Gyrotonic is a way to work with people that doesn't exist in other physical therapy clinics in the U.S. Unlike a workout on traditional exercise equipment, Gyrotonic exercises offer complete freedom of movement.
Gyrotonic is a unique, fluid type of training that is based off the principles of yoga, dancing, gymnastics, swimming and tai chi. There is a strong emphasis on rotation, spiraling, motion-arching, and moving from your core. The Gyrotonic Method makes use of specially-designed equipment such as weighted pulleys, rotational discs and handles to encourage sweeping motions.
Gyrotonic exercise equipment can be easily adjusted to fit the specific needs of an individual, making it accessible to people of virtually any age and ability.
Fluidity is the key. Postures are not held for long periods of time. Instead, postures are smoothly and harmoniously connected through the use of breath, making exercises appear and feel more like a dance or swimming than like traditional yoga.
Gyrotonic is practiced on an apparatus known as the Combination Pulley/Tower Unit. Using the apparatus, you perform movements likened to swimming, ballet, and martial arts, while the equipment provides resistance and/or support. It’s design promotes freedom of motion, allowing you to transcend the limits of weight-bearing positions with no impact on the joints, much like exercising in water. At the same time, you will be developing the internal strength necessary for creating a healthy, toned, injury-free body.
Performed on the Combination Pulley/Tower unit, the system is fully adjustable and can meet the needs of people with varying body types and levels of strength. Even and constant resistance in the handle unit and pulley tower, (through the triple reduction in the pulleys), completely eliminates the jarring that takes place at the beginning and end of exercises performed on conventional exercise equipment, when many injuries occur. The circular, spiraling and undulating movements that characterize the Gyrotonic Expansion System help to increase the functional capacity of the spine, contributing to a spherical and three-dimensional awareness, resulting in increased equilibrium.
Gyrokinesis is the non-equipment component of the Gyrotonic exercise. Using a simple stool and a mat, you follow a rhythmic sequence of exercises designed to facilitate a complete unfolding of your entire body. The class has three distinctive parts: