Student Testimonials
While I work with a lot of local students in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where I’m based), teaching online has opened up my world. As of early 2023, I’ve taught more than 1,500 students in over 45 countries. Keep scrolling to read what students have loved the most about training with me.
Psssst - do you have a testimonial to share? You can send submit one here.
“It takes more patience to get flexible in your 30's than in your teens haha, but I am soooo happy with my progress after taking Dani's Backbend class once a week for the past 9 months :D She explains each exercise well, and I trust her to train us in a safe, effective, and sustainable way. Thank you Dani!! :)”
- Katie (@katiekerckaert), Germany
“My current journey with flexilibity started on September 19, 2023 when I took my first flexibility class (online class focusing on straddle, straddle pancake, and middle splits) taught by Dani. Previously I encountered years and years of failures in my stretching because none of my dance teachers nor yoga instructors ever told me what flexibility really is all about: strength. One day I took my split destiny into my own hands and started researching. On Reddit’s flexibility subreddit I saw many people recommending Dani Winks, and so I looked for her on IG and the rest is history! Not only have I taken Dani’s classes but also self-studied the science behind flexibility by reading her blog and IG posts. Old me would dread stretching but new me cannot wait for the practice! The pictures show an impressive 2-month progress (routine done 2-3 per week) which I was not expecting to see when starting!
- Emilia (@emilia.lampen), Finland
“Thanks for an amazing class yesterday, just want say it was the most comfortable I’ve ever been in chin stands. Love your approach to more advanced poses!!!”
- Rachel (@bicepsandbruises), California, USA
“Just wanted to say how thrilled I am with my progress - these pics are taken 8 weeks apart (with a holiday in between!) doing your middle splits recording a few times a week. Apart from the obvious, I feel much more comfortable in pancake and my legs are stronger tenfold”
- Nicola, United Kingdom
“Same pose, different engagement. Thank you for helping me find my upper erector spine muscles again. Feels so much better. I've been fighting a while with how to get my upper back to work again, and it seems I just needed a couple of tricks to isolate the area I've been struggling with and I can't wait to see more improvements as I get stronger!”
- Kat (@polepixie_kat), Oregon, USA
“I’ve done your ‘flatten your flapjack’ workshop twice now and was able to get from ‘barely elbows down’ all the way to here (almost belly-to-the-floor)!”
- Carlee (@aircarlee), Arizona, USA
“I recently forced myself to take a flexibility class from a professional (Dani) and it's the best decision I've made for myself and for my body! Dani is so knowledgeable about human anatomy and gives the best cues for engagement that just click. I seriously recommend taking a class with her! I was training flexibility by only doing passive stretching, but Dani provides so many drills with progressions and regressions that actually help with active and passive flexibility. I learned so much and I cannot wait to take more online classes!”
- Nya (@50flowsofnya), Georgia, USA
“Dani’s classes were recommended to me by a friend and I pass along that recommendation to anyone that mentions wanting to work on their flexibility. Overall, she is organized, time efficient, and knowledgeable. The number of different, targeted strengthening and stretching exercises she knows is straight up ridiculous. Many that I’ve never done before are now part of my standard warm-up routine. Her ability to explain what to contract or how to push into a stretch has really helped feel the different parts of my split flexibility working together. I also have benefited from the strengthening that is included. Early in my aerial practice I managed to pull a muscle getting into specific middle split pose that I have recently felt confident enough to retry (with much success!!). Even during my regular practice I can feel the difference. Out of habit I have been holding poses only about as deeply as I used to be able to, but I keep discovering that I can go further! Thanks Dani!”
- Lisa (@i.yam.lisa), Georgia, USA
“Dani revolutionized my approach to flexibility training. I started training well into adulthood and can get into the splits and a nearly flat pancake straddle- past me would be so impressed. Teaching cues are excellent, training is safe, and her ability to communicate makes the training for everyone, no matter the level of flexibility.”
- Savannah (@s.welna), Idaho, USA
“I did the recording of last week’s splits class again and used all of your tips to not feel my nerves and behind the knee hamstring tendons. It’s the first morning for like 2 years I’ve woken up after a splits stretch and not had bad tendon ache! Just wanted to say thank you as I’m so happy!!”
- Anna (@inverting.anna), Scotland
“A little nervy to post this...😬 but I think it may resonate with a lot of you. As you can see from the bottom photo, I had some *interesting* shoulder and thoracic mobility. I got to the point where I thought 1) I was too old to increase flexibility 2) I had missed my window and 3) No one with Rhumatoid Arthritis was going to be bendy. Fast-forward to early 2022, I found @dani.winks on Instagram and her content gave me hope. 💕 The top photo is from earlier today after Dani's backbending class. I post this not to say, "Wow look at me! (...because there is certainly room to grow...) but to give some of you hope that it is not too late to become a bendier version of yourself.”
