Watching Jane Seymour work out at the age of 75 has a subtly striking quality. High-impact circuits should not be ground. Don’t follow trends. Sometimes right out of a transatlantic flight, Seymour arrives at her Malibu studio, which her trainer Jeeny Miller describes as almost like a family space gets to work.
Seymour has been trained by Miller, a former Pepperdine University coach and certified Gyrotonic and Pilates instructor, for many years. Like many others, the actress began primarily with Pilates, but after a few sessions with Miller, she moved into Gyrotonic territory and never really looked back. Miller claims that based on everything she says, “She’s a very dedicated student” is not a polite exaggeration.
Although it should be, the Gyrotonic Method isn’t exactly well-known. It was developed in the 1980s by Romanian ballet dancer Juliu Horvath while he was recovering from his own injuries. It makes use of specialized equipment and circular, spiraling motions that are borrowed from tai chi, yoga, dance swimming to open joints rather than grind through them and develop strength without compression. It operates on a different logic than the majority of exercise regimens. Seymour has stated that she observes knee replacements and hip surgeries in friends her age who have been running for years. Her decisions are thoughtfully calculated.
Miller’s sessions typically last 55 minutes. Seymour typically schedules ten or even twenty appointments at a time. She visits two or three times a week while she is in California. She fits in three or four sessions per month when she travels, which happens frequently. Miller claims that Seymour gives her precise information about her departure and return dates as well as the days that work. It feels more like professional maintenance than a fitness hobby due to its precision.
Three or four machines are used for the sessions. Seymour’s hip and leg exercises while she lies on the bench with straps on her feet are frequently highlighted on the Gyrotonic pulley tower. The reformer incorporates free weights and arm exercises. In keeping with the method’s tenets, alignment comes first, followed by movement through the arms, legs hips. Miller calls it “lots of thinking, connection, deep breathing, alignment and postural awareness”. Just that description sets it apart from the majority of activities that take place in gyms.
Seymour has her favorites. She reportedly goes back to the Pilates Teaser the most, where she lifts her arms and legs at the same time. The elephant on the reformer, the hands on the foot bar, the feet on the carriage the back-and-forth movement of the entire apparatus all function practically simultaneously. Additionally, the mermaid, a side-bending exercise that opens up through the obliques, appears. She uses the Wunda Chair and the TRUE Stretch cage for more extensive stretching and mobility exercises. The rotation is deliberate rather than haphazard.
Perhaps the most intriguing part is what Miller says about Seymour’s objectives. Maintaining energy, promoting long-term health maintaining the body’s capacity haven’t really changed over time. That overarching goal takes precedence over fitness per se. It’s possible that results are better explained by this mindset quiet, consistent unassuming than by any particular exercise. Miller was once informed by Seymour that she didn’t have time for jet lag. Miller ceased to inquire.
“Celebrity looks great, does Pilates” is the headline of one version of this story. The Jane Seymour Pilates Gyrotonic exercise is a little more focused than that. It is based on equipment that most people have never seen, a technique in which most trainers lack certification an approach that views the body as something to be worked with rather than pushed against. The evidence is quite convincing at 75.