Gyrotonic (feat. Jessica Chen)

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

This week we are joined by choreographer, dancer, and GYROTONIC® trainer, Jessica Chen. Jessica is sharing how her love for movement and dance led her on a path to find a cross training exercise known as GYROTONIC® and how we can all benefit from this method of movement. Jessica discusses the main principles of GYROTONIC® and how it can benefit professional athletes, people looking to get more movement into their lives and even people who claim to “hate working out.”. Listen in to learn more about GYROTONIC® and how it can be used to restore balance and symmetry in your body.

IN THIS EPISODE: 

●   [06:47] Jessica Chen shares how movement and her love for dance led her on a search for the perfect cross training exercise.

●   [15:30] What is GYROTONIC® and how does it differ from similar practices? 

●   [18:32] How to know if GYROTONIC® or GYROKINESIS® is the right fit for you. 

●   [22:00] Why GYROTONIC® is great for both athletes and people who hate working out. 

●   [30:15] Jessica explains the equipment needed for GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS®.

●   [34:28] Should someone start with private lessons or group classes? 

●   [38:53] How GYROTONIC® helps you understand where a movement is coming from? 

●   [43:50] How to find a qualified trainer near you and what goes into becoming a certified GYROTONIC® trainer.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

●   GYROTONIC® is not just doing the movements, but the quality of how you do the movements. 

●   The main focus of GYROTONIC® is to mobilize the spine and joints. 

●   People experiencing back pain can benefit from GYROTONIC®. 

●   There is a joy to expressing your body, whether you’re a professional dancer or you just like to shake it out.  Your body likes to move, it was made to move. 

●   When you move, you may not realize that you compensate one side for the other, so having a GYROTONIC® instructor to help focus on your movements can really help restore balance in your body.

QUOTES: 

“One of the main principles of GYROTONIC® is to mobilize the spine, and also with that, to decompress the joints.” Jessica Chen

“Pain, in some ways, is stuck energy, so we need to move the energy, but we can’t move it if there’s no space to move it. So we need to create space and then move the energy to move the pain out.” Jessica Chen

“GYROTONIC® brings us back into symmetry, back into balance.” Jessica Chen

“Our bodies settle into old patterns. We sort of have these established tendencies that I think we don’t necessarily recognize for ourselves.” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

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GUEST RESOURCES:

Jessica Chen Website

Jessica Chen Project Website

Jessica Chen Instagram

Jessica Chen Company Instagram

Jessica Chen Facebook

Jessica Chen Twitter

BIO: 

Jessica Chen is choreographer, dancer, teacher, and Artistic Director of J CHEN PROJECT, a 501c3 contemporary dance company based in NYC.  She holds a B.A. in Global Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara and continued her dance training at The Ailey School.  

GYROTONIC®:  Jessica is an authorized GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® instructor.   She is certified in all the specialized equipment including Leg Extension Unit, Archway, Jump & Stretch Board, and GYROTONER®.  She is also certified in Dancers' Application 1 and Dancer's Application 2.  She approaches the work from her movement background.  Jessica's highlights as a GYROTONIC® trainer include training Broadway dancers and actors and working with clients of all ages with a variety of levels and needs.