Who funded the Kriston® Method?

Andrea Kriston is the first person in Hungary (from a small Hungarian town called Kazincbarcika) to focus on intimate health, when she asked women and men to exercise their sphincters muscles.

From there she started her own research and during which she created the Kriston® Method, a preventive and self-rehabilitation program targeting the abdominal organs and the gastrointestinal tract.

Today, she is still actively teaching, expending this unique method in Hungary and abroad, together with her network of trainers.

The Kriston® Method is taught in the form of training sessions that bring about rapid and significant health improvements in the lives of the participants.

kriston@kriston.eu | www.facebook.com/kristonandrea.intimtorna | @kriston.andrea


What is the Kriston® Method?

The Kriston® Method is truly holistic and all-encompassing. Developed and refined by Andrea Kriston, a biology and physical education teacher, since 1986, it originated in Hungary and is now taught by a growing network of trainers both locally and internationally.

This unique method supports the health of the organs in the lower abdomen and enhances both physical vitality and mental well-being. It is designed for people of all ages and genders and is used for both prevention and self-rehabilitation. In this context, self-rehabilitation means that participants learn how to consciously care for and protect their organs, empowering them to take control of their own health.

The course offers an opportunity for self-care, serving as both a preventive program and a guide for self-rehabilitation. The focus is on addressing muscle weakness—often not an illness in itself—by examining the symptoms that arise as a result. Participants gain knowledge of what they can do for themselves, as no one else can. However, the Kriston® Method is not a substitute for medical advice or specialist expertise; it complements the knowledge and guidance provided by healthcare professionals.

In other words, course participants learn about their own areas of responsibility when it comes to their health. The Kriston® Method is a wonderful way to support personal well-being, addressing gynecological, andrological, proctological, sexological, physiological, and mental health concerns.

The method is distinct from Kegel exercises, relying on a complex and structured approach.

The three pillars of the Kriston® method:
• Habits and practices that support better organ health.
• The course covers useful day-to-day actions that protect and strengthen the lower abdominal region.
• Reduction or elimination of negative feelings that stand in the way of healthy organ function.

Much attention is paid to the human psyche. From a holistic perspective, symptoms that arise in the pelvic floor area and in relation to one’s sexuality are largely controlled by the psyche. That is why psychosomatics is an integral part of this course.

The Kriston® method focuses on improving and maintaining the health of the lower abdominal organs.
The pelvic floor muscles are not simply contracted, the exercises are structured in 300 steps. The 300 structured steps guarantees a secure muscle awareness and development of the pelvic floor muscles, which are easy to learn.

With the help of these three pillars, the course is aimed at both women and men between 17 and 99 to help them deal with their own body perception, their own sexuality, the causes behind some symptoms and ultimately with themselves.

Additional modules are available for further development:
- Improving sexual health
- Birth in ecstasy
- Train the body combined with protecting the lower abdomen
- Youth courses
(I am not currently offering these extension courses.)

The effectiveness of the Kriston® method has been supported by research and surveys in numerous clinical and scientific studies.
In Hungary, the method was made known through Andrea Kriston's work as a trainer, developer, book author, in medical conferences, interviews and lectures.

Clients who consult a Kriston trainer can be sure that the trainer is well trained (390 hours of basic training) and has been tested in the areas of anatomy, pathophysiology and teaching methodology (lessons from specialists and Andrea Kriston) and regularly undergoes further training (annual training and regular examination renewal).

The minimum requirement is 95% knowledge in the exam to ensure a high quality of knowledge of the Kriston trainers.

I guarantee that I will always keep my knowledge up to date, renew my exams regularly and attend annual training courses.

Here you can learn more about the method at Andrea Kriston's website (Hungarian): www.intimtorna.hu

The Kriston® method is protected by copyright. Sound recordings, detailed notes and any kind of further use of the course content in the context of another movement method are prohibited.

Notable Achievements:

Andrea Kriston developed the self-rehabilitation programme at the gynaecology-urology outpatient clinic of St. Rokus Hospital at the request of Dr. János Demeter, which she led for 10 years.

She developed a Kindergarten program, which was adopted in Norway.
Her method is taught at a gynaecological medical centre in Oslo, and at the Simon Bolivar Andina University in Ecuador. This method is taught in the sexology course.

She is a lecturer at the Eötvös Loránd University and at the accredited Holistic/Integrative Medicine Special College of the University of Debrecen. She has been invited by the Department of Urology, University of Debrecen to conduct a collaborative study in 8 countries to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Kriston® Method for women, men in sexology and urology.

All major Hungarian universities have already produced thesis demonstrating the effectiveness of the Kriston® method.

In 1999, 415 gynaecologists and urologists voted for her to be elected for the first time to the Medical Board of the Urogynecology Section of the Hungarian Gynaecological Society.

She has published books and videos on intimate health. The effectiveness of her method has made her well known in Hungary and her instrumental measurements and results have convinced Hungarian specialists.

She is committed to health education for all ages in the field of intimacy, from preschool to old age.



The History of the Term "Intimtorna" (Intimate Training)


The term intimtorna (intimate training) was invented by Andrea Kriston at the start of her work, and it did not exist in Hungarian or any other language at the time. Over the years, this term has become inseparable from her method. As Kriston's popularity and acceptance grew in both professional and non-professional circles, others began using the term to promote their own exercise programs. However, while the Kriston method has evolved since 1986 and is backed by medically supported positive effects, many of these other approaches lack the same validation. This is concerning, as improper instruction or execution of pelvic floor exercises can cause serious harm, especially to the perineal area. Research shows that simple verbal or written instructions to contract the pelvic floor muscles are often insufficient—30% of women fail to engage these muscles correctly when instructed, and 25% inadvertently cause incontinence by performing the exercises improperly (Robert & Ross, 2006).

The effectiveness of the Kriston method has been demonstrated through medical research, hospital studies, and clinical surveys. Andrea Kriston's trainings, books for women and men, educational materials, interviews, and lectures at medical conferences have made her well-known. Her research has convinced many Hungarian medical specialists of the method's effectiveness. To distinguish her method from the growing number of other pelvic floor exercises, and after the term "intimtorna" became widespread, the name was officially changed to Kriston Intimate Training.

Despite its medical support, the Hungarian Society of Physiotherapists initially refused to accept the free-form nature of the Kriston method, even though it was developed specifically for them and supported by the OEP (National Health Insurance Fund). Nevertheless, they wanted to use the now-popular term "intimtorna" without undergoing proper training in the method. The Society succeeded in having the name "intimtorna" abolished in the first instance. However, after a public opinion survey showed that most of the population associated the term with Andrea Kriston's work, the Intellectual Property Office of Hungary reinstated the name to protect the Kriston method and its users. Unfortunately, a physiotherapist-led group later succeeded in removing this protection once again.

The removal of the ban on the name means that anyone can now teach under the name intimtorna, even those who have never studied Kriston's method. This poses risks, as intimate training is not part of yoga, physiotherapy, or any other exercise system. As a result, many students who have taken these unregulated courses come to us with severe issues—such as fully developed hemorrhoids, surgical-grade bladder hernias, enlarged testicular veins, pelvic floor spasms, and inadequate recovery or preparation for childbirth.


Read more :
www.intimtorna.hu | www.facebook.com/kristonmodszer | @kristonmodszer

Reference:
Robert, M. MD, Ross, S. PhD (2006): Conservative Management of Urinary Incontinence. SOGC Clinical Practice Guideline (186). 1113-1116.