Gyrotonics

Some of the best advice I have ever heard is: "Say Yes". By saying Yes you allow yourself to be open to new opportunities and possibilities. Last night I said Yes to a new and emerging type of exercise called Gyrotonics. I went to a studio called The Space in Yaletown, Vancouver, with my friend Colleen. At first glance, these wood and metal machines looked more like medieval torture devices, but fit in quite nicely next to the row of Pilates Reformer machines with people calmly working through a variety of movements.

In the past I have dabbled in some internally-focussed activities, such as Tai Chi and mat Pilates, but I have never really been convinced of their benefits enough for me to dive deeper into them. Gyrotonics fits into this arena of meditative and core-centered exercise, and is an interesting (but expensive) way to strengthen core and connective tissues through deliberate, controlled, flowing movements that look like the love child of Dance and Pilates. At the end of the one hour session I felt a little taller and a little more "lubricated" in the joints (as Colleen put it so elegantly), although it really was a very light workout.

I would recommend this to dancers looking to add a low impact way to focus on posture or injury prevention, or anyone with money to burn interested in energetic pathways and wanting to improve body awareness. Unless I win the lottery I think this was a one-time experience for me.