Meet Kathryn Londoff of GYROTONIC® Seacoast in North Hampton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Londoff.

Kathryn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My original training was in classical singing, but as a child I took gymnastics and ballet. I loved the artistic expression in pairing music and movement – I found it very cathartic. I got into fitness as a way to stay fit as well as have an enjoyable “day job”. I started first as a personal trainer, but then took a workshop taught by Chicago Feldenkrais, Gyrotonic, and Pilates teacher, Kathleen Aharoni. She introduced me to a different way of experiencing movement, which was much more internalized and personal. I found that most of my clients really needed to learn the fundamentals of movement before leaping into more strenuous and vigorous movements. Kathleen gave me the eyes to see imbalances and how to guide people to move with more intention – thinking about how and why they were going to move before actually moving.

I became certified in Pilates, and then soon after in the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®. I had held off on trying the Gyrotonic machines since I was so focused on Pilates. One day, after a particularly grueling week of work outs, including training for a marathon, I thought I’d give it a try. As they say, the rest is history. What struck me most about the work was the three-dimensional aspect of its movements. It is so unlike what most conventional fitness is: moving in straight lines with machines that pull or push from one direction only. I thought it was so brilliant to be able to strengthen my body in multiple planes and to also work several joints at one time in this manner. It seemed exceptional functional. Over the years, my instincts have proven true, as I’ve studied other techniques and have seen my clients become wonderfully sophisticated movers over time.

I noticed many similarities between classical singing technique and the Gyrotonic Method. Both involve a fine antagonistic balance and thinking in metaphors. For example, when a singer sings a high note, he or she has to imagine growing roots or staying connected to ground – the larynx must not go up! Unnecessary tension in general is something singers want to avoid. Similar metaphors are repeated again and again in this work: one can think of the shoulder blades reaching down, even as the arms move up, as one example, but there are countless. Many other musicians who have tried this work have found similar experiences. So without me realizing it, my years of voice training prepared me for my current career by helping me perceive the most subtle differences that can have a profound impact on technique.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The same year that I took my first Gyrotonic training, I became pregnant with my daughter, Artemis, even completing my certification course while seven months pregnant! So, my early years teaching the method involved being a new mom and juggling teaching, courses, home life and singing. It helped that I had the greatest baby-sitters in my step-daughters Shenna and Rebekah, who also started to take my classes.

By 2012 my husband and I were ready to move out of the Chicago area to be somewhere where we could hike, visit the ocean, and raise our children near nature and away from the stress and worries of big city life. By that time we also had our son, Apollo. After some research, we settled on New Hampshire – it was a bit closer to our East Coast roots and we fell in love with it after a late summer visit. As you can imagine, it was quite a culture shock when we first arrived. No 24-hour pharmacies or grocery stores? We laugh as we think back on it now.

I worked at a local studio before starting my own business. I decided I would focus on the GYROTONIC® Method and be an advocate for it. It has not always been easy. Very few people outside of big cities and particularly the dance world have ever heard of it! I started building clientele by teaching the non-equipment version of the work, called the GYROKINESIS® Method, at several places.

Along with my Gyrokinesis classes, I also continue to network with various massage therapists, rehabilitative chiropractors, osteopaths, Pilates instructors and MDs.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with GYROTONIC® Seacoast – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.

GYROTONIC®, GYROTONIC® & Logo, GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, GYROKINESIS®, GYROTONER®, and The Art of Exercising and Beyond are registered trademarks of Gyrotonic Sales Corp.

I specialize in the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®. It is a mind-body exercise system that works one’s entire body from head to toe which makes everyday activities, sports, and dance more efficient. It can be practiced by people of any age, from any walk of life, from the most seasoned athlete to everyone else, including the elderly and those in rehab – we meet you where you are. What sets this system apart is the three-dimensional, circular, spiraling and undulating nature of the movements. All movements are coordinated with specific breathing patterns. The equipment is specially designed to allow for fluid movement in all directions, without jarring or compression. There really is no end point in the movements also, but rather a reaching or “yawning” in all directions.

We practice the technique on beautiful, specially designed, mostly wooden equipment, which allows for feedback, support and resistance from all directions. I own two Pulley Tower Combination Units, the most common and versatile Gyrotonic machines. These consist of towers with two sets of pulleys each for use with the hands, arms, legs or feet, and separate benches with two spinning handles with variable resistance. I also have several pieces of specialized equipment which are unique to the area: the Jumping-Stretching Board, which allows for horizontal jumping on a smooth sliding track, as well as a propeller and separate sliders with or without rotating discs for both feet and hands. The GYROTONER® is a machine which is ideal for hip, shoulder and thoracic spine rehabilitation, and allows for multiple joint articulations in various planes. I also own the Archway, in which the client is the moving piece in various hanging positions.

