What Is It: A soulful blend of power yoga, tribal dance and deep abdominal toning
Who Tried It: Gabrielle Olya, PEOPLE writer and reporter
Level of Difficulty: 8 (on a scale from 1 to 10)
After hearing that Jennifer Love Hewitt was a fan of Buti yoga, I was intrigued. But when I learned that the combination of yoga, dance and plyometrics could actually give me a six-pack, I couldn’t try it fast enough!
Essentially it’s a yoga class set to tribal dance music that works your core through sexy, feminine moves.
“Buti yoga’s focus is on deep core engagement and working through stuck energy,” explains creator Bizzie Gold, who has trained Hewitt using the Buti yoga methodology (but not in the past few months—the Criminal Minds actress is pregnant). “Buti boosts feminine confidence, empowers women to love their bodies and builds positive body image.”
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It also burns serious calories! The high-energy class involved hip rolls and chest contractions combined with classic yoga poses such as downward dog, plank and chaturanga. The near-constant circular motion of the torso supposedly trains all muscles of your body—I’m pretty sure I used muscles in this class that I didn’t know I had!
Gold explains her workout’s unique philosophy: “It doesn’t really make sense to train the body linearly [think: up-and-down crunches] because we’re shaped like a cylinder,” says Gold. “We have muscles that wrap all the way around the outside of the body.”
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So how does Buti yoga compare to a traditional workout? “Instead of doing those linear crunches, students lower down almost to the ground, then move their torsos in half and full circles rather than straight up and down,” says Gold. “This tones the back and front of the core at the same time.”
While I found that I wasn’t quite flexible enough to do all of the moves in the class (though I did enough to really work up a sweat), it definitely helped me embrace my inner Shakira!
The Verdict: I’ve honestly never experienced a workout quite like Buti yoga. If you love yoga but want more of a cardio component, this is a great option. The tribal music really allows you to let go physically and emotionally while toning muscles all over your body.