Ana Michalowsky: In your experience, what main distinctions have you found between the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® and Pilates?
Gail Bolte: In Pilates, the main focus is core strength—awareness of controlled movement to achieve alignment—with a big focus on moving your bones and muscles to achieve new patterns of movement. The GYROTONIC® Method explores the flow of movement with circular motions in all the joints, providing strength and flexibility simultaneously.
Both systems support moving with connection and fluid motion throughout the body. Pilates is a two-dimensional, linear system, keeping the range of motion within the boundary of the lines. Meanwhile, the GYROTONIC® Method is a three-dimensional system, allowing for larger ranges of motion through circular motions, spiraling of the spine and joints, and undulating movements.
Ana: How does this impact your experience of the movement systems as a practitioner and a trainer?
Gail: With Pilates, you have to get to a very advanced level to get into the nuances of mind-body movement. Initially, Pilates is very linear. You’re separating the bones and opening the joints with simple front to back, side to side, or single plane twisting movements. Pilates was created for rehabilitation, and it can be like physical therapy, where you get specific therapeutic exercises.
The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is very organic. It was created to strengthen the mind-body connection, clearing out the energy pathways. In the fundamentals, you’re working on many different planes of motion. It complements how your spine and joints inherently work: you’re supposed to be strong in every area of your joints, and that is what the system does for you. With the functionality of the movement, GYROTONIC® exercise prepares you for any and every possible injury you could have, even preventing injury.
Ana: How do the different machines—one with coils and the other with pulleys—produce differences in movement?
Gail: Both systems provide resistance, and both systems allow you to make adjustments in order to move smoothly.
Thinking about the Pilates I’ve done in the past, I felt like I was on a track—I could curve outwards on the track, but I was on a specific track. For me, it put pressure on my joints, where GYROTONIC® exercise actually takes pressure off my joints. The way the GYROTONIC® equipment is made, you have the ability to explore many different ranges of motion simultaneously.
With something like the handle unit in the GYROTONIC® Method, initially it just teaches people how to rotate their shoulder in their joint. I’ve had people come in and simply do that and say, “My shoulder’s been killing me for years, but this in one session has made it feel better. I don’t know how that happened.”
Ana: As a practitioner, how did you come to these different exercise systems?
Gail: I’ve always been an active person. After having children, I wasn’t able to run, jump and lift weights because it put too much pressure on my joints, so I began to search for other forms of movement. I practiced a bit of yoga but got injured throwing my body out of alignment. I decided to take some Pilates lessons, mainly Reformer classes, and could feel myself getting stronger and more limber. After a couple years taking Pilates classes, I went through the training and apprenticeship to become an instructor. When teaching at my first studio, I discovered the GYROTONIC® Method and went through the teacher training. Since 2010, I’ve mainly been teaching GYROTONIC® classes only.
Ana: With your history in Pilates, what led you to focus on the GYROTONIC® Method?
Gail: I decided to step away from Pilates because my intuition told me that my body was looking for something that felt more organic. I also felt a wonderful sense of euphoria after a GYROTONIC® workout. A lot of people say it feels like they just had a massage. The reason is that, if you have a massage, someone is trying to work through stuck places for you and smooth them out; with a GYROTONIC® workout, you’ve done it in a very different way.
Ana: Did you have the same experience with Pilates?
Gail: Pilates provided me with the post-workout adrenaline rush, but not the same high that you could achieve after a GYROTONIC® workout. But this is me talking—it could feel completely different for other people.
Ana: As a trainer, could you bring to life how beginning a new practice might look in each system?
Gail: With all new clients, I ask what brought them there, the goals they are trying to achieve with regard to their body, and if they have any injuries they are currently treating. Then, we can create a balanced plan that addresses all their needs.
In the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, the first lesson is going through the whole articulation of the foot. If you get all parts of your feet to work, then all the muscles in your leg will work. It starts from the bottom and works its way up. With the GYROTONIC® Method, we’re trying to balance everything all the time. We’re not isolating anything but rather recruiting everything.
Initially with Pilates is the Reformer movement, which involves bending and straightening your legs and going up on your toes and back to your heels. With this movement, people can use their thighs without engaging the whole back line of the leg. It is simpler and can be muscled through.
