Contents
Gyrotonic, the method with which Julia Roberts shapes her body
Fitness
This discipline practiced by the actress works body awareness, corrects postures, strengthens the body and provides flexibility, in addition to generating calm
Julia Roberts ranks high on the list of celebrities who sport a healthy appearance and an enviable figure at 52 years old. In addition to food, hydration and rest, the Oscar-winning actress has found in the Gyrotonic method the perfect sports discipline, not only to keep fit, but also to protect your joints, avoid back pain and connect with your body.
But what exactly does this method consist of? As revealed by Vanesa Torres, instructor of Gyrokinesis y Gyrotonic at Lasai Studio, it is a practice that unites the principles of yoga, the tai chi dance swimming and the gymnastics. In fact, as it reveals, it was devised by the dancer Juliu Horvath that, after suffering serious injuries during his career, he developed a method together with medical and physiotherapy professionals that would allow us to understand the movement of the body.
In addition, the creator of the Gyrotonic Method devised special machines that work with a pulley system that allows circulation to be worked without damaging it, seeking a greater range of joint movement, which contributes to strengthening the muscles and ligaments and in turn generates a sensation of weightlessness (or as if you were moving in water). In short, the machine provides the ideal resistance to work the body by generating contrasting forces, as revealed by the Lasai Studio expert, in addition to allowing the practice to be adapted to the specific characteristics of each person.
Machine practice is called Gyrotonic and the practice without machines is called Gyrokinesis.
Body awareness, the basis of the method
The key to this method, which was born as a «Yoga for dancers» it is precisely the work of body awareness and the knowledge of the parts of the body that take part in the movement (pelvis, sacrum, diaphragm, ribs…) and how they do it. As Vanesa Torres explains, in the classes the external musculature, whose main function is mobilizing; as the internal or profunda musculature, whose main function is to stabilize the body. Something that, he explains, is essential to avoid problems or injury, because each one of them has to fulfill its function. “If we do not learn to work our muscles correctly and put our joints in the correct position, the joints are compressed and we run the risk of injury due to muscle and joint imbalances,” he says.
Another key to this practice is seek the greatest range of motion of every part of the body. «With gyrokinesis the body moves in a three-dimensional and circular and non-linear way as in other disciplines. We seek to discover how much and how far the Joints without us suffering harm or pain. This helps to unblock the areas where there is tension and the muscles that prevent any movement are stretched, ”he clarifies.
In addition to working the body awareness and the search for a greater range of movement, the practice of Gyrokinesis helps to correct postures, avoid back pain, relax tensions, work on flexibility, strengthen the body and provide calm and well-being.
Requires coordination and concentration
But to take advantage of benefits provided by the Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis are necessary both the coordination and concentration. «During class it is necessary to maintain a full attentionWell, you have to feel your body and connect with it, pay attention to what you do, look for pleasant sensations and combine breathing with movement, ”he says.
The expert explains that with this practice changes are not achieved from one day to the next, but that it requires perseverance and, through repetition and knowledge, learn to move in a conscious way. For those people who want to start in it, it is advisable to start by working with machines, that is, by the Gyrotonic, since these help to work the deep muscles by generating contrast in the joints. Once we learn to know the body better, it could be combined with Gyrokinesis, that is, work without machines.
Benefits
- Works body awareness and helps correct posture
- Helps to rehabilitate back, knee, ankle, shoulder and hip injuries
- Strengthens the body
- Improve balance
- Provides flexibility and stability
- Calms anxiety and improves concentration
- Improves blood circulation
Remember that…
- You must accept the limitations of your body
- Immediate results are not achieved