The Gyroscopic Walk is a form of “super-walking” — a high-efficiency walking pattern that gives you more walking speed at less effort and that integrates your whole-body movements so you feel more free in movement, better balanced and better put together.
The Gyroscopic Walk is very good to do after any other somatic exercise or after a clinical somatic education session, to rapidly integrate (absorb and reinforce) the improvements in physical comfort and movement.
Walking is a peerless organizer. — Ida P. Rolf
The four people who attended my training day, “Trauma Lesson Calibration and Pandiculation Extravaganza”, saw me demonstrate and then learned and practiced a walking pattern I call, The Gyroscopic Walk (which I first called, “The Magnetic Walk”). This walk integrates beautifully with Thomas Hanna’s walking lesson in his “Myth of Aging” program (lesson 8, in his book,Somatics)and with my program, Superwalking.
The Gyroscopic Walk efficiently conserves and recycles the kinetic(movement)energy of walking in a way that increases walking speed with the same amount of walking effort — or — that reduces the effort of walking at any speed.
They learned the basic pattern of that walk in a four-step process:
- See.
- Prepare yourself.
- Do.
- Refine.
The basic pattern of The Gyroscopic Walk involves arm movements (while walking ) of a stylized kind. You keep the palms of your hands facing your hip joints while your arms swing forward and backward. The motion involves a swiveling motion of your forearms. Try it; you’ll understand.
The movement of your arms swinging with your palms continuously facing your hip joints produces a sensation in the hands and arms of containing and moving a mass around a central point — which is, of course, is what sets up a gyroscopic force. With a bicycle, the gyroscopic force of the wheels keeps us up; in walking, it keeps us balanced as we pivot around our “spinal axis”. In both cases, gyroscopic force conserves and recycles kinetic energy (movement).
Now, there are three developments of the Gyroscopic Walk, maybe more, that come after this one.
NOTE: Click here for an audio overview of, and instruction in, these and more developments.
Here’s the first:
bouncing that ‘ball of mass’ containedin the palms of the handsforward and backward with each step
As your arms swing, you keep your palms facing your hip joints; your forearms turn forward and backward with each step.
You contain or restrain your forward-backward arm movement (reduce the amount of swing), while maintaining your walking speed, enough that you can feel the force transmitted to your legs. That’s the experience of recycling kinetic energy.
Your walk will spontaneously accelerate with the same amount of effort as before and you’ll feel your feet anchor to the ground, better.
Another is
exploring the Gyroscopic Walk at different speeds
There’s something to be discovered, there. I need not say more.
and a Third is
adjusting the location of twist you feel in your trunk up or down.
You do this action by feel, once you have understood and can do the basic Gyrosopic Walk.
a Fourth is
alternating Gyroscopic and ordinary walking
Do the Gyroscopic Walk only until you can feel the force transmitted to your legs, then revert to ordinary walking. We’re talking a few seconds, here. You repeat the action many times.
You’ll feel things connect and relax in a new way, leading to smoother, more powerful walking.
And there are more — but I think that’s quite enough to chew on, for now.
Lawrence
PS: Oh, here’s an afterthought ….. just a little happenstance one.
Listen: We can use the Gyroscopic Walk, when alternated with the
Scottish Geezer’s walk, to re-set our idling speed and to tune up our
walking movements, whole-bodily.
Just in case you don’t know what I mean by, ‘idling speed’: the higher the idling speed, the higher the tension level overall in that individual — also known as “stress level”, “being somewhat wound up” — and the ever recommended and approved of, “toned” (partially tense and ready to go).
The two walking patterns are, in a sense, opposite and complementary, so they provide contracting sensations that heighten perception. We can use the Gyroscopic Walk, when combined with the Scottish Geezer’s walk, to re-set our idling speed so that we can explore and find the “idling speed” and/or “tone” we like best.
The “tuning up your walking, whole-bodily” part is something for which you need satisfactory experience with the Gyroscopic Walk to understand this discussion.
PPS: I wrote this message for Hanna somatic educator colleagues and clients with experience.
If you are not a Hanna somatic educator, these wordsmay be “helpful”: To do the Gyroscopic walk, you must already be free and well-coordinated enough to get into a movement rhythm; stiff places and pains interfere, so get some somatic education to free yourself.
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Now, let's discuss the concepts mentioned in this article:
The Gyroscopic Walk
The Gyroscopic Walk is a form of "super-walking" that aims to maximize walking efficiency and improve overall movement. It integrates whole-body movements to enhance balance and freedom of movement.
Somatic Exercise and Clinical Somatic Education
The Gyroscopic Walk is recommended to be done after somatic exercises or clinical somatic education sessions. Somatic exercises are a form of movement therapy that focuses on increasing body awareness and releasing muscular tension. Clinical somatic education is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals improve their movement patterns and alleviate chronic pain.
Walking as an Organizer
Walking is described as a "peerless organizer" by Ida P. Rolf. This suggests that walking can have a profound impact on the body's overall organization and functioning.
Thomas Hanna's Walking Lesson
The Gyroscopic Walk is said to integrate beautifully with Thomas Hanna's walking lesson from his book "Somatics: Reawakening the Mind's Control of Movement, Flexibility, and Health." This indicates that the Gyroscopic Walk can be used in conjunction with Hanna's teachings to enhance walking patterns.
Kinetic Energy and Walking Effort
The Gyroscopic Walk is claimed to conserve and recycle the kinetic energy of walking, resulting in increased walking speed with the same amount of effort or reduced effort at any speed. This suggests that the movement pattern of the Gyroscopic Walk optimizes energy utilization during walking.
Basic Pattern of the Gyroscopic Walk
The basic pattern of the Gyroscopic Walk involves stylized arm movements while walking. The palms of the hands are kept facing the hip joints, and the forearms swivel forward and backward. This motion creates a sensation of containing and moving a mass around a central point, similar to the gyroscopic force experienced when riding a bicycle.
Developments of the Gyroscopic Walk
The article mentions three additional developments of the Gyroscopic Walk:
- Bouncing the "ball of mass" contained in the palms of the hands forward and backward with each step.
- Exploring the Gyroscopic Walk at different speeds.
- Adjusting the location of the twist felt in the trunk up or down.
These developments provide variations and further exploration of the Gyroscopic Walk to enhance its effects on movement.
Alternating Gyroscopic and Ordinary Walking
The article suggests alternating between the Gyroscopic Walk and ordinary walking. This practice allows for the transmission of force to the legs and helps create smoother and more powerful walking movements.
Combination of Gyroscopic Walk and Scottish Geezer's Walk
The article briefly mentions using the Gyroscopic Walk in combination with the Scottish Geezer's Walk to reset the body's idling speed and tune up walking movements. These walking patterns provide contrasting sensations and can be used to explore and find the optimal idling speed and tone for individual preferences.
Overall, the Gyroscopic Walk is presented as a high-efficiency walking pattern that integrates whole-body movements, conserves kinetic energy, and enhances balance and freedom of movement. It is recommended to be practiced after somatic exercises or clinical somatic education sessions.
