Gyrokinesis is not a sandwich
Movement modality promotes strength, coordination, balance.
Ski season is in the wind. Anticipation fires our training regimens toward our being in the best shape possible when the snows fly.
Go to any of Mammoth’s gyms and you’ll see people in full resistance/weight lifting mode—cross training, interval training, balancing cardio with strength, tone and flexibility work.
How about Gyrokinesis? Gyro-what, you say?
It’s an exercise system that works the muscles while mobilizing and articulating the joints. It simultaneously stretches and strengthens the body with minimal effort, while increasing range of motion, developing coordination and promoting freer movement, says one website.
One day, on my way to the Pilates studio at the Snowcreek Athletic Club, I passed the dance studio, where I saw a handful of people sitting on stools, moving back and forth and side to side like shore grasses in a light breeze.
It was a Gyrokinesis class, taught by Sabrina Nioche. Nioche, a certified Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor, is a former dancer who moved to Mammoth in 2002 and started a Pilates studio with Margy Verba called Movement in Mind. Today, she runs dance studio Le Centre, and teaches Gyrotonic classes in Mammoth and Bishop.
Mark Sick working out on the Gyrotonic pulley tower. Photo courtesy: Nioche.
According to Wikipedia, Gyrokinesis is part of an exercise routine called Gyrotonic Expansion System. “The Gyrokinesis Method, originally called ‘Yoga for Dancers,’ is practiced on a mat and chair, while the Gyrotonic Method uses specialized equipment that permits one to move with support and resistance. Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis exercise sequences are intended to increase the functional capacity of the entire organism in a harmonious way. Both methods embrace key principles also found in swimming, dance, yoga, tai chi, and gymnastics, and emphasize continuous, flowing movements, synchronized with corresponding breath patterns.”
Gyrokinesis was developed by Juliu Horvath, a dancer who sustained multiple injuries and who looked for relief through yoga, eventually devising the Gyro system. For Horvath, according to the Gyrotonic Method website, it is our nature to move. “The more the body moves, the more it is an expression of life,” he said.
To local resident Sandi Forstenzer, “Gyrokinesis is a combination of dance and yoga and even Pilates. Non-impact. And it leaves you with a very relaxed feeling even though you’ve had an incredible workout.”
Arch, curl, sideways bend, undulation—participants flow through a series of movements for an hour—in what Wikipedia calls, “moving to find a balance between reaching, or lengthening outward, and pulling inward toward the body’s core.”
“It’s very fluid. It wakes up your entire body without wearing you out,” says Mammoth Mayor Jo Bacon.
Even though you’re sitting on a stool, you ground your body by energizing your legs. If you’re adding arm movements to the arch and curl, the arms are not just limp noodles; they’re active components of the exercise.
The more you do these Gyrokinesis exercises, the more fluid you feel in your body, the easier you move. Whether you think you’re uncoordinated, or you have an injury, or an aging body, Gyro feels good, really good.
With her insightful and holistic perspective, Nioche combines instruction with explanation and visualization, which always leads to a person finding her or his optimal way through the workout.
“Gyrokinesis is complementary to everything else you do—a different way to approach balance, balance throughout your body,” Nioche says.
“I love the flowing movement; it is like dancing on a little stool,” says personal trainer, Pilates and yoga teacher Tess Coker. “Most of the routine is done sitting, so it is a perfect choice for anyone with injuries or limitations. However, that is not to say it is not a valid ‘workout.’ It is great for mind and body since to follow the moves accurately you really have to be alert and focused. Some of the exercises are standing. Having only attended a handful of classes over the years I know that we have explored just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and I look forward to learning more.”
Town Councilman John Wentworth finds the classes inspiring. “It’s not often that you walk away from something and say to yourself how much was accomplished with so little,” he said. “Really inspiring.”
“What I like is the pulsation in Gyro, breathing through the arch and curl … As the class evolves and you develop more and more tone and support through that pulsation, you operate in your own range in an appropriate, pleasurable way,” Nioche says.
Gyrotonic classes are available on Mondays at the Snowcreek Club (1 p.m., $18) and Thursday at Flowmotion Pilates and Dance Studio in Bishop (1 p.m., $18). Contact Sabrina Nioche for further information, at lecentremammoth@gmail.com or 760.709.1889.
