Expand your movement and flexibility with GYROTONIC ® Expansion System
MatWorkz is proud to be one of the only studios in Central Florida offering GYROTONIC®, bringing this unique method’s performance and healing benefits to clients throughout Winter Park and the greater Orlando area.
As with everything we teach, GYROTONIC® at MatWorkz begins with listening — to how you move, where you’re holding tension, and what your body needs that day. Every private lesson is shaped around you, not a fixed sequence, using the same Body Awareness approach that guides our Pilates instruction.
The GYROTONIC® Expansion System was created by Juliu Horvath, a professional dancer whose own injuries led him to study and develop a method for his healing. What began as a personal solution became a program that promotes greater ease of motion, strength, flexibility, and range of motion for anyone — regardless of age or fitness background.
What is GYROTONIC®?
The name itself reflects the method’s philosophy: “gyro” means spiral, and “tonic” means to invigorate or restore. The system is built on two core principles — joints stay healthier the more fully they move through their natural range, and breath is central to how the body releases tension and restores energy.
GYROTONIC® exercises combine specific breathing patterns with arching, curling, spiraling, and circular movement to build coordination and strength throughout the body. At MatWorkz, we work with two pieces of specialized equipment — the Pulley Tower and the Jumping-Stretching Board — each offering a distinct path toward the same goal: fuller, freer movement.
The GYROTONIC® Jumping Stretching Board
The Jumping-Stretching Board deepens movement through full-body, functional exercises performed in a variety of positions — kneeling, standing, lying, and sitting. Its broad range of sequences makes it accessible to clients at every level of balance, strength, and flexibility.
The board’s gliding horizontal plane fully supports the spine and pelvis, making it especially well-suited to post-injury work and rehabilitation. Independent gliding sliders and optional rotating platforms allow our certified GYROTONIC® instructors to build sequences that challenge strength, coordination, and stability as your body is ready for them.
The GYROTONIC® Pulley Tower
The Pulley Tower is the most widely used piece of GYROTONIC® equipment among trainers, coaches, and therapists, offering smooth, even support through a weighted pulley system.
Its design supports the joints’ full, natural movement patterns, allowing for three-dimensional, functional motion. Because the pulley system supports the body throughout each movement, it helps eliminate the sharp starts and stops where injury often occurs — making it a valuable tool for both performance training and recovery.
What are the benefits of a regular GYROTONIC® practice?
- With consistent practice, clients often experience:
- A healthier, more supple spine
- Increased range of motion
- Greater joint stability
- Improved agility and athletic performance
- Deep internal strength through the core
What is GYROKINESIS ®?
GYROKINESIS® is the foundation of Juliu Horvath’s work — originally developed as “yoga for dancers.” Practiced on a low stool and mat (“the lily pad”), it moves through many of the same principles as GYROTONIC®, but without equipment.
That absence of equipment means something important: without external support or resistance to guide you, GYROKINESIS® asks you to rely on your own proprioception — your body’s internal sense of position and movement. It’s a different kind of listening, one that happens entirely from within.
At MatWorkz, GYROKINESIS® is offered in both group and private lessons under the instruction of a certified GYROKINESIS® trainer. Breath and fluidity of motion are used throughout to stimulate the organs and nervous system, oxygenate the body, and expand the joints’ range of movement — the same restorative, whole-body approach that runs through everything we teach.
To learn more about GYROTONIC ® and GYROKINESIS ®, visit: www.gyrotonic.com
MATWORKZ GYROTONIC ®
Discover the potential of your movement and flexibility with our unique GYROTONIC ® programs.
Pilates is based on the original teachings of founder Joseph Pilates. It focuses on six traditional principles: centering, concentration, control, flow and breath. Together, these principles help strengthen core muscles, improve awareness, increase stamina and reduce tension throughout the body.
In contrast, the GYROTONIC ® method developed by Juliu Horvath in the mid-1970s. This approach focuses on improving agility and strength through circular movements that help maximize range of motion. At its core, the GYROTONIC ® method hinges on four key principles: intention, stabilization, decompression and coordination. In someways GYROTONIC ® is more similar to yoga with its focus on breathing technique.
Read more about Pilates vs GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM
