Courtesy Diane Mazur, who was introduced to Gyrotonic in 2005, is now the owner of Abstract Movements Studio. Mazur is one of two people in San Antonio licensed to teach Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis. Additionally, she teaches mat Pilates and art in her home studio and at other local locations

If your yoga mat is worn out and smells like an old downward-facing dog, Gyrotonic may be the solution to your fitness rut.

Diane Mazur, owner of Abstract Movements Studio, is one of two people in San Antonio licensed to teach Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis (which are registered trademarks). She also teaches mat Pilates and art in her home studio as well as at Northwest Vista College and the Concord Athletic Club.

Mazur said she was introduced to Gyrotonic in 2005 when she attended the Body-Mind-Spirit Educational Conference in Santa Clara, Calif. She said the training to become certified to teach Gyrotonic is intensive, and the creator of Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis, Juliu Horvath, gives the final certification for the program.

According to the Gyrotonic Web site, Horvath first developed what he originally called “yoga for dancers” in the 1970s to repair injuries he sustained as a professional dancer.

After he built a following in New York City, he changed the name of his exercise to Gyrokinesis because of its fluid movements and practical application as an exercise routine for the masses.

Horvath extended his creation into the Gyrotonic Expansion System when he designed exercise machines that incorporate the same principles as Gyrokinesis and can be used by injured people and those who need wheelchairs as well as dancers and athletes.

The Gyrotonic Expansion System machines are supposed to reduce straining that can occur when exercising on conventional equipment.

Mazur said that during most other workouts, people are thinking about strengthening muscles; in Gyrotonic, the bones and joints are the focus.

“You don’t tend to get too sore from it if you are doing it right,” Mazur said.

Mazur said Gyrotonic is something that anyone can try. Although a lot of people who take her classes heard about Gyrotonic from their Pilates classes, Pilates experience is not necessary.

Lulu Goodman, a certified assistant, was a Pilates instructor before she got into Gyrotonic around 2000. She said she immediately noticed a difference in the way her body felt. “It’s so different from any other kind of workout,” Goodman said.

Goodman said she works with a variety of people, including a dancer who suffers from scoliosis and others who are in their 70s.

She said she’s seen people who have difficulty walking get on one of the Gyrotonic Expansion System’s pieces and exercise as well as practice their mobility. Goodman said she still gets a great workout on the Gyrotonic equipment even in her “very pregnant” state.

“It is an amazing system because really anybody can do it,” Goodman said.

Mazur said Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis are not too strenuous; instead, the systems slowly and gently stretch the body.

Mazur teaches group Gyrokinesis, mat Pilates and art lessons at Northwest Vista College in the fall and spring semesters.

Samantha Hensley | 210SA
 

From gyrotonic.com:

“A typical Gyrokinesis class begins with participants practicing self-massage and simple breathing patterns, something Juliu Horvath has named, ‘Awakening of the Senses.’
 “Gyrokinesis exercises allow one to work on the entire body through seven natural elements of spinal movement: forward, backward, left side, right side, left twist, right twist and circular, as well as all other joint articulation.”
“Fluidity is the key. Postures are not held for long periods of time. Instead, postures are smoothly and harmoniously connected through the use of breath, making exercises appear and feel more like a dance and swimming than like traditional yoga.”
“The circular, spiraling and undulating movements that characterize the Gyrotonic Expansion System help to increase the functional capacity of the spine, contributing to a spherical and three-dimensional awareness, resulting in increased equilibrium.”
 

Get your Gyrotonic on

How much: Diane Mazur teaches one 90-minute private Gyrotonic session for $60 for one person and $70 for two. She suggests taking at least six lessons to learn the form.
Info: (210) 273-1014; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; gyrotonic.com; bodymindexpo.com