Class
Review
by Amy Bauer
Gyrokinesis At Mecca Gym & Spa
 Gyrokinesis
— a stem of Gyrotonic — is a combination of dance,
yoga, gymnastics and tai chi. This form of exercise and expression
was created by Juliu Horvath, a Hungarian classical dancer
who, after years of dancing, injured his Achilles tendon and
found himself suddenly torn from his dancing career. He began
practicing yoga and soon found a way to incorporate his love
of dance into his yoga practice. That’s when Gyrokinesis,
or “yoga for dancers” was created.
This form of workout was brought to Texas in 1999 by instructors
Lisa Fehrman and Nancy Hurd. They are both certified in Gyrotonic
and teach the pretraining for certification under the International
Gyrotonic Headquarters. Hurd actually discovered Gyrotonic
when she was six months pregnant and instantly fell in love.
“It felt so good on my upper back and hips,” she
says. “It’s about waking up the nervous system.
I could actually feel little wires spiralling in my nervous
system.”
Hurd and Fehrman direct the Gyrokinesis programs at Mecca
Gym & Spa. My first taste of Gyrokinesis, however, was
introduced by Audra Williams, a seasoned dancer and certified
Gyrokinesis instructor at Mecca.
The class took place in a room separate from the noise of
treadmills and other cardio machines. Located on the second
floor of the Mecca Gym & Spa, the Gyrokinesis class is
held in the same room as the yoga and Pilates courses. The
room, which contains many Pilates and Gyrotonic machines,
is a bit intimidating upon first entering. The machines, credited
with helping many Austinites transform and tone their bodies,
look a bit like medieval torture devices — not quite
the typical atmosphere associated with yoga classes. The Gyrokinesis
class still had plenty of room, due to its small, six- to
seven-woman class count, whose ages ranged from 22 to 45.
Each woman, dressed in comfortable yoga pants and sleeveless,
close-fitting workout tops, all settled comfortably into position,
ready to wind down from their days.
Our only equipment were knee-high stools and yoga mats. Williams
led the intimate group through a series of liquid stretches
and movements to warm up the body. Sitting on our stools,
we were told to plant our hips and circle our upper bodies,
allowing our spines to twist and turn.
Taken as an excerpt from www.gyrotonic.com,
the core of the class is all about focusing on fluidity, relaxation
and power.
 “The
beginner classes start with self-massage and simple breathing
patterns to awaken the body. The next focus is on the spine
and pelvis. Seated on low stools, the class mobilizes the
spine through a series of arching, curling, bending, twisting
and spiraling movements. These same movement patterns are
expanded to release the hip, knee, hamstring and quadriceps.”
As the class flowed on, Williams encouraged us to focus on
our breathing while going through our motions. She told us
to pretend as though we were blowing out a candle and to make
the noise loudly. One of the interesting parts of the class
was that Williams often used “real life” motions
and actions to lead us through the movements. For example,
an overhead stretch that started out with our hands grazing
the back of our necks and then shooting up overhead was compared
to flipping out our hair. Then we moved to the floor and performed
a “cat stretch” that could easily be used to reach
under the bed to retrieve a lost item. Hurd informed me that,
as we get older, it becomes more difficult to do everyday
movements around the house or at the office.
“Something as simple as reaching under the bed can prove
to be difficult if you are not used to stretching or twisting
your back in that way,” she says.
In the same light, this class can be useful to people suffering
from muscle tension or lack of feeling.
Class member Megan Beronio suffers from Multiple Sclerosis
(M.S.). She has been taking the class for two months and is
noticing a difference already.
“Mobilization is good for everyone, especially people
with M.S.,” she says. “You just have to keep moving.”
The floor work portion of the class seemed a bit more intense
than the stool work. The stool work involved more bending,
stretching and lengthening, while the mat work was done at
a faster pace and involved more strength-training. We incorporated
a lot of yoga moves such as downward dog and the child’s
pose but there was always the ever-present dance influence.
Each series of movements was rhythmic and specific and the
amount of toe-pointing and grand arm movements formed a distinction
between this practice and any yoga or tai chi class.
As we began to flow more quickly, twisting our bodies, holding
poses and flexing our stomach muscles, Williams encouraged
us to quicken our air flow. Concentrating on the air versus
keeping up with the speed increase made the movements more
manageable.
This class isn’t a class you come out of wiping a sweaty
brow, unable to move a single muscle the next day; it’s
quite the opposite. I left feeling like my movements were
more graceful, my arms, back and spine were elongated, and
my chest was opened up, giving me better posture.
Gyrokinesis classes are held on Monday and Thursday nights
at 7 p.m. You do not have to be a member of the Mecca Gym
& Spa to attend. The cost ranges from $10 to $15 dollars
per class. For more information, visit www.meccagymandspa.com
or call (512) 381-2680. Mecca is located at 524 Lamar
Blvd.
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