Last week while shopping for a photo shoot I made my way into Lululemon. Now, I don’t know if you’re familiar with this store brand, but it’s like shopping with your best friend while loading up on giggles and the inside scoop. The clothes are definitely cute (though somewhat spendy), but the marketing strategy behind the brand is brilliant. These sales girls really are walking the talk of the whole Lululemon lifestyle. And speaking of talk, the chatty checkout girl who rung up my sale (sadly it was clothing for my job, not me ) told me about the Buti class they were offering for free. Buti class? Part yoga, part booty shakin’ dance class? OK! Sounds pretty good in my book. So I put it in my calendar with every intention to attend.
The morning of the Buti arrived. Per usual, it was way hectic in the house. M & G left me with zero time to get myself ready. I did manage to have a mini freak out about what I was going to wear. I mean, I go to yoga class regularly (ok, sorta regularly) so I know all about seeing the decked out yoginis, but I don’t own any Lululemon! And this Buti class was happening in the store — amidst all the $98 leggings and $65 tank tops! I managed to get past this pondering, and threw on my usual (perhaps a wee bit better than usual) yoga attire. I didn’t, however, get out the door without wondering if I’d have time to paint my toes.
Surprisingly, I got to the store before class began. All the racks filled with Breathe Easy Bras and Wunder Under pants were pushed to the side creating space for the Buti class. I set myself up towards the back and took in the Lululemon essence. There was a sign for Hurricane Sandy donations to my right. On the other side there was a sink with filtered water and paper cups (perfect for us harried-mom-water-bottle-forgetters!). The walls were covered in inspiration — ranging from Buddha quotes (The mind is everything. What you think you become.) to huge photos of brand ambassadors in gorgeous exhibitions of their athleticism. Oh, there were also not two, but three girls wearing the Hot Spell Onesie. I quickly tucked in my H&M tank top tag before the row behind me filled up.
The class itself was like yoga on speed. Every pose was given a bounce. And if you weren’t bouncing you were booty shaking. There were a lot of moves that I’d do at home in my living room — you know, like pulsing, gyrating and hip thrusting. Needless to say, the energy got really revved during these bits (accompanied by the Hot Diggity soundtrack) which of course caught the eyes of all the window shoppers passing by. There was one purist in the class who took a traditional approach, and kept her poses sans bounce. I totally went for the bounce, and gave it my all for every booty shakin’ possibility!
It felt a little crazy — like will I get injured? But I stuck it out for the whole 60 mins.
The only thing I broke was a sweat.
Buti is definitely fun — it’s sort of the wild child step sister of yoga. I absolutely loved having this experience. But in the future — I’ll keep my booty shakin’ separate from my yoga. And I’ll definitely do more of the Lululemon free offerings. It’s totally worth checking out!
Oh by the way, a simple jog bra layered underneath a loose racer back tank will give you the exact look of many of their $65 versions!
Yay you for checking this out and thank you for writing about the intriguing/fun experience. I had not heard details about Buti till I read this delightful and interesting piece. I think you’re a fab example of you get back what you invest. Here you dived into this unusual and unfamiliar class with zest and an open mind and got a good deal out of it: you broke a sweat, had fun, wrote a great post as a result. I admire your adventuresome spirit! xo
Such nice words to read! Thank you so much. You just made my day!! xoxo