Coupled with that, you practice the "ocean breath" (so called because it should sound like the tide on the shore), a long breath where you inhale and move the spine forward and then arch it as you exhale; "coughing breath," which is just what it sounds like and engages the abdominals; and a burst of short, fast exhales through the nose similar to "fire breath" in yoga.

After you perform these exercises twice a week for about six weeks, Gyrotonic can help alleviate symptoms ranging from lower back pain to cervical problems and everything in between, like herniated discs, knee injuries, scoliosis and a torn rotator cuff. But you don't have to be in pain to take advantage of Gyrotonic's benefits, which include improved flexibility as well as stretching, strengthening and lengthening your muscles.

And what's more, you don't have to wait that long to feel a shift in your body. "A first-timer will walk out feeling energetic, like there's space in the body. You'll feel like you just had a gin and tonic," Macagnone grins. "But it's not wooziness or motion sickness ‑- you just feel light in your joints and muscles."

The real question here is, can something so gentle ‑- and strange ‑- really change your body?

"Absolutely, yes," says Macagnone. "It's not aerobic, but there is cardiovascular stimulation and it is a workout. People definitely feel like they've done something. You can speed it up or slow it down so it becomes soothing and gooey, like a moving massage. It hits those hard-to-reach places in the body, and as you start to open up you hear a lot of snap, crackle and pop and oohs and aahs going on. It feels so good. You gotta try it."