by Sarah Vining
In my own words: the central nervous system—an internal world wide web—is the collective memory dump of the body. Its infrastructure mirrors the wiring of electrical systems, all too easily corrupted by spontaneous surcharge or habitual overload. When the nervous system is taxed at capacity, imagine Chernobyl at worst and at best, a web page that loads slowly or won’t load at all. And the nerves are not the cause of a blowout or sluggish response time, but they are its solution. Here’s a hint as to why.
Beyond all the layers of muscle, fascia and fat, the nerves in their slippery sheaths are the first and last responders in crisis. Taking care of them is more than psychosomatic; and yes, nerves can be repaired. The trick is understanding how they work and more so how to reach them without making things worse. While musculoskeletal treatments are often tantamount to complete reconstruction, even and especially after corrective surgery, rehabilitation through movement is key to recovery.
Unlike actual machines, we can’t just unscrew a hatch and start messing with wires. The body is designed to protect itself—particularly the nerves because we can’t move without them. But therein lies the simplest of secrets: nerves also can’t move without us. Regular movement— and the right movement training—is paramount to keeping mobility at an optimum level. While ‘optimum’ may seem different for everyone, the nervous system has more say than the rest of the body. Retrain that and be shocked by what the body—your body can do.
My Gyrotonic® journey began in 2014 with my very first and to-this-day trainer. Having trained with a variety of other educated and talented instructors, including professional dancers and accomplished fitness experts, I can say with authority that even the best Gyrotonic® trainers aren’t one-size-fits-all. The reason I’ve accomplished so much through this Method is because I am blessed to work with a trainer who understands not only a variety of bodies, but ultimately mine.
I was born with the extreme hypermobility and inherent joint laxity of a natural acrobat and Olympic rhythmic gymnast. I am blessed with a long-limbed physique that at a glance appears unproblematic but is plagued with the collagen deficiency and lymphatic, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, digestive and respiratory issues of incurable Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. While the condition is only rarely life-threatening, it almost always presents many challenges to quality of life. With no optimistic prognosis and little normative relief—standing or sitting all day like at a normal job makes it much worse—those of us who invisibly live with this quiet beast are just an exaggerated version of what ‘normal’ people also learn to tolerate. But aches, pain and stiffness aren’t actually normal—not at any age. And the nervous system is the proof in the pudding.
Healthy nerves are long, stretchy and loose, for lack of a better description. Ironically, overstretched nerves can become tight, which is why even flexible people aren’t always helped by more stretching. Less mobility in the muscles and joints isn’t necessarily a lack of our capacity to stretch and lengthen the limbs; it’s usually that something much deeper is holding on for dear life. And while it’s true that the opposite can happen—when we’re sedentary, the muscles and nerves may feel ‘shorter’—the solution to both problems is the same. We just need to move, and move correctively.
To the untrained eye, much of the Gyrotonic® Method may look like stretching, and we do in fact traction and expand the soft tissue ‘away from’ or ‘out of’ the joints. But it’s much more than that, even when we are stretching. The inflammatory nature of standing, sitting or even hard repetition over periods of time affects the nerves for the simple fact that gravity and posture have a tendency to irritate things that need space. Gyrotonic® exercise strengthens and lengthens the tissue surrounding all those tiny live-wires so they don’t feel constricted or mashed; it conducts instant blood-flow to areas of frequent resistance and restriction. This unique type of movement simultaneously promotes lymphatic circulation and synovial flow to free up blood vessels and joints. I’m not a scientist or therapist, by the way, but I’m also not uneducated. More importantly, I speak from experience. Everything I describe is just an illustration of phenomena I can actually feel.
The Gyrotonic® Method is one-of-a-kind and plays well with many body types and modalities. It is very much like dancing in place; the choreography at first can be challenging but isn’t at all frustrating to learn. And like any other movement or music you enjoy, the more you practice, the more freeing it feels. Even if you’re still on the fence about the physical benefits, just know that this Method is fun. No matter how cross my mood or my ‘wiring,’ five minutes into warmup I’m a new person. Or I’m my old self again, however you look at it.
Even my regular (gym) workouts are informed by the Gyrotonic® Method. And the moments of spontaneous joy it brings are for me incredibly ironic. Having given up dancing for over five years, I can honestly say that my unique blend of weight- and Gyrotonic® training has hurtled me closer to my inner ballerina than ballet class in my 30s ever did. Case in point: I’ve always had a killer middle-split but for the last 15 years could barely touch my toes without wrecking my hamstrings. A handful of Gyrokinesis® sessions later, and the yanking and pulling and nerve pain are gone. I can even sit or stand for longer hours and at age 45, I can without hesitation still toss around a 50-pound boy like a beanbag.
Beyond vitamins and dietary supplements, I take no medication and very rarely even need an Aleve. While of course I can’t say the Gyrotonic® Method cures everything, I have a lot of love for and faith in its natural foundation and well-developed qualifications. Familiar with a host of other treatment and exercise modalities, many of which have worked for me in other ways, since starting on my Gyrotonic® journey ten years ago I have never looked back.
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