Photo courtesy of Cori Doetzer and Gyrotonic, Inc.

Committed to holdiing its place on the leading edge of L.A.'s fitness community, Harmony studios has added a Gyrotonic Expansion System (GXS)™ to its growing list of available resources. GXS™ is the inspiration of Juliu Horvath, an internationally acclaimed ballet artist and tai chi devotee. It was Horvath's interest in Kundaline yoga that sent him in search of a conditioning tool that would provide a broader range of movement than equiment currently on the market. Finding none meeting his stringent pre-requisites, the dancer developed the first Gyrotonic™ prototype.

Popular in Europe, the machine looks like something once kept in castle dungeons. There are two parts: A seven-foot pulley tower and a moveable bench with two rotating disks attached. Together they work in synch to stretch, strengthen and increase range of motion. Instead of linear back-and-forth movements, GXS™ offers more than a hundred variations, most of them circular and three-dimensional. This capacity ultiately improves flexibility in both the spine and joints, strengthening the body core and prviding the perfect complement to Pilates-evolved programs.

Additionally, beside the benefits GXS™ affords the spine, the regimen also stimulates the blood flow, organ and glandular systems. Athletes and sports professionals use the program to gain strength, flexibility and efficiency. Elderly people use it to relieve joint pain and improve range of motion. Physicians prescribe it for rehab following an injurym or for the relief of chronic conditions that won't yield to other treatment methods.

Instructors adequately trained and certified in the discipline are still a rare commodity in America. Nonetheless, Harmony Studios is fortunate to have three such people on staff.