Gyrotonic Pilates

I'm always keen to try something new in the name of health and beauty, however when it was suggested I try out a Gyrotonic Pilates lesson, my first thoughts were 'What on earth?' followed by mild fear and intrepidation upon seeing the cranky looking Gyrotonic machines.

My introduction to Gyrotonic exercise took place in a very private residence in central Marylebone with the divine Sandie Wilson. She runs her business Personal Pilates from her apartment, in which several rooms play host to a number of giant machines, which look like they've come straight out of a 1930's Swiss correction institute - all wooden frames, pulleys, weights, stirrups and ropes. This particular form of pilates using machines is called The Gyrotonic Expansion System.

The Gyrotonic Expansion System was created by former dancer and choreographer Juilu Horvath in the Eighties who devised the system to help him strengthen and develop mobility and prevent injury. The system combines weights to create resistance and various other contraptions like rotating wheels and stirrups (used both for the hands and feet – although not simultaneously) to enable the user to perform hundreds of spiral movements and produce greater depth within each stretch and exercise. As the moves are circular rather than linear (as in traditional mat pilates) the practice encourages the user to use the fullest range of the body.
Gyrotonic is particularly famed for creating lean lithe limbs, this is because the breadth of movement forces you to engage multiple muscle groups at the same time, unlike weight-lifting for instance, which isolates muscle groups and leads to the bulky pumped up look muscle men sport.

After a steaming mug of lemon and ginger and a chat we got down to business. Wearing tracksuit bottoms and a vest I climbed onto a bench a similar size to a traditional gym weights bench with rotating wheels and handles one end and a pulley tower with weights on the other. Having watched Sandie perform the first movement with total ease and grace, I grabbed the handles to have a go. The idea was to turn the right wheel clockwise and the left anti-clockwise one after the other in a flowing motion whilst moving my body forward and and then arching my back in a swooping gesture and breathing in and whooshing out at strategic points in the cycle. Being fairly uncoordinated at the best of times I found this exercise a little tricky and rather than adopting a flowing motion my actions were jerky and slow. Help was on hand though, with a light touch Sandie guided my body through the cycle ensuring I was maintaining the correct alignment and gently nudging me in the right direction. To a chorus of encouragement from Sandie I eventually nailed it and moved on to a number of varied exercises using the wheels. Whilst doing the exercises it struck home what Sandie had told me about Gyrotonic's being similar to dancing. The fluidity (when you eventually achieve it) is beautiful and I found myself at times, lost in the moment.

From the wheels I moved to the leg exercises. With the stirrups over my feet, lying with my back on the bench I see-sawed my legs back and forth and made great circular patterns in the air, amongst a host of other moves. Each time Sandie encouraged and corrected my position and the whole of the leg work section of the session felt very nurturing, light and free.

At the end of the session I felt I'd used up all my concentration and that I'd worked my body hard, although I wasn't sweating. Some exercises require you to use your body in ways you rarely do, twisting and curling, however I left Sandie's flat (after another mug of delicious lemon and ginger) feeling elated and excited to have learnt something new.

The next day my muscles were smarting with the good pain that tells you you've had a thorough body work out, which in my books is bliss. Although tricky to begin with, Sandie assures me it doesn't take long to become familiar with the basic moves and develop a smidgen of coordination and then you'll be on the path to lean, mean limbs, dexterity and overall well-being.