Gym Profile: Movement Integration at Studio 107

We got our answers from one of Minneapolis’s newest fitness locales, Studio 107. The quaint spot in the Center for Performing Arts is home to Movement Integration, a fitness and wellness company founded by licensed Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis trainer Dawn Strom. Her new studio offers Twin Citians unique ways to get in shape—none of which involve treadmills, stair-steppers, or free weights.

A relatively new form of exercise, Gyrokinesis was developed by former Hungarian ballet dancer Juliu Horvath in the 1970s. It concentrates on the body’s natural movement patterns (based on principles of tai chi, gymnastics, dance, swimming, and yoga) to invigorate and lengthen the spine, strengthen and stretch all muscles, and mobilize joints. Though it is often performed in a class setting, using a stool or a chair (Strom sets up her Gyrokinesis classes in the naturally lit sunroom at the Center for Performing Arts.), Horvath later created the  a pulley tower system on which Gyrotonic exercises can be performed.

Increasingly popular among star athletes and Hollywood elite for the flexibility, strength, and coordination benefits, Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis also boast therapeutic advantages for injured individuals and those with health conditions such as scoliosis. (In fact, it doesn’t matter how old, thin, or athletic you are, the exercises can be performed by almost anyone, Strom says.)

For most Gyrotonic and Gyrokineses followers, the movements are about more than just exercise. “You’re opening and loosening the body to allow vitality to come through your connective tissues,” Strom says. “The movements integrate mind, body, energy, physical layers, and really using the breath. You develop an awareness of your body and can use it more efficiently.”

Strom and fellow instructor Suzanne Wiltgen offer private and group training for both Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis exercises seven days a week inside the small Studio 107. Decorated with blues and oranges, the space boastsa tropical atmosphere, influenced by Strom's time in Miaimi at the Gyrotonic headquarters. “I wanted to create an intimate environment so people were aware of their movements,” Strom says. “People benefit from a quiet environment. It’s calm and invigorating at the same time. Relaxing and rejuvenating.”

While Gyrotonic and  Gyrokinesis sessions are the specialties at Studio 107, Strom also provides sessions in Bodywork and Movement Therapy, and she’s licensed to train instructors in the first of the four-part Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonic process.

For more information on Studio 107, including pricing for classes and private sessions, click here. Plus, check out Studio 107’s Open House on Saturday, January 10 from 1 to 6 p.m.

Studio 107, Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Ave. S., Mpls., 786-390-4713

GYROTONIC and GYROKINESIS are registered trademarks of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and are used with their permission.