Gyrotonic Instructors Near Me

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FAQs:

What is Gyrotonic?

Gyrotonic is a unique method of whole body movement that flows in circular and spiraling patterns to promote strength, balance, flexibility, and efficiency of movement. This type of exercise relies on your natural mobility, moving through the full range of motion in your joints without compressing or restricting movement.

How Does Gyrokinesis Work?

A GYROKINESIS exercise session includes self-massage and breathwork to wake up the body. From there, there are groups of exercises to nourish and move the spine and hips in various directions. We curl, arch, spiral, bend, and move in circular ways. After that, the exercises proceed to work on balanced joint function in the hips, knees and ankles, shoulders, arms, wrists, etc. The class develops into seated and lying exercises where the client puts it all together- culminating the work done earlier in the session.

Who Should Try Gyrotonic?

Everyone — that’s what our experts say! Gyrotonic offers something for everyone, regardless of their abilities, size, or age. A good Gyrotonic instructor can scale and adapt the work to meet the individual’s needs. You can try Gyrotonic if you want to enhance your general health or if you’re a professional athlete looking to take your sport to the next level or if you’re recovering from an injury. With exercises performed in every position — from standing, sitting, kneeling, lying on the floor, high off the floor, or from a wheelchair — Gyrotonic offers many options for mobilizing the body.

How is the Gyrotonic Method Different from Pilates?

Because of its specialized equipment system, the gyrotonic method is quite different from Pilates. If you want, you can do both. The two practices can complement one another since they both increase abdominal and pelvic strength. However, gyrotonic is not just another kind of Pilates. Expect to try something completely new when you walk into your first gyrotonic class.

Along with the proprietary gyrotonic equipment, the three-dimensional movements your instructor will teach you are designed to work the body in a circular, integrated way. These fluid movements drawn from yoga, dance, and tai-chi require more bodily awareness and control. As practitioners focus on moving the whole body in new ways, they build neuro-muscular connections and particularly improve the strength and flexibility of the spine.

Many people enjoy both Pilates and the gyrotonic method, and practice both simultaneously to introduce variety in their weekly workout schedule. In our studio we encourage you to do what works best to meet your fitness goals. You are welcome to attend both types of classes.

What is Gyrotonic Exercise?

Gyrotonic training is a three-dimensional movement system based on the principles of yoga, dance, tai chi, and swimming. The Gyrotonic method uses specialized equipment that helps continuously move the body through fluid, circular movements, with an emphasis on balanced and healthy spinal motion. These exercises build muscle strength, increase circulation, and promote decompression of the spine and joints. The Gyrotonic method is a refined version of the “Yoga for Dancers” system that Juliu Horvath developed in the 1980s. It is now taught in more than 80 countries around the world.

What is the Difference Between Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis?

Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis were developed by dancer Juliu Horvath as refined versions of his “Yoga for Dancers” method and have the same technique, philosophy of movement, and benefits — including increased circulation, balance, muscle strength, and joint mobility,

The key difference between these two movement systems is that Gyrokinesis is done with minimal equipment, primarily on a stool with some standing balance and mat work. Gyrotonic, on the other hand, requires larger pieces of specialized equipment like the Gyrotonic Tower, Gyrotoner, Jumping Stretching Board and Archway. 

Both Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis can be done at our studio in small group classes or private sessions.

How Often Should You Do Gyrotonics?

To maximize your results, you should practice Pilates, Yoga, Gyrotonic or a combination or the three, at least three times a week, whether it be in private instruction, group classes or, after you have learned the fundamentals of the method, on your own at home. Your instructor can help you develop a schedule that combines studio instruction and, if you commit to it, at-home practices to achieve your goals. Many clients find that making time to practice at home is difficult given the demands of their personal and professional lives, but those who do so see the best results. While three times a week is ideal, clients will see and feel major changes in their bodies with a regular once- or twice-a-week practice. As with any endeavour, more frequent practice yields faster and more dramatic improvement.

Does Gyrotonic Build Muscle?

GYROTONIC is a powerful system of exercise for conditioning, stretching, strength, balance, and flexibility. The exercises build muscular strength and promote stability around the joints, enabling increased range of motion. People of all ages and all levels of fitness can participate.

Why is Gyrotonic so Expensive?

These types of sessions are given by highly trained professionals. These professionals have also spent quite a lot of money (I’m talking thousands) to acquire such a high standard of training which can take up a few years. The high costs of these sessions also depend on space, type of equipment involved, number of people, and length of the session.

The GYROTONIC method, therefore, is associated with these ‘types’ of training. Partly because it offers somewhat of a unique ‘mixture’ of movement principles and hands-on guidance to enhance anatomical alignment for the individual’s needs. It is also partly because of the cost of the equipment.

What Do You Wear to a Gyrotonic Class?

Wear something you are comfortable in. Exercises have you moving in many ways, so please wear something that will allow you to move as well as allow your instructor to see your body. We recommend clothes that you would generally work out in at the gym.  Shoes are not worn during the session; socks are optional.

The History of Gyrotonic

The Gyrotonic expansion system was created by Romanian-born professional dancer Juliu Horvath. After a serious dance injury he delved into a yoga practice and then moved to the mountains of St. Thomas for six years. That is where Gyrotonic began. The original work known as “Yoga for Dancers” evolved out of a deep study of yoga and meditation and his own experiential insights. Over time, in New York City, Juliu renamed it Gyrokinesis, refining and adapting the work making it accessible for everyone. Gyrokinesis is a mat-based class that begins on a stool, moves to the floor, and finishes standing. Gyrotonic, which is done using specialized equipment, was created as a means to guide, support, and understand Gyrokinesis deeper. Jane Gotch, a Master Trainer and owner of two Gyrotonic studios in North America says “You’re not working against the machine. The machine is providing the nervous system, brain, and the tissue a sensation of support and then the individual can take that sensation of support into their daily lives.”

