The Power of Connection: Bringing Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to the GYROTONIC® Community

At the heart of the GYROTONIC® community is a shared commitment to growth — in movement, in understanding, and in how we connect with one another. As our network continues to expand across the globe, we’re inspired by the ways trainers and studio owners come together to support not only their clients, but each other. One recent area of exploration within our community has been Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a framework for deep listening and compassionate dialogue that beautifully complements the Gyrotonic approach to movement.

In the following article, longtime community member and Gyrotonic Master Trainer Nora Heiber shares how NVC has helped strengthen connection within our global family — from the studio floor to the wider network of trainers and beyond.

Flowing Together: How Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Can Serve to Strengthen our GYROTONIC Community

Nora Heiber, Gyrotonic Master Trainer

When I was invited to join panel discussions at the Gyrotonic Rehabilitation Conference, envisioned and hosted by Elements Fitness & Wellness in DC, I was struck by the courage it took for us to face difficult topics together — and the beauty that emerged when we did. That moment planted the seed for what has since grown into ongoing community support calls, a weekly Zoom call where movement facilitators and studio owners gather to listen, share, and support one another.

I’ve been part of this community for almost 40 years, long enough to remember when there was just a single studio in New York. To witness its growth into a global network of hundreds of studios and nearly 13,000 trainers in more than 80 countries has been one of the honors of my life. From the very beginning, I’ve felt part of something extraordinary — not only a brilliant movement system, but also a worldwide family.

The Unique Spirit of Our Community

What makes the Gyrotonic community unique is not only our shared language of movement but the way we embody it together. 

• We are a global yet intimate family: wherever you travel, stepping into a studio feels like coming home. 
• We are committed to lifelong learning: trainers remain students for life, driven by curiosity and care.
• We are sustained by connection through community: small studios scattered across continents, bound together by shared values.
• We exist at the intersection of art and healing, with contributions from dancers, musicians, therapists, and more. This intersection of art and science makes our community rich, diverse, and open to integrating new perspectives like NVC.

How NVC and the Gyrotonic Method Align

The Gyrotonic method is about flow, awareness, and affirming life. It teaches us to move with openness, enthusiasm and adaptability instead of grunt and struggle. NVC rests on these same principles, only in the realm of human communication and connection.

Both practices invite us to:

• Follow the flow of life, rather than forcing outcomes.
• Affirm vitality by meeting challenges with creativity.
• Cultivate presence by listening deeply — to the body, or to one another.

Just as Gyrotonic movement helps us release old patterns in the body, NVC helps us release old patterns in communication. Together, they empower us to be the best teachers we can be: listening for feelings and needs, responding with clarity and empathy, and creating a culture where growth does not come at the expense of our own well-being.

What is NVC?

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, is a practical method for communicating with empathy and clarity. It emphasizes observing without judgment, expressing feelings and needs honestly, listening deeply to others, and finding strategies that consider everyone’s needs. At its heart, NVC is about strengthening connection — with ourselves, with others, and with the wider world as a way of expanding our capacity and reach. Sound familiar?

Trainers and Themselves: Self-Connection with Nonviolent Communication

• As trainers, our ability to connect with others begins with how we connect with ourselves. NVC emphasizes self-empathy — the practice of noticing and honoring our own feelings and needs without judgment.
• When we feel overwhelmed, self-connection helps us pause and identify what’s really needed— rest, clarity, or support.
• When we’re guiding clients, self-awareness allows us to distinguish between their needs and our own, so we don’t give at the expense of our well-being or theirs.
• When outcomes differ from what we hoped for, self-empathy eases self-judgment and supports our learning..

In this way, self-connection becomes the ground from which presence, compassion and clarity naturally flow — both in the studio and in community.

Trainers and Clients: Communication in the Studio

Every trainer knows our work is about more than movement. Clients arrive with not just physical goals, but also emotions: the frustration of injury, the vulnerability of aging, the joy of rediscovery.

• When a client expresses uncertainty, NVC helps us to empathize and get curious: What needs are alive here? — safety, self-acceptance, trust?
• When clients are hard on themselves, NVC gives us language that affirms their effort while inviting growth without shame.
• When lucidity is needed — around scheduling, payment, or etiquette — NVC helps us express them with clarity and compassion.
• By listening for feelings and needs, we guide sessions in a way that honors the client’s inner experience while also tending to our own needs as trainers.

