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Gyrokinesis means ‘circular movement’. It is practised sitting on a stool, lying on a mat or kneeling and standing. The spine is the central support for all movements, which correspond to certain breathing patterns and guide the body fluidly through the movements without maintaining static positions.
The movements are circular and spiral. The spine moves in ellipses, figure eights and waves, adapted to the structure of the human body and its movement system.
All spinal movements can be combined and start from the centre of the body, whereby the legs and arms are always integrated and connected into the movement. Each exercise is therefore always a whole-body exercise that combines strengthening, mobilisation and coordination.
The special thing about the harmonious movements is the stimulation, stretching and massage of the body meridians, the organs, the lymphatic system and the nervous and energy system. The metabolism is stimulated and tension is relieved, allowing the body to regain its supple flexibility.
Who invented it?
It was invented by Juliu Horvath, born in 1942 in Timisoara, Romania. He danced classical ballet at the Timisoara Opera House. In 1970, he was granted political asylum in the USA. Between 1971 and 1979, Juliu danced at the New York City Opera, Radio City Music Hall and the Houston Ballet.
His career as a solo dancer came to an abrupt end due to a spinal injury and a ruptured Achilles tendon. He suffers from chronic pain, it becomes impossible to practise his profession and his daily mobility is restricted. When no therapy proved effective, he retired to the island of St Thomas and developed a movement system for his own rehabilitation, which he called ‘Yoga for Dancers’. Today it is known as Gyrokinesis.
At the end of the 1980s, he began teaching and developing his movement system in New York.
The movement sequences are very complex and require a great deal of concentration, coordination and body awareness. In order to make his movement system accessible to people with less experience of movement, Juliu Horvath built a supporting equipment system. The ‘Gyrotonic Expansion System’. The centrepiece is the Pulley Tower Combination Unit (PTCU), see picture above. This device enables the fluid execution of three-dimensional movement sequences against a resistance.
Gyrokinesis also trains in this area of tension, but building it up ‘only’ with your own body is much more difficult at the beginning.
What does training on the Puley Tower (PTCU) device look like?
Gyrotonic is trained against and with a constant resistance (tension). Either on the handles of the bench - the tension can be adjusted there - or with weights that are moved with the arms or legs using cables. This allows the entire body of the exerciser to move in a pleasant field of tension, engaging the body from head to toe.
For example, lying on the bench with your head towards the tower, you can train and stretch the back of your legs with your feet in the straps. In the abdominal series, you train lying on the bench with the support of the cables on your arms towards the tower.
Sitting astride the bench or kneeling, I can move the handle unit in front of me and have a wonderful mobilisation of the spine in all directions of movement. I can also train my back and shoulder girdle by sitting towards the tower and pulling on my arms. Advanced users tend to train standing up, both on the turntable and with the loops. The more familiar you are with the equipment, the more variations you have at your disposal. There are no limits to expression and exercises as long as you train according to the principles.
Who benefits from this?
I would say: everyone!
The therapeutic sector benefits from the joint-friendly training method. As the system is designed to create space in the joints, it is also suitable for osteoarthritis, and older people can gently train their strength and mobility. Scoliosis and slipped discs can also be treated.
Neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's benefit from a training system that improves the conductivity of the nerve pathways.
Cardiovascular problems, burn-out, stress, lack of energy or tinnitus can be alleviated by the rhythmic, flowing movements and deeper breathing. Both have a direct positive effect on the autonomic nervous system.
It is ideal for preparing for childbirth and postnatal recovery, strengthening and mobilising the pelvic floor and back.
Children benefit by increasing their ability to concentrate and improving their motor skills.
Of course, it is also used in competitive sports, especially by dancers, but recreational athletes can also improve their tennis, golf, running or swimming technique.
It is a versatile, holistic and comprehensive balancing training programme. It promotes technique, strength, flexibility and coordination.
Movement with a system and principles:
One of the principles of Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis is stabilisation through contrast: every movement is preceded by stabilisation through the creation of a contrast. The thoracic and cervical spine are stretched by actively lengthening upwards through the crown of the head, while the legs are aligned downwards and move away from each other to create stability in the centre of the body.
Narrowing of the pelvis activates and tenses the centre of the body. This is not dissimilar to core activation in Pilates. However, the activation goes beyond mere pelvic floor tension. By activating the deep muscles, the pelvis and lumbar spine are virtually compressed, which means that the lumbar region is stretched out. The intervertebral discs are given space and a free and relieved movement of the spine is created.
Movement with contrasts also means that the body always moves with the greatest possible movement and the least possible pressure on the joints and spine. To achieve this, the spine and pelvis must be stabilised but still remain flexible.
The whole body always moves in muscle function chains and along the fascial connections of the body.
Creating an curve of tension in movement means always distributing the load evenly across all vertebrae and joints. In this way, muscles close to the joints can be addressed, while deeper muscle layers are activated.
Synchronisation of breathing and movement: Deep, rhythmic breathing also creates rhythm in the movement, harmonises the movement and addresses the autonomic nervous system. Body and mind are equally involved, both move in flow and create a state of deep relaxation.
What is the difference to Pilates?
In Pilates, the equipment came first, and the mat training was given to the students as homework. With Gyrokinesis, it's the other way around.
Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonic are more three-dimensional in their movements, whereas Pilates training is more linear.
But both are movement systems with principles.
Pilates is more focused on strength, control and body mastery, Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonic is more focused on the mobility of the muscles and joints and the overall holistic approach.
For me, it's the perfect combination!