There is a lot of talk in the fitness world regarding fascia, the collagenous connective tissue that supports and surrounds all of our structures. It is like a three-dimensional web that spreads throughout the body. It both binds things like bones, muscles and organs together, but also allows them to slide over each other. Research suggests that movement – and lack thereof – effects the health of fascia. Healthy fascia acts like a lubricant, whereas, unhealthy fascia acts more like a paste. Therefore, working three-dimensionally, with movements that span several joints while creating a push-pull and pulse-like movement through the body is extremely beneficial. This work translates well into everyday actions and is exceptionally effective conditioning for sports involving rotational movements, such as tennis and golf.

I also offer the “mat” version of the Gyrotonic Method, known as the GYROKINESIS® Method. Participants apply the same intentions and technique while moving through spinal and other joint motions on a stool, standing and then on the floor. I offer three regularly scheduled Gyrokinesis classes and an introductory class series at the studio, which is rare even in the big cities, since clients seem to prefer the private or semi-private sessions. Many of my private clients take these group classes and find that it enhances their private practice and sort of takes things “up a notch” since the equipment is not there as a guide. Likewise my group class regulars also find that they gain many more benefits with individualized instruction.

I am proud to offer Gyrokinesis classes on the beach in Rye, NH on low-tide Sundays throughout the summer. This melding of ocean waves, intoxicating sea breezes and luscious, undulating movement was just too enticing for me not to make it happen! Our numbers have steadily grown over the past three years as more clients see the benefit of connecting the natural world to this movement.

I am very detail oriented. A person can imitate all the motions in the work and not feel a thing – I can spot that lack of engagement a mile away. My goal is to help people develop intense body awareness, which only comes through practice and being willing to explore the unknown. In the fitness and psychology worlds, the ability to sense what one is experiencing within the body is known as interoception. We are more familiar with the term proprioception, which is the sense what where our body is in space. Interoception is the sense of what is happening internally in one’s body. It is often referenced in the study of autism where certain individuals may ignore normal bodily signals such as hunger or pain. There is a disconnect. Sometimes we look at our bodies as something outside of ourselves, like a mechanical object that we can do things to, but that is not really a part of who we are.

Our fitness culture, as well as our society, has conditioned people to ignore these internal signals. That is why we will continue in that class or on that ride until our bodies break down. We were told, at one time, “no pain, no gain”, and we still see at the gyms how the most intense classes are usually the most popular.

There is a time and a place for that of course! By what if we could sense if our bodies were really ready for that intense work or that it was time to stop – before the injury? What if “modifying” a movement or activity were not perceived as a shameful thing? This is what I like to bring to light for my clients: to listen to and respect the process, and to find efficiency in movements, which only comes from profound internal strength, whole body integration and mindful practice.

Something that newcomers to the studio have commented is that clients here enjoy a warm camaraderie, which I hear is sometimes a rare find. We all share a passion for this work, for being real with ourselves and with each other. I think part of it comes from the “honesty” that one finds in this work, through the development of interoception, the facing of the reality of ourselves and our bodies.

I, like many of my fellow Gyrotonic trainers, stay updated with continuing education; there are myriad trainings from which to choose. Some of my favorites are the therapeutic applications, on the pelvic girdle, shoulder girdle and scoliosis.

In addition, my desire for more information lead me to study Neurokinetic Therapy® which is a sophisticated muscle testing protocol which assesses movement dysfunctions. Sometimes injuries are stored in our motor-control system, and even after healing our bodies react as if the injuries are still there. This technique helps to determine dysfunctional patterns that create a snow-ball effect. Through testing I learn, for example, if one movement pattern inhibits another and homework is given once relationships are determined. Studying this technique has helped to develop my eye from more of a clinical perspective. And to verify things that I had learned in my other trainings.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
GYROTONIC® Seacoast will continue to grow as word continues to spread about this wonderful system. I see my business becoming a center for Gyrotonic training as well as other mind-body related trainings and workshops. I have been hosting my dear friend and colleague, Kathleen Aharoni, who teaches a weekend of Feldenkrais classes twice a year. I currently am a teacher-trainer for the Gyrotonic and the Gyrokinesis methods and teach a pre-training class in each once a year. This September I am hosting Jill Denison, a Master Trainer from California who has roots in New Hampshire, in a teacher-training course.

I have a student who will be taking her Gyrokinesis Foundation Course this fall, and have a wonderful physical therapist, who is trained in the Gyrotonic Method, joining me at Gyrotonic Seacoast.

I love the concept of like-minded practitioners gathering, collaborating, and bouncing ideas off each other. I am definitely looking forward to having more colleagues share the journey.

Contact Info:

• Address: 225 Atlantic Ave. #3
  North Hampton, NH 03862
• Website: www.gyrotonicseacoast.com
• Phone: 603-828-8155
• Email: info@gyrotonicseacoast.com
• Instagram: Gyrotonic Seacoast
• Facebook: Gyrotonic Seacoast
• Twitter: gyrotonicseacst

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