What is GYROTONIC®? by Dianna Lucas
...and why you should try it.
A system of specific movements using dynamic, core stability stretching, strengthening the muscles, decompressing the spine and joints of elite and recreational athletes, elders, pre and post-natal mothers and those recovering from injury and disease. This system, works for all types of people with all types of issues. The methodology has two components: the GYROKINESIS® exercise 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® exercise, 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. Anne Thomasson came from a world of hard-core weight lifting and aerobics that continually injured her body in “15 different ways”. Her L4/5 disc totally burst during a power yoga class. She tried Pilates and Yoga, but didn’t feel healed from the inside out. She gave up weight lifting 7 years ago. She finds now, with GYROTONIC® training, she has never been stronger. She encountered GYROTONIC® methodology at Canyon Ranch on a retreat and was delighted when it healed two bulging discs in her neck. Anne met Master Trainer Juergen Bamberger in 2002 at a conference in California and was so inspired that she began teacher training. Juergen’s style was so personable and connected that they immediately formed a friendship. She discovered that it was a methodology that could benefit not only her body, but also her mind and spiritual self. “The depth of the work is so powerful to me, in my head and in my emotional being, it inspires me to continue and explore. My spine became more flexible, my shoulders became more open, and I could feel the good burn, unlike any other form of exercise. I feel worked, but never debilitated or so sore that I can’t sit or take the stairs”. The community is worldwide. The teacher training that Anne hosted here in the only fully equipped St. Louis studio included participants from Germany, Hong Kong, and Canada. Anne’s students range in age from 20 to 80. Her older clients who came with limited movement have discovered new strength and flexibility. The unique system of movement that gently works the joints and muscles of the body through rhythmic, undulating motions that
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Winter 2011 | Yoga & Spa Magazine
