My Top 5 Insta Accounts to Follow for Flexibility Education
My Top 5 Insta Accounts to Follow for Flexibility Education
‘Tis the season to be thankful - and I’m kicking off this Thanksgiving week (albeit belatedly, since it’s already Wednesday…) with a roundup of some of the Instagram content producers I am most thankful for. We are lucky to live in an age where there are SO many smart instructors, movers, and educators that are passionate about sharing their knowledge of flexibility training with others for free (as someone who also spends 10+ hours each week producing free content like this, I am extra appreciative of all the labor that goes into that!)
It was a challenge to whittle down the list of the whole slew of folks I follow into a Top 8, but I feel these accounts all do an exceptional job of actually educating viewers on the WHY and the significance behind what they’re sharing.
Note: I have not taken classes/trainings from all the accounts I have listed - but that doesn’t mean they’re not fabulous instructors! I’ll be doing a separate post later this week specifically about instructors that I love.
1. Dr. Jen Crane (@cirque_physio)
I cannot exaggerate how big of a fangirl I am for Dr. Jen Crane (maybe you’ve noticed how often I share her content?) - I have learned SO much anatomy goodness from her tailored-to-circus-artist content. Not only does she regularly share unique problem-solving drills for folks with different flexibility goals, she very clearly explains the underlying anatomy/mechanics of WHY the drill is a good choice (and how to execute it properly).
I’ve also done several of Jen’s online workshops and can’t recommend them enough for other instructors and flexy students alike! The biggest game changer for me was her Neurodynamics in Performing Arts 3-week series - that’s where I first learned about nerve tension and it’s impact on flexibility training. It completely changed both my own flexibility training, as well as how I structure my group classes and assess private students. Game. Changer.
Pssst - she has a Black Friday sale this week on her recorded workshops…
2. Jenni Rawlings (@jenni_rawlings)
I can’t remember whether I stumbled on Jenni’s amazing Insta account or her Yoga Meets Movement Science podcast first, but frankly it doesn’t matter because both are fabulous. Jeni does a fantastic job at critically examining commonly repeated yoga/flexibility cues (are they legit and is there research to back them up, or is it just an ol’ yoga myth?), which has helped me be more critical of the cues I give as an instructor.
Oh, and she also regularly maintains a blog and inspires and moderates discussions in her Yoga & Movement Science facebook group.
3. Dan Van Zandt (@flexibility.research)
I originally found Dan’s account by way of his Flexibility Research podcast, a thorough 8-episode series you can consider a beginner’s deep dive into flexibility training concept fundamentals. As the name suggests, Dan is obsessed with flexibility research, helping break down the research into more non-researcher friendly summaries for us regular folk.
P.S. I’ve also heard good things from one of my students on his Master Flexibility Trainer Course (although I have not taken that myself)
4. Alex Imán (@alexanderimancircus)
Now before you think “this just looks like an account that’s a dump of random exercises for different goals” (which those kind of accounts DO hold some value if you understand the mechanics of proper stretching - but they shouldn’t be the only type of accounts you follow) - make sure you read the descriptions in his posts, that’s where the real gold lies! Alex does a great job at curating different groups of exercises with very specific training goals, and calling out the important pieces for proper execution.
5. Britta Paulin (@its.britta)
Strength training is of course a HELLA important part of flexibility/contortion training (all of “active” flexibility drills we do are essentially bodyweight strength training drills). And for many students, strength training with weights can be even more beneficial than “just” bodyweight drills - and Britta’s content is great for learning about incorporating weights into your training routine.
I haven’t taken classes from her, but we had a “training date” when she was in town once and she taught me some of my favorite “butt block” drills for back flexibility - I still use them all the time!
Other Amazeballs Flexy Insta Accounts
And here’s a whole SLEW of other accounts I love that I’d also strongly suggest folks interested in learning more about flexibility training follow. Frankly the only reason these didn’t make the “cut” to get into the top 5 was simply because of the ratio of educational to non-educational content they post, or some are more niche (ex. pole, martial arts).
Follow These Peeps:
Adelle Bridges (@adellebridges)
Balance Notion (@balancenotion)
Jess (@bendwithjess_flexibility)
Tran Finn (@bendyeducator)
Dr. Carlie Huberman (@carliehuberman)
Catie Brier (@catie.brier.contortion)
Hypermobile Yogis (@hypermobile.yogis)
Taylor & Alisha Krus (@kruseelite)
Micah Walters (@micah.walters.movement)
Who Do YOU Recommend?
Are there any flexibility educators that put our great (free) content on Instagram you think I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments, I’m always looking for recommendations!
