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Introduction
to the Gyrotonic®
and Gyrokinesis® System
 By
Rosalind Gray Davis
Put together the philosophy and ideas of intuitive teacher,
former professional ballet dancer, yogi and wood sculptor
Juliu Horvath and you get the Gyrotonic Expansion System®
and Gyrokinesis®. This unique system of movement
gently works the joints and muscles of the body through
rhythmic, undulating motions that embrace key principles
also found in swimming, dance, yoga, tai chi and gymnastics.
“The octopus, the monkey and the cat are my basic
models because they can move in any direction at any
given time with strength and control because they have
no restrictions. The human body has restrictions, but
I can model the body—within the framework of its
restrictions—to move in a similar way, to be free,”
Horvath says.
His system has two components: the Gyrokinesis program,
originally called “Yoga for  Dancers,”
which works the entire body without equipment by stimulating
internal organs through fluid and gentle manipulation
of multiple joints; and Gyrotonic training, which uses
apparatus that permits the person to move with support
and resistance. Both forms of exercise allow the body
to work in continuous, flowing movements and are synchronized
with corresponding breathing patterns.
The Gyrokinesis program, which forms the core of Horvath’s
methodology, works the entire body through seven natural
elements of spinal motion: forward, backward, left side,
right side, left twist, right twist and circular.
For more information, see "The GYROTONIC®
and GYROKINESIS® System: A Primer" in the October
2005 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal or attend
sessions on this topic at the Inner
IDEA® Conference, July 23-25 in Las Vegas.
Photos Courtesy of GYROTONIC® International
Headquarters.
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