Gyrokinesis

I have been taking Martha Graham modern dance classes on and off for two years. I know I have to loosen up my hips, so that I can raise my leg higher and hold it longer in different directions. There is always another level to reach. As I posted in earlier posts years ago, just put in what is missing, without beating yourself up that you are not good enough. It is a spiritual experience to know that you are excellent and just bring it up to the next level.

I know I have not been taking my own advice stretching more, as flexibility is one of the major components of fitness. I need to increase my hamstrings', and as I found out today, calves' flexibility. I can just stretch every morning or night, and in front of the television -- easy! As I also knew, I need to work out my lower back more to balance how much I work out my abdominal muscles at the gym and with the Martha Graham technique.

Gyrokinesis can be done on the mat, as I did today, or on machines. It is like Pilates in that it strengthens the core. But it concentrates more on the spine, and seems to engage more movement. The mat movements are similar to Graham ones. I tried out two machines. Rotator cuffs and the pelvis ball and socket joint are used a lot. The machines include ropes and weight. Where I went, in SoHo in Manhattan, machine lessons are $75.00 an hour. I thought that I will use ankle weights and do leg circles to loosen up and strengthen those pelvis joints!

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.