Ana: Would you say one system would be more accessible than the other for people with injuries or different fitness levels?
Gail: Both systems have levels of progression, where each exercise builds on the next. Accordingly, both systems can be practiced by people of varying ages, strengths, and flexibility levels. Overall, they both can improve your ability to move with more strength and flexibility, and they provide a greater awareness of how your body can move.
Ana: If someone new to both exercises came to you asking advice about which to try, what would you say?
Gail: People have asked me, “Which one should I do? Which one should I do more of?” And my answer is, “Do whichever one makes you feel good.” That’s what this is all about: what works for you and your body. And they can be complementary. It just depends on what you need and what you’re looking for. I am very biased to the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® because of the relationship that I have personally with the system. The GYROTONIC® Method feels limitless to me.
Ana: What makes the GYROTONIC® Method so special to you?
Gail: The GYROTONIC® Method served my body and helped me unwind things that I just couldn’t reach with Pilates. The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® has a subtle way of creating strength in the body that is difficult to define. For example, I may have difficulty executing a particular GYROTONIC® movement. Then I can step away from that exercise and come back at a later time and have ease with it. This is because everything you do in this system sets you up for later success.
In essence, GYROTONIC® movement is supposed to feel like nothing. If you get to a place in your body where you have the openness, strength and balance, when you do the movements, they don’t feel hard. They feel like going back and forth through water. People say it is like Tai Chi or Qigong, and it has that kind of push and pull, not forcing things to happen or adding extra weight where you don’t need it.
The best way to understand if a certain modality works for you is to try it and see how your body responds. Sign up for our Introduction to GYROTONIC® package, which includes 5 private sessions with one of our talented trainers.
Both the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® and yoga strengthen the mind/body connection through movement sequences that incorporate the breath. Indeed, Juliu Horvath drew on yoga and dance when first creating his movement system—he called the predecessor to the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® “Yoga for Dancers.” Now, though, the differences are significant.
The differences between yoga and the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® fall into 8 main categories:
Equipment
Class Format and Studios
Teacher Qualifications
Core Movements
Flow of Movements
Accessibility for Diverse Bodies
Healing
History
Equipment
The GYROTONIC® Method uses unique equipment specially designed to facilitate the body’s natural movements. Juliu created the equipment by hand to support the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® as it developed. These specialized machines simultaneously guide and provide feedback to each movement, strengthening the mind/ body connection.
Yoga, as it’s practiced in studios across the US, involves only a mat with basic props like blocks, bolsters, and straps. In India, it traditionally involves not even this. The GYROKINESIS® Method is more similar to yoga in this way, using only a mat and a stool.
Class Format and Studios
Because of the specialized equipment, the GYROTONIC® Method is most commonly practiced in private sessions. However, this can make the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® less affordable. Center GYROTONIC® is one of the few gyms with a membership option, allowing economical access to equipment. The complementary GYROKINESIS® Method offers more group classes. Even so, because the GYROTONIC® Expansion is a cutting-edge movement system, studios can be harder to find outside of urban areas.
This is not the case for yoga, which is predominantly practiced in group settings. As the popularity of yoga grows, so does the number of studios. This means you can find affordable—sometimes free—classes to attend regularly. However, the larger format can limit personal attention and customized sequences.
Teacher Qualifications
Certified GYROTONIC® Instructors spend a minimum of a year in the initial certification process. During this time, instructors are considered apprentices where they learn the intricacies of the equipment, the fundamental GYROTONIC® movement, and how to apply the GYROTONIC® Method to clients. The experience gained during this time allows each instructor to tailor the equipment and exercises to your unique body and goals.
As a diverse practice, there are various levels of yoga certification, and not all yoga teachers are certified. The popularity of yoga means there have been increasing problems with underqualified teachers, resulting in inaccurate information and even injury. This makes finding qualified instructors crucial for developing a sustainable practice.