- Ashley (@vivavinyasayoga), North Carolina, USA
“I purchased Dani’s ‘Starting Front Splits’ recording and I’ve done it once and already feel like it’s WELL worth the money. I’ve spent years cobbling together exercises to try and get my splits from various instructors and it feels so good to watch a cohesive video. I got down further than I have in a while from just one viewing - really looking forward to seeing progression this year. Thank you!”
- Amy (@_littlejumps0615), Oklahoma, USA
“Dani is one of the best! I have taken many classes and workshops with her. Her methods are safe, and effective. I've made huge progress with her, and she is one of my top, favorite instructors.”
- Ashley, Louisiana, USA
“Dani is very knowledgeable and super supportive, and her passion for what she does is contagious. I was never a flexible person, but after a year of training with Dani, I'm two or three feet closer to the floor in my splits, and I have confidence in achieving all my goals! She taught me not only good techniques, but good habits and better patience for myself. I will keep training with her for as long as I could!”
- Penelope (@penelopzzz), Minnesota, USA
“As a yoga teacher always finding backbends as the biggest challenge during the practice I decided to make backbending my asset instead of my weakness. Hoping to learn from the best in the topic I found Dani and it was the best decision ever. My before pictures are already made after some time focusing on backbends but thanks to Dani and her Lessons I found a space in my body like never before. She is professional, extremely well educated and last but not least effective.”
- Magda (@magdagebertjoga), Poland
“I'm so happy to have found Dani's classes, she's such a talented, controlled and knowledgeable contortionist. I've struggled badly with my middle splits for years, my right hip never wants to play ball and I can never seem to find anything that works for me and doesn't end with me straining my hypermobility (and I must admit as an aerialist whos got both front splits my middle splits end up getting very neglected and underused) but in just one Middle Splits/Straddle Oversplits class I managed to get flat middle splits for the FIRST TIME EVER and on top of that I managed a straddle oversplit!!! I'm super proud of myself and so thankful to Dani, she's amazing at explaining proper engagement and form while also being very aware of hypermobility and how to counter it. Her classes are very enlightening with easier and harder modifications for each stretch, I love the whole "choose your own adventure" method as everyone's body is different and its was a great way to find out where I am, what I'm comfortable with and where to be aiming for in the future! Can't wait to continue my stretch journey with Dani's classes!”
- Alice (@ditzylittleaerialist), England
“I have been training with many different coaches and tried a lot of different methods of stretching and I really felt like I was stuck at a point where the basics were too easy and the advanced tricks were too hard! I didn't have this middle ground for improvement and kept hitting a block which left me feeling like I was ready to give up. Then I found Dani and I did 4 private sessions with her to re-learn and break down my understanding of the needle scale and approach it differently than I had before and it's like something just clicked with her method.
I went through a phase of rebuilding and restructuring my training, scaling on some aspects and increasing the difficulty on other skills. I have seen so much improvement and I really enjoyed training in a way that gave me the confidence to start training more difficult skills again. Thank you Dani for your knowledge!”
- Anastasia (@misstookya), Cyrprus
“I feel like I’m benefiting a lot from the overhead mobility routine that you put together for me. Pushing up into bridge feels so much less pinchy and the next day after doing this routine my shoulders and upper body feel so much more open!
I am noticing such a BIG difference after only a few weeks! Thank you!”
- Crystal (@fitwitch87), Pennsylvania, USA
“I am so happy with our private lesson - it's like something clicked. I could never get my belly to the ground in a pancake and always wondered how the hell is someone able to do that. But with Dani’s active drills I could move all the way down and back up with no hands!”
— Daša (@dashapoles), Slovenia
“I’d been stuck at the same point in my flexibility for so long when I joined Dani’s beginner contortion program. After working with her for a month, I feel so much stronger, safer, and happier with my progress. I’m excited to continue training with her and see how far I can go!”
- Kat (@snacksthezombie), California, USA
"I am a person who is not naturally flexible. Even as a kid I couldn't do anything most other kids do like touch my toes, etc. I started taking classes with Dani and within a year, I was able to get my splits flat to the ground after trying to do it on my own for years prior!! Dani is such a positive and encouraging teacher and even on days I'm not feeling super bendy I still feel like I accomplished something!"
- Michelle (@aerial_raven), Minnesota, USA
“I've been training flexibility for a few years now, and reached out to Dani to get another instructor perspective on my mid back flexibility as I have a tendency to rely on my lower back. Dani led me through SO many amazing mid-upper back techniques that by the end of class I was no longer crunching into my lower back at all. She was incredibly supportive the entire class and her cues really resonated with me. I highly recommend Dani to anyone looking to advance their flexibility/contortion skills!”