Studio to Studio: Strengthening Professional Bonds

Our network is inspiring, but also complex. With so much diversity in culture, business models, and perspectives, misunderstandings are natural. Here too, NVC provides support:

• Transforming competition into collaboration, so studios see each other as allies, not rivals.
• Navigating cultural differences with curiosity and courage instead of judgment.
• Resolving tension early with honesty, compassion and care, preserving trust.

These practices help us stay connected even as our global community grows larger and more diverse.

Looking Ahead

Introducing NVC at the Rehabilitation Conference was just the beginning. Since then, the weekly community support calls have created space for trainers and studio owners to stay in dialogue, building empathy and connection across borders.

This coming February 26-28, 2026, and in May 2026 I will be hosting the first of what I hope to be many, Gyrotonic and NVC trainers’ retreat — three days of weaving movement, communication, and community, on my property in the Sierra Foothills. My desire is that these gatherings become annual touchstones for us to replenish, learn, and envision our future together.

An Invitation

The strength of our Gyrotonic family lies not only in our artistry and teaching, but also in the quality of our relationships — with our clients, with one another, and with ourselves. NVC offers us tools to keep those relationships flowing: to listen deeply, honor needs, and sustain our work without sacrificing our own vitality.

I warmly invite you to join this unfolding journey — through the trainers’ retreat or the ongoing support calls. I also offer private sessions to individuals, couples, and groups. Together, we can affirm life, follow its flow, and cultivate a culture of communication as fluid and life-giving as the spirals that inform every Gyrotonic sequence.

Begin and End With Gratitude

I hold deep gratitude for the inspiration and vision of Juliu Horvath, supported by the devoted and steady commitment of Gina Muensterkoetter, and for the lovely team at GYROTONIC® Headquarters who help carry this work forward each day. I am equally grateful for the tenacity and unwavering dedication of Senior Master Trainer Debra Rose, with whom I’ve been blessed to share this journey for nearly forty years. My heartfelt thanks also go to Sarah Simpson for the opportunity to share these reflections with all of you, and to Dr. Justine Bernard for recognizing the value of bringing this work into the Rehabilitation Conference and for her tireless encouragement and support. Finally, to the many others whose generosity of spirit and heart continues to uplift and sustain this community — you know who you are. I remain forever thankful.

Learn More About Nora and her Nonviolent Communication Workshop

Nora Heiber is a founding member of Alonzo King LINES Ballet with nearly 40 years of teaching and leadership experience. She is a first-generation Gyrotonic Master Trainer and served for over 25 years as Senior Negotiator for the American Guild of Musical Artists, representing performing artists in ballet, opera and concert singing.

Early in her partnership with her husband, Clifford Jepsen, he introduced her to Nonviolent Communication (NVC) by Marshall Rosenberg. Nora immediately recognized it as the framework she had been seeking for effective communication and conflict resolution and spent the next several years closely working under the mentorship of CNVC Certified Trainer, Aya Caspi with whom she co-founded Reclaiming Life.

In 2023, Nora became a certified mediator through the Conflict Resolution Center of Nevada County, where she now serves on the board and volunteers as part of the court mediation program. She has recently launched her new practice, Allsgood Mediation, dedicated to supporting individuals, couples, and groups in resolving conflict and fostering connection. Alongside this work, Nora continues her journey as an NVC certification candidate under the tutelage of CNVC Certified Trainer and Accessor, Roger Sorrow. Nora teaches internationally, hosts ongoing community support calls for trainers and studio owners worldwide, and offers courses, workshops, and retreats dedicated to life-affirming practices at Allsgood Farm, a 20-acre property in the Sierra Foothills. With Cliff, she co-founded Intentionally Wild, devoted to building community through movement, communication, and creative collaboration. 

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If you would like to learn more about Nora and offerings, visit Intentionally Wild for more information. To bring her Nonviolent Communication Workshop to your studio, contact Nora here. Read more testimonials from those who have taken NVC Workshops with Nora here.

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