Barb Mullin, right. Photo courtesy of ACS Movement and Alibi Creative.
A Pennsylvania native is bringing her knowledge and love of movement to her own studio space in Camp Hill.
At ACS Movement, Barb Mullin offers one-on-one sessions using the Gyrotonic Expansion System, a practice designed to improve range of motion, stability and spine health.
The Gyrotonic system is similar to yoga and Pilates in that it consists of eccentric movements, where muscles lengthen under tension, as opposed to concentric movements in which muscles shorten under tension, like what happens during a bicep curl. The three-dimensional exercises are performed on a pulley table with adjustable weights and other mechanisms that customize the practice for each person.
Mullin named her studio ACS Movement to represent the three main spinal movement patterns in Gyrotonic: arch, curl and spiral. The movements are designed to be effortless, Mullin said, quoting the system’s founder, Juliu Horvath: “What is gained with ease is retained with ease.”
New System
Horvath developed the Gyrotonic system using his deep knowledge of dance and yoga. A former principal dancer for the Romanian National Ballet Company, he defected while on tour in Italy in the 1970s and eventually made his way to the United States after receiving political asylum.
While dancing with the Houston Ballet, he ruptured his Achilles tendon, which put his dancing career on hold. The injury led him to explore yoga as a way to heal and recover, and he studied the practice for many years. The insights he gained during his yoga practice inspired the creation of a new exercise method, which he named “Yoga for Dancers.”
As he introduced this new exercise system to people in the U.S., interest from both within and outside the dance community grew, so Horvath developed a variation of the program that was accessible to those with or without a background in dance.
This format became the basis of Gyrokinesis, a practice of choreographed, seated movement. He also developed the specialized equipment and exercises used in the Gyrotonic method. Today, the system is used by more than 13,000 trainers in more than 80 countries, according to the Gyrotonic website.
Mullin has an extensive background in both Pilates and Gyrotonic instruction. She discovered both disciplines while living in New York City in the 1970s, and she spent more than a decade there studying and teaching Pilates. In 1991, she opened the first Pilates studio in Orange County, N.Y., and later moved her practice to Austin, Texas, where she became fully certified in Gyrotonic instruction. She then taught on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula for five years.
In 2024, she moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family and began looking for a venue to share her knowledge of the Gyrotonic method with others. She found a space alongside Absolute Pilates and several other fitness-related businesses on Trindle Road.
Slow, Flowing
Anyone can benefit from Gyrotonic exercises, Mullin said, including experienced athletes, people recovering from injury or surgery, seniors looking to age well, and those who just want to increase their ease of movement in everyday activities.
The movements can help improve balance for people involved in activities or sports that rely heavily on one side of the body, such as golf, pickleball or tennis, and can benefit those with chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia, she said.
The slow, flowing movements, along with mindful breathing, help to reduce stress, decompress the spine and joints, and increase overall wellness, Mullin said.
Throughout her career, Mullin has worked with people in all phases of life, from those in their teens to those in their 90s and has seen how exercises like Pilates and Gyrotonic have helped increase and extend quality of life.
“You really can change people’s lives,” she said.
ACS Movement is located at 3514 Trindle Rd., Camp Hill. Sessions are by appointment only; call 512-810-7347 or email [email protected] for more information.
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