Benefits of Gyrotonic

There have only been a handful of clinical studies about Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis, and very few of them are recent.

Anecdotally, people who practice and teach Gyrotonic claim benefits such as:

- increased spinal mobility

- increased strength, flexibility, and stamina

- improved posture

- increased body awareness

- better coordination

- increased respiratory function

- better circulation

- faster muscle recovery

- increased energy and vitality

- increased range of motion

- healthier joint function

- decreased low back pain

- a feeling of the body in better balance

The most notable research on Gyrotonic exercise includes a clinical study from 2003 that found improvement with scoliosis. More recent research has demonstrated improvements in gait patterns and improvements chronic low back pain after a Gyrotonic routine was established.

What to Expect at a Gyrotonic Session

Gyrotonic sessions are either private lessons or in a small group setting. Your certified Gyrotonic instructor will cater your session according to any injuries, as well as muscle imbalances and weakness. Most people will take one to three classes per week, depending on goals, schedule and budget. Session times vary in length, but most last about an hour.

A Gyrotonic instructor often uses Gyrotonic exercises in conjunction with physical therapy treatment plans. One could expect to have some manual therapy, known as myofascial release, and home exercise instruction followed by Pilates and Gyrotonic-based exercises. Then progress patients to work with a Gyrotonic trainer after they are discharged from therapy.

Your instructor will take you through several fluid movements. Consider the cat-cow or cow-camel, as described in yoga. That motion of the spine is what we call an arch-curl in Gyrotonic exercise. In yoga, this is performed in quadruped, or hands and knees, but in Gyrotonic exercise, it is performed while sitting, standing and in other dynamic movements.

The handles on the tower that provide the rotation component aids in this movement. This is the three-dimensional or rotational component that differentiates it from Pilates.

Alternatives to the Gyrotonic Method

Although the Gyrotonic Method appears promising, it requires specialized equipment and instruction — which can get expensive and time-consuming, especially if you don't have a studio nearby. There are other alternatives that offer similar benefits to the Gyrotonic Method:

1‌. Gyrokinesis‌: The Gyrokinesis Method uses the same basic movement techniques of Gyrotonic exercise, but without using the Tower equipment. It only requires a mat and a chair. You can take virtual classes or videos to learn the technique, with most classes lasting 1 to 1.5 hours.

2‌. Pilates:‌ Pilates also uses specialized equipment (the Reformer) and helps to improve flexibility and overall strength, including core strength. "Gyrotonic exercise incorporates the breath and multiple planes of movement. Pilates emphasizes the core, posture, breath and repetitive movements," Wu says.

3‌. Yoga:‌ Yoga can also give you strengthening and flexibility benefits similar to Gyrotonic. Vinyasa yoga is faster-paced with flowing sequences, similar to Gyrotonic exercise, while other types of yoga, such as Hatha yoga, are slower with longer, sustained holds. "Yoga emphasizes a series of poses, breath and mental focus/relaxation," Wu says.

4‌. Spinal Stabilization Exercises:‌ If you are considering the Gyrotonic Method to help relieve or prevent back pain, trunk or spinal stabilization exercises (such as the plank and dead bug) are just as effective, according to the study in the ‌Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation‌.

5‌. Swimming:‌ Swimming improves strength and cardiovascular health and is a good choice if you who want a low-impact exercise that won't strain your joints.

6‌. Tai Chi:‌ Tai chi helps improve strength, flexibility and balance and has more fluid movements, similar to Gyrotonic exercise. No equipment is needed for tai chi, however.

4 Gyrotonic Moves

As an introduction to the system, here are four exercises which most have seen before: a lunge, a spine stretch, a plank, and a reverse plank. With the addition of circular movement, rhythm, and breath, Gyrotonic turns these simple forms into complex exercises in coordination, equilibrium, and focus, which serve to greatly increase understanding of how the body moves. These exercises are meant to give you an introduction to Gyrotonic and a little taste of the dynamics of the system.

Backward Lunges

Start with the left foot standing on the padded platform, with the ball of the right foot on one disc of the propellor. Feel the whole body over the standing leg by reaching one line through the sole of the foot to the crown of the head. Keep stretching that line as weight moves into the right foot and reach the right heel back.

Cat Backs

These are similar to the kneeling Cat-Cow Pose, in which  you alternate between an arched and curled spine. Start kneeling on the platform with both hands on one disc of the propellor. Flex your feet and bring your toes underneath you, arch the pelvis by reaching the sitz bones back. Put weight into your hands and press your shoulder blades down to reach the chest up. The pelvis continues to reach back as your chest and arms reach forward.

Planks

Love them or hate them, we all know them. Planks are a powerful strengthening exercise, but holding a plank if your body isn’t balanced can create pretty bad tension in the shoulders, neck, low back, and hip flexors. The Gyrotonic propellor plank require full-body strength and flexibility and is an advanced exercise. If the body isn’t ready it could strain the low back.

Reverse Planks

Start seated on the platform with hands grasping the sides, soles of the feet on one propellor disc. With an exhalation and one swift motion reach the feet and the chest in opposite directions to a full plank where the legs are straight and the body forms a line. The sacrum should be supported and pushing forward. The distance between your hands and the propellor is important, you should position yourself so that when you’re fully extended in the plank the feet are just able to reach around the edge, like a rolling ball just making it over a hill. To come in, inhale, bend the knees, and reach the crown of the head up.

Sources:

Healthline

Livestrong

CNS Kinetics

Move Wellness

Pilates Manchester

Kinespirit Circle

The Movement Blog

Spark Motion Body

Sonima

 

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.