With Pilates and yoga all the rage, many veteran practitioners of these disciplines are looking for the next “big thing” in fitness and body awareness.  One system which has become increasingly popular with savvy fitness buffs (think Madonna and Gwyneth) is the Gyrotonic Expansion System (GXS)®, which integrates specific movements of the entire body. This system was developed by Juliu Horvath, a former Romanian Ballet dancer, who began practicing yoga and studied movement principles while rehabilitating a knee injury. GXS® develops muscle strength and flexibility through flowing, circular movements that are based in part on yoga, ballet, tai chi and swimming.  Instead of linear, back-and-forth movements, Gyrotonics® consists of hundreds of circular and three-dimensional movements (think DNA spirals). In this way, GXS® exercises the entire spine, the foundation for all movement and (many believe) health and longevity.

Exercises are performed on customized pieces of equipment, the most popular piece being the Combination Tower/Handle Unit.  The Handle Unit consists of two independent handles that move in a circular fashion to facilitate rotation of the shoulder girdle, spine, and to a certain extent, the hip, whilst simultaneously promoting articulation of individual vertebra.  The Tower Unit consists of a pulley suspension system with weights; the weight stack functions to counter-balance and suspend the weight of the limbs to facilitate neuromuscular re-education and enhance kinesthetic awareness.  Thus, the system does not encourage short, tight, bulky muscles, but rather promotes long, lean muscle fiber.  Furthermore, each movement is accompanied by a specific breath pattern, leaving practitioners full of energy and vitality after a GXS® session.

Private Gyrotonic® sessions are offered at $800 / 60 min session.