Glossary

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Geriatric Massage

Geriatric massage, with its focus on the elderly, addresses the psychological and physiological aspects of aging and its associated diseases. Bodywork, often limited to a shorter time span, is often performed in residential care facilities. Click here to find a geriatric massage practitioner.

Grinberg Method

The Grinberg Method is a systematic educational method that teaches people to mobilize their own strength and vitality in pursuit of their well-being. It shows people how they can achieve much more in their lives simply by paying more attention to their bodies.

Gua Sha

Used in China for more than 2,000 years, gua sha means "to scrape toxins." A method of promoting blood circulation and removing toxic heat, blood, and lymph from the body, gua sha involves scraping the skin with a flat tool to facilitate pain relief. Olive oil and herbs are usually applied to the skin to open the pores, increase deep cleansing, and improve circulation.

Guided Imagery

Also known as visualization, guided imagery is a relaxation system utilizing imagination and thoughts to improve one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Often involving a process of listening to music or a person’s voice, the participant can take hold of imagery, symbols, and deep feelings to stimulate the body’s immune system, fight disease, and improve overall health. Many seriously ill patients use this technique to imagine the destruction of their disease and/or disorder.

Gyrotonic

A system designed to exercise the musculature while mobilizing and articulating the joints. Gyrotonic was conceived regarding key principles of gymnastics, swimming, ballet, and yoga through which major muscle groups are worked interdependently and in an integrated manner.

This system is served by a series of specially designed exercise equipment that is built around the human body with all regards to total freedom in movement, no restriction to speed and versatility, and enhancement rather than distraction from coordination, strength, and flexibility.

The motion patterns are natural, turbulence-free, and pure, with no interruption, creating a bridge between contraction and extension through the rotating movement of the joints, resulting in a balanced support system for the skeleton. Each exercise is synchronized with a corresponding breathing pattern and is performed with either a rhythm or melodic rhythmical expression, creating a gentle or vigorous cardiovascular-aerobic stimulation, depending on the intensity and speed of the execution. (Adapted from www.gyrotonic.com.)