We know the name sounds funky, but exercising Gyrotonic® style has hooked more than the likes of Madonna and Teri Hatcher. Women across the country are raving about the workout in which yoga meets the machine. We talked to women who have tried it for themselves at New York City's Circular Power Inc. studio. Hear what they think, and say it with us: Gy-ro-ton-ic.

Gyrotonic is often compared to yoga and Pilates, but the women who have tried the new system say it's far from being a lesser stepsister. In fact, it has a focus on flexibility that many prefer. For instance, Toby, a 37-year-old research analyst, has been a devoted Pilates follower for the past eight years. But she admits she's partial to her Gyrotonic class now because it involves more "dance-like moves, as opposed to a linear movement." Toby says she got hooked on the "rotation" and "torquing" (two movements used in the class) because it felt good to stretch her spine and waist while strengthening her body at the same time.

For Becky, a 49-year-old executive recruiter, there was one major difference between the type of yoga she'd been doing and her Gyrotonic class. Although her yoga sessions focused on "relaxation and the whole mind-body connection," her Gyrotonic class required much more actual, well, exercise.