- Paige (@dinosaurpaige), Canada
“I am very happy with my private sessions with Dani. She is helping me to get deeper splits and backbends (she got me into one of my deepest ever bridges). Dani is good at figuring out which areas are the ones holding the flexibility back and how to target those. (She is making me use my muscles in completely new ways.) I am looking forward to continue working with her and seeing how flexible I can get.”
- Elisabeth, Norway
“I’m loving the Beginning Contortion classes. I feel like Dani’s woken up muscles I’ve never used before. I’m excited for the next series!!!”
- Hailey (@haileyb.spins), Ohio, USA
“I've been doing flexibility with Dani for a little over a year. With consistency, I've been amazed at how much better my body felt and how much easier my body moved. I've always been able to do a bridge pose, but until taking these classes, I didn't know this level of shoulder and upper back flexibility was possible for me, especially with straight legs! Dani is BY FAR the best flexibility coach I could ask for!”
- Shannon (@hurricaneshannon), Minnesota, USA
“These are the best classes! Dani is such a patient and encouraging teacher and she offers different levels of engagement for beginners to more advanced students. She also has a really great way of explaining bodily positions. I feel like my posture and core strength has grown tremendously but it's also just a lot of fun to get into floppy and weird poses together!”
- Jennie (@jennierow), Minnesota, USA
“I really like training with Dani because it’s very dynamic. All the classes are structured the same way but with different exercises . . . You don’t really see the hour and twenty minutes, it really flies!”
— Cécil (@contortionescape), Canada
“I love your blog so much 🥰 I’m guilty of reading each post when I have nothing to do at work lol. The last few weeks I’ve been applying some of the active hip flexor exercises you post and yesterday I got the lowest I’ve ever gotten! I started stretching Feb 2020 but didn’t apply active flexibility until very recently. The last month I’ve been training only 1-2 days a week and the progress I’ve seen compared to a whole year is amazing!”
- Maria (@mariafdecan), Venezuela
“The articles posted on Bendy Blog had helped me a lot in gaining knowledge on how to improve flexibility, in a proper way. Examples like the 'Split Variations if You Cant Do a Flat Split' and '8 Hips Flexor Stretches Using Active Flexibility'.”
- Michael (@michael_ongs), Singapore
“Loved how thorough all the mobility warm ups were. I learned lots of new drills/tools to warm up and open up my back and shoulders. When I went into my first bridge, I was like, "oh shit, this is the-most-open my shoulders have ever felt?" Also just getting to see your (Dani's) range of motion as she explained progressions / alternate options was super motivating.”
- Anonymous Class Feedback
Additional Testimonials
Not all students were comfortable sharing practice photos, so here are some of the other testimonials I’ve gathered with pics of my pup as a stand-in…
“I discovered Dani when I was looking for reliable science-based resources about flexibility and mobility for aerialists. Not only is Dani very knowledgeable, but she is also very helpful, sharing information and guidance on blogs and social media with anyone who asks for help. I started doing workshops and found Dani to be a great teacher. Through her instruction, I made progress in a short time span with chest stands and some of my other contortion goals.”
- Sacha-Renée (@sacharenee), Jamaica
“Dani's beginning contortion series opened up a whole new world of movement for me. Her specific feedback made me feel comfortable testing new end range movements. She has introduced me to new ways of stretching that make my body feel better every day that I do them, and even helped to heal up a persistent shoulder problem.”
- Kensi (@oatspit), Vermont, USA
“I've been doing the exercises from our hip rotation private 3x per week for the last month and achieved great improvements for my hip range of motion - this has helped me to squat properly and swing my kettlebells with good form. In particular I appreciate Dani’s focus on active flexibility! Can highly recommend working with her to improve mobility for strength training.”
- Max, Germany
“I have injuries that have caused hip misalignment. Since taking Dani’s classes I have noticed that I am becoming more symmetric. This is awesome since I did not start her classes to ‘fix’ myself, the time slots m fit in my schedule. I think I am seeing more progress than I was expecting since her classes are not just stretching classes - there is a lot of strength work. Her classes are informative, fun, and surprisingly entertaining!”
- Juanita (@aerial.spam.1), New Mexico, USA
“Did 4 small group classes (for the discount, I admit) and enjoyed all of them but really love the front & middle splits class. I've watched our class's recording a ton and love how loosey-goosey my pelvis feels afterwards. (Is that weird? Who knows, but it's true!) Definitely noticing a difference in my hip mobility when I squat in the weight room.”
- Emily (@emily_is_scrolling), Pennsylvania, USA