The fitness market has been flourishing due to the rise in public awareness to stay healthy. While typical exercise programs such as yoga and Pilates are available all over, gyrotonic training has also started to capture the attention of those looking for new ways to stay healthy and fit.

As a unique, holistic approach to movement, typical gyrotonic training, which uses a specially-designed tower made for gyrotonic exercises, benefits people in many different ways, including a healthier, suppler spine, increased range of motion, greater joint stability, improved agility and athletic performance and a deep internal strength.

As a newcomer to China, it is still in its beginning stages in the domestic fitness industry, but it is growing quickly.

When 29-year-old Yolanda Wang opened up her gyrotonic training studio THIS in Beijing in March, she did not know if it would be popular in Beijing or not. Despite the fact that the size of the studio is quite small - only one room - there are already over 40 regular clients enrolled at her studio.

"My studio focuses more on one-on-one gyrotonic training - a holistic exercise that mobilizes the spine, articulates the joints and gives the whole body a feeling of release," Wang said.

Talking about her motivation for getting into the field of gyrotonic training, Wang said that she found it very interesting since it opens a whole new field for her. In the end, she was so drawn by it that she decided to become gyrotonic teacher and quit her job at a well-paid fashion company in the US.

While living in New York, she searched gyrotonic training in China online, and she realized that not many people in China knew about it. She then decided that she would go back to China and promote gyrotonic training.

Opening up a fitness studio is not easy, especially if it is a fairly new thing to the locals. The big challenge that she faces is telling Chinese what gyrotonic training is. "The gyrotonic method works with all the systems in the body and creates a very organic way to recharge our energy and rejuvenate the body. I think there is no comparison between gyrotonic exercises and other exercises because each system has its own way and function, but you have to experience it first to see how it works for your body," Wang said. "I used to practice yoga, but I didn't enjoy it much. I found more joy in gyrotonic training. If you don't practice yoga for a long while, when you start picking it up again your body will feel sore, but that is not how it works with gyrotonic training. If I did training today, I would immediately feel better. But different people may have different feelings after doing it."

In order to grow the community, Wang hopes to attract more trainers to become certified gyrotonic teachers, and she has already created training sessions in many cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and Shanghai.

In addition to further promoting gyrotonic training in the local community, Wang hopes to introduce it to more men. "My clients are 95 percent female. In New York, classes are usually half male and half female. In China, men like muscle building, but gyrotonic training also fits for those who want to build up muscles since it helps to create more space between the muscles and trains muscles to be more functional," Wang said.