“Narrowing” According to Juliu Horvath

Blog Content Interviews // November 07, 2024

Introduction

Narrowing is a core concept in the Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis Methods and one that may be a bit abstract when first coming to the method. So, we had Juliu give us the most basic explanation. According to him, it’s elongation and extension and you must experience it to really understand it. 

This post contains Juliu Horvath’s words as transcribed from an interview with Juliu and Gyrotonic HQ Media Team’s Cina Canada. Be sure to see the video of this interview below. Trainers, the full interview is available to you for viewing at any time in the Gyrotonic Trainer Learning Library . We hope you enjoy it!

From Juliu

“What we are doing is using energy, but what I’m using it for is “extending” yourself up and extending yourself down from the seed center in order to decompress the lower back, to decompress the spine, and decompress the organs in the body. 

So, we are creating an elongation. Because of the elongation, like when you look at a jumping cheetah or a greyhound jumping, the illusion is that the pelvis is getting smaller because the very center is getting smaller by this elongation. This is the suppling that we are doing. 

Everything is in there, the answer is there, so by practicing you are gaining experience, then you will understand what “narrowing” is – through experience. 

But as I am saying, it is a reaching, an extending in opposite directions. It’s like a yawning when you extend yourself. It is an extension…can you see in the stomach it drops in and also when you extend your leg into this kind of a yawning, that’s the same thing that is happening. 

So, we are also extending our energy out through the will, through imagination, and then energy will support this elongation. It’s like giving traction, and then supporting it from all sides, but not muscularly. There will be muscular action, but it is all energetic basically. If I give you a traction, and then I let go, try to hold it together so it doesn’t collapse.

You extend yourself from the seed center. It’s like when you are reaching up for something, where are you reaching from? You’re not just reaching from the hand, you’re reaching fromthe whole body, right? When you really can’t touch something and you really want to get hold of it, you go on your toes and push down toward the ground and then you extend yourself up as much as possible. That is what we are doing – creating an extension upward and an extension downward. That creates a narrowing, or a suppleness, in the center. That is ‘narrowing of the pelvis’ – decompressing the spine, decompressing the organs and then exercising with that.

This all comes from my lower back pain and how I discovered to decompress so that I don’t get pressure on the nerves. I give you all of the elements to arrive at this place whether or not you understand it theoretically. So, gain experience through practice, with a competent trainer who can teach the format and it will bring the result whether you understand it mentally or not because the technique is such that you will arrive there regardless. 

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Want to read more? Take a look at other articles and courses featuring the concept of Narrowing:

The Jewel of the Pelvic Floor 

Physical Therapy with the Gyrotonic Method

Juliu Discussing the Principle of Narrowing – Audio Only (For Licensed Trainers)

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