Core Movements
The core of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is the spiraling movements that stretch and tone muscles through their full range of motion. Where yoga moves on a single axis, GYROTONIC® exercises move across different planes simultaneously. In our lives, most of our motions don’t occur on a single plane. For example, walking involves a spiraling counterrotation of the torso and pelvis as each leg swings forward. Accordingly, the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® builds functional strength that you can carry into the day. The spiraling movements also develop muscles evenly without stressing joints, preventing further injuries.
Flow of Movements
The spiraling movements of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® connect to become flowing sequences linked to the breath. This constant full-body movement develops mobility throughout the spine and the body’s joints, and the dance-like sequences create a complete aerobic exercise. Yoga, in contrast, centers on asanas or poses. Even vinyasa yoga, which flows from one pose to the next, involves holding postures in moments of stillness.
The quality of the movement is also different. Where GYROTONIC® movements flow like dance, yoga is more linear and controlled. Traditional yoga involves holding three bandhas—literally “locks”—in the body’s core. The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, on the other hand, emphasizes spinal mobility and expansive movements.
Accessibility for Diverse Bodies
Juliu developed the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® specifically to accommodate all bodies, regardless of age and ability. The specialized equipment is designed to adapt to each unique body, making the movements accessible to everyone from athletes like Charles Tillman to senior citizens. Even those with limited movements can begin practicing GYROTONIC® Exercise. Many trainers specialize in working with seniors, and the movements can be adapted to all levels.
Yoga, on the other hand, frequently requires a base level of strength and flexibility. For instance, if you can’t put weight on your hands, you can’t do the central downward facing dog. A 13-year study of yoga injuries at hospitals in the US found that people were much more likely to get injured during yoga if they were over 65. This highlights how yoga was designed with only certain—young, healthy—bodies in mind, as well as the importance of finding a good instructor to prevent injuries.
Healing
From the very beginning, Juliu created GYROTONIC® exercises to heal. He transitioned from dancing to other movement forms after a debilitating injury. The movements that later became the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® were started as a way for him to heal himself. Later, he expanded the System to help others heal from diverse physical injuries. Now, the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is recognized to help manage physical ailments like frozen shoulder and chronic back pain.
Yoga is increasingly used to help heal physical ailments, and research shows it can improve chronic back pain, cardiac function, and migraines. Nonetheless, that is not the purpose for which this practice was created. A 2017 study found that yoga actually worsens 21% of injuries, and 10.7% of yoga practitioners experience injuries from their practice (this number rises to 62% for the rigorous style of Ashtanga). Because yoga is not designed for all bodies, the injury rate increases if people try to perform poses beyond their ability. Yoga was designed with a focus on healing our spiritual—more than physical—bodies.
History
Underlying all these differences, the greatest difference between yoga and the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is history. The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® was designed for our contemporary bodies and culture. It’s informed by Juliu’s lived experiences as well as current developments in science. Juliu describes the need for a new system, “Because whatever has been experienced ten thousand years ago is not valid anymore for people living in this age and this era. Our feelings have already grown into something else. Our interpretation needs to go in a different way.”
Yoga’s origins can be traced back 5000 years. However, it didn’t start as a movement system. Yoga originally focused on meditation, breathwork, and other spiritual practices, with asanas (originally meditation postures) only one branch among eight. Only in the past 200 years has the practice developed into the poses we see today, incorporating gymnastics and wrestling exercises. As yoga scholar and practitioner Mike Singleton explains, “The philosophical and esoteric frameworks of premodern hatha yoga…have been sidelined in favor of systems that foreground gymnastic movement, health and fitness, and the spiritual concerns of the modern West.” This means yoga was never really designed solely for the wellbeing of our bodies as they move through the world today.
Final Thoughts
Although both yoga and the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® use the breath and movement sequences to develop self-awareness, the two have different histories and thus different qualities. Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice that has recently been mixed with calisthenics to become a movement system. The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is a movement system designed by a former dancer to heal his body and bring healing and mastery to other diverse bodies.
When practiced together, the two can complement each other. In an interview, Master Trainer Erika Hassan highlights how GYROTONIC® exercise “is going to help with any yoga pose and the understanding of the pose from the inside, the energetic flow.”
The best way to understand if a certain modality works for you is to try it and see how your body responds. Sign up for our Introduction to GYROTONIC® package, which includes 5 private sessions with one of our talented trainers.
