Yes, it’s pronounced “boo-tee” – but what we’re putting down is Buti Yoga, a trademarked fusion of primal movement, conditioning and traditional yoga moves. Now, truth be told, I’ve only taken one Buti class: from one of my friends, the fabulous Cynthia Sims, at Primal Studios in West Asheville. But what I experienced blew my little mind.

First of all, it was fun, really fun. Apparently every Buti teacher can pick whatever type of music appeals to them, and thankfully Cynthia chose a bass-thumping blend of rap and hip-hop that made me want to move. Even though the class challenged me, I never felt overwhelmed or lost, as I sometimes have during complicated Zumba routines.

Cynthia broke everything down into a digestible and fluid format, keeping us active the entire class but with movements that made sense and felt challenging, not overwhelming. Her obvious love of Buti and enthusiasm for movement poured through the class and made me want to join her party! 😊

I have to confess that what drew me to Buti in the first place are Cynthia’s abs. No lie, I kept seeing pix of her enviably toned belly on Instagram and finally reached out to ask what she does for conditioning. When she answered “just Buti Yoga”, I thought she was lying (still do!), but I can report that my abs literally felt sore for about 4 days afterwards.

But it was different than a typical “I did a bunch of core work and now my muscles hurt” that I’ve experienced from various types of activity. I felt connected to my core for days after the class. That deep connection is something I’ve never really experienced, not from other types of yoga, nor from other types of exercise.

If you visit the Buti Yoga website, you’ll see that there are all sorts of body shapes, sizes and fitness represented. That’s another thing that drew me to try the class: knowing that, although this style of yoga can result in killer abs like Cynthia’s, that’s not the point. The point is to connect deeply to our most empowered, authentic and healthy selves, no matter what our size, shape or weight. Or at least, that’s what I received from the class.

When we crafted the class schedule for Waynesville Yoga Center, we tried to offer a variety of yoga styles. We want our community to not only be excited about a centralized yoga studio right here in Waynesville, NC (!!!!) – we also want to offer something different, that you can’t get anywhere else. After taking Cynthia’s class, we realized that Buti Yoga fits in perfectly with the variety of class flavors and levels we’re aiming for.

Thankfully, with the help of our awesome staff, we’re able to offer Buti Yoga on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7-8 PM. We hope that you’ll join us on Mondays to experience Judy Nemeth and on Wednesdays for Kendall Graham. To register for either of these classes, click the links on our schedule – and don’t forget that your first class is free for locals!

 

 

Leigh-Ann Renz is a yoga teacher, massage therapist + bodyworker and the manager at Waynesville Yoga Center. When not working, she can be found connecting with friends over good food – or in the woods with her family, enjoying Nature.