Move over, Pilates: Gyrotonic is here to tone, strengthen and inspire.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

GYROTONIC What is it?: A circular exercise movement system. Gyro, as it's sometimes called, is usually performed under the supervision of a certified trainer. Most exercises are done on a wooden tower that provides support and resistance with weights, pulleys, hand wheels and straps.

History: Developed by former dancer Juliu Horvath in the 1980s, the system draws upon dance, yoga, swimming and other disciplines.

Who's doing it: Movement Studio at the Downtown Athletic Club (club membership not required), 980 Willamette St. (484-4011, Ext 261); The Pilates Center, 1680 Willamette (465-1680); Kinesphere at Carpe Diem, 436 Charnelton St. (684-0577).

Celebrate: The Movement Studio will be hosting a grand opening and demonstration of its new Gyrotonic studio on Sept. 23 from noon to 2 p.m. and Sept. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Call ahead to R.S.V.P.

From a distance, Gyrotonic looks like it could be the latest flavor-of-the-month exercise gimmick. There's a bearded guru/creator, a growing legion of new converts and a predictable list of celebrity practitioners that includes Madonna and Teri Hatcher.

Anyone who has witnessed the spectacle of exercise hybrids gone too far (Thai Yoga Body Therapy, anyone?) is forgiven for being a little suspicious of a form of exercise that's been called "yoga meets the machine."

But those who are discovering this new discipline, which actually dates back to the 1980s, say it's more than a trendy workout routine.

"I think it's fabulous," says Vicky Ayers, 58, a teacher from Eugene who's been taking Gyrotonic classes for a little more than a year. "I'm closer to 60 than I am to 50 and I'm always thinking about ways that I'm going to be able to continue to move, and I want to be as flexible as I can be and move in a healthy way."

Gyrotonic isn't just about improving movement and flexibility. Those who do it say it also increases core strength, tones muscles, opens the body up and strengthens the spine.

"It's a calming exercise," says Charmaine Gaffrey, owner of Kinesphere, one of three Gyrotonic studios in Eugene. "It's not about bulking up or building muscles, it's about feeling good about yourself and realizing what your body needs."

Similar to the trendy movement system Pilates but based more on circular rather than linear movements, Gyro, as it's sometimes called, involves elements of swimming, yoga and dance. Movements are performed on a wooden tower contraption that looks like something Leonardo da Vinci might have designed. The tower, aka the Gyrotonic Expansion System, is outfitted with weights, pulleys, hand wheels and straps, and generally requires the supervision of a certified trainer.

Like many Gyro converts, Ayers discovered the system after first taking Pilates. A dance instructor who teaches tango and Lindy Hop, she was drawn to the fluid movements of Gyro, which she says feels much closer to dance than Pilates does. She also likes the fact that it has improved her core strength.

"I actually feel like I have a core," Ayers says. "My arms and legs can extend from something rather than flying into space. It's really helped me to connect my movements to my body."

Today, there are more than 1,200 Gyrotonic facilities worldwide, including 11 in Oregon. Since 2000, the number of trainers has quadrupled, and the system continues to grow in popularity.

Jean Nelson, an instructor at the Movement Studio at the Downtown Athletic Club, which boasts three Gyro towers, says it often takes several sessions before people start to experience the benefits of the exercise system. A typical beginning session might involve introducing several new movements involving legs, arms, shoulders, abdominals and other areas. As the motions become more fluid, breathing techniques are introduced, weights are added and more complicated exercises are worked into the routine.

"It's designed to expand your body and the range of your body," Nelson says. "A lot of people are starting to prefer Gyrotonic (to Pilates). It's more circular, more full bodied."

Elise Moore, owner of the Pilates Center in Eugene, which also offers Gyro, says the spring-loaded system used in Pilates offers a different kind of workout than the unilateral pulley system used in Gyrotonic.

"Gyrotonic has more of a three-dimensional movement system to it," she says. "The system is plate loaded so it's more of an opening of the joints rather than a compression."

Moore says nearly half of her clients are now doing Gyrotonic. And although she's not ready to say it's better than Pilates, she says many people do find Gyro to be an especially effective means of "opening up" their bodies.

Certain body positions such as the "curl" and "arch" are repeated often in Gyrotonic and, as with dancing or swimming, the movements become more natural with practice.

The names of some of exercises and breathing techniques - "candle in the wind," "dolphin," "ocean breath" - are reminiscent of yoga. It all goes back to the quirky inventor of Gyro, a Hungarian dancer and wood sculptor named Juliu Horvath who says he modeled his techniques and equipment on the movements of monkeys, octopi and cats.

Although Gyro is popular among dancers and Pilates fans, it is also gaining favor among golfers and baseball players. Many say the therapeutic potential of the system, which is widely used in Europe to treat orthopedic injuries, has yet to be fully realized in this country.

Mike Lewis, 60, a certified public accountant who suffered a pinched nerve in his lower back, has been finding some relief with the technique. In addition to lifting weights and working out on a treadmill and an elliptical trainer, he takes one hour of Gyro instruction each week.

"It's almost like physical therapy," Lewis says. Marilyn Hinson, director of the Movement Studio, likens Gyrotonic to a massage for the joints. She says it's an "inspired exercise" that helps the body unwind.

"It's very different from doing three sets of 10," Hinson says. "It's not just exercise. It's an education with yourself ... The benefits that you can get from it are a sense of self-acceptance and a sense of being free in the world."

If there's a downside to Gyrotonic, it's the cost. Individual sessions range from $30 to $55, and the machines, which cost about $5,000, are available only to certified trainers. Because the movements are so specialized, training sessions are almost always supervised.

But, says Nelson, it's still less expensive than a massage.

"For a lot of people it's really liberating, opening up blocked places in the body," she says. "It's not necessarily miraculous, but (people) are seeing some amazing changes."