I immediately had terrible thoughts of Miley Cyrus twerking. (Note to self: need to work on pre-judgements.) But after taking a class in the bright pink studio at Lotus Kitty, with the encouraging smile of Molly McNamee I discovered that BUTI is not just a great work-out that integrates yoga with lots of cardio and hip spiraling, it’s about getting comfortable with those hips and – well – learning to love your booty.
In fact, BUTI is a Marathi word meaning “the cure to something hidden or kept secret”, and at the heart of founder Bizzie Gold’s intent with the class is to get women comfortable moving around in your own skin. She envisions BUTI as a way for women to release aspects of their inner self they typically suppress: their sexiness, their self-confidence, and their ability to share those qualities with the world.
Gold wants women to see, and feel at ease in their own skin: “Women genuinely want to look at their bodies, connect with them, and get comfortable looking at [them] in a way that maybe they haven’t before.”
From the first lotus sitting position, we started spiraling our hips. As we moved into plank, we moved our hips in small circles. Even in squat pulses, we circled our hips. I admit, it felt a little awkward, but by the time we flowed into Warrior I and began moving our hips, it started to feel like this was what my body should be doing.
For traditional yogis, the hip spiraling may seem a bit out of place, but there is actually a lot of sense to this sexy hip movement with inspersed twerking: Gold found yoga’s movements were too “linear” to make a woman’s body move the way it should – which is understandable in that the poses (asanas) were originally developed as a way for male monks to release excess energy before meditating.
Many women, Gold says, “need to be so masculine… in day to day life,” but BUTI lets them tap into their “feminine power.”
Right on. No matter how big or how small my booty is today, it is exactly where it needs to be – and to be reminded that I love each and every part of its perfect imperfection.
Where can you find a BUTI class?
Want to check it out, but can’t find a BUTI class near you? There are a variety available online, such as this one:
You can also practice BUTI via online subscriptions on the BUTI site.
For more ideas on how to tap into your feminine power and love your booty: check out Lord Coltrane’s blog: Booty Is Back.
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