Gyrokinesis®
Gyrokinesis® method was developed by Juliu Horvath, a gymnast, ballet dancer and a swimmer. When many injuries and pain severely limited his physical abilities, he set out to find a way to recover. His search led him to the study of yoga. His intense practice and deep personal experiences resulted in the creation of this original system. He spent many more years teaching and focusing on making the system accessible to people at almost any level of physical capacity. He invented exercise equipment and an accompanying exercise system called GYROTONIC® based on the same principles.
Method
Sitting on a stool, the senses are awakened through self-massage, the nervous system is stimulated through breathing. This is followed by rhythmical spinal/pelvic/head spiraling, rippling, undulating movements in all possible planes of motion. Once the spine and the nervous system are prepared to support the movement of the limbs, circular arm and leg movements are integrated. As muscle tone and total body awareness increases more advanced exercises are performed on the floor and standing.
Principles
Gyrokinesis exercises integrate key principles of yoga, tai chi, dance and sports while being an original system. The body is stimulated and worked gradually through fluid repetitious movements. Each exercise series individually progresses in range of movement, intensity and speed. Specific breathing patterns for each exercise open up energy pathways. It naturally invites and engages the whole organism to participate as opposed to feeling pain and restriction that lead to resistance/ trauma.
Circularity of the movements continuously transfers the effort from the agonist to the antagonist muscle groups and vice versa, this is coupled with active elongation of the muscles and precise directing of the force through the bone structure.
Improved coordination, balance, strength and flexibility are achieved and sustained naturally at a deep level.
GYROTONIC®
Juliu Horvath created GYROTONIC® equipment and exercises after many years of intense study and self-exploration. This unique method offers the same benefits also acquired by practicing yoga, dance, gymnastics, swimming and tai chi, but is not derived from these exercises modalities.
GYROTONIC® methodology allows users to stretch and strengthen muscles, while simultaneously stimulating and strengthening connective tissues in and around the joints of the body. These exercises are synchronized with corresponding breathing patterns, thus enhancing aerobic and cardiovascular stimulation and promoting neuro-muscular rejuvenation.
GYROTONIC® exercises offer complete freedom of movement. Exercises are performed on the Professional Pulley Tower, and the system is fully adjustable and can meet the needs of many people with varying body types and levels of strength. The 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.