Case Study: Richard Butler, Inclusion Manager USRowing

“A moving target” is Richard Butler’s apt self-description — and yoga,he says, is what keeps him moving. A lifelong Pittsburgher, Butlerteaches kickboxing, spinning, sports conditioning at Extreme Fitnessin Robinson and multicultural perspectives and organizational ethicsat Robert Morris University. An avid cyclist, he also serves on theboard of Bike Pittsburgh — and these are just his hobbies!Professionally, he’s the inclusion manger for the United States RowingAssociation, working toward bringing diversity to the sport.

“All the things that I enjoy that I call my hobbies are all veryphysical activities,” says Butler; “I know for a fact that I would notbe able to continue doing them without the help of Lilith.”

Not long ago, Butler suffered from extremely painful back spasms,despite muscle relaxers, pain pills, even trips to the emergency room.While getting coffee every day at Crazy Mocha, he’d see Pratique Yogaacross the street and think, “Hmm, I want to talk to that woman overthere!” He’d taken traditional yoga classes on and off over the years,and had low expectations. “I thought, ‘OK, I’ll go to a yogainstructor and they’ll put me through various sequences and poses, andhopefully that works.’” Instead, sessions were designed tospecifically address his back problem.

“We started working one-on-one very specifically first, to get rid ofthe spasms, and then to strengthen the weak areas by using variousyoga poses,” he says. “Now it’s preventative — I’ve not had a backproblem since.”

An unbalanced physical regimen was partly to blame. “The rowing maynot have caused the back spasms, but it contributed,” he says. “I wasprobably doing something incorrectly, or pulling too much on one side— that causes imbalance. Lilith, with her great skills, took a look atmy back and said “Whoa, this side is way overdeveloped!” She couldlook at me and right away identify it.”

This kind of targeted therapy simply would not be possible in a largegroup setting. Butler emphasizes that Lilith’s individual sessions area beneficial addition to anyone studying yoga, not just those withinjuries. “We get lazy and we get sloppy, and the-one on-one,eyeball-to-eyeball, you can’t. You could be doing everything right,but you could also be doing it better, and she can show you how.”

Most important for an athlete like Butler — who has “been in thefitness business for longer than she’s been alive” — is trust.

“I’ve worked with Olympic athletes, professional athletes, plus one ofthe trainers and mental coaches for U.S. Olympic teams,” he says. “Forme to trust my body with her puts her up there as one of the reallyelite,” he says. “I believe she is the best in that area.”

The inclusive attitude and professionalism he’s experienced with Bailey-Kroll reflects the values he works toward with the RowingAssociation, and particularly praises Pratique’s donation classes andfree outdoor yoga in Schenley Plaza. “Rowing is considered an elitesport, and my job is to get rid of that — to open the doors and makeit affordable, accessible and diverse. And yoga can also have thatstigma — Lilith has made sure that it’s accessible and affordable, andthe door is open for everyone to give it a try.”

“She’s more than just the other yoga studio on the corner,” Butlerconcludes. “She’s the yoga studio others should be striving to be.”