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Testimonials
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Testimonials: Text
Sarah
"I’ve been training contortion and yoga on and off for about 5 years through group classes and self exploration and am more naturally flexible than strong. Rissa recognized this right away and had me start on conditioning drills to balance my strength and flexibility as well as educated me on technique, which is exactly what I needed. In her class, we work on everything from warm up, conditioning, both sides, and safe end range exercises.
Rissa’s passion for contortion and flexibility training really shows in her teachings and the dedication to her own practice is very inspiring. She listens to you and genuinely cares.
Also, thank you, Rissa, for making my once nemesis, the dreaded middle splits, my friend now! I’ve been trying to get flat for 3 years and after doing her drills for a few months I’ve graduated to over middle splits."
Rissa’s passion for contortion and flexibility training really shows in her teachings and the dedication to her own practice is very inspiring. She listens to you and genuinely cares.
Also, thank you, Rissa, for making my once nemesis, the dreaded middle splits, my friend now! I’ve been trying to get flat for 3 years and after doing her drills for a few months I’ve graduated to over middle splits."
Ashley Chan
I have been doing pole for a few years, and I started taking Rissa’s Advanced Active Flex classes so I could take my flexibility to the next level, as well as learn proper muscle engagement while practicing pole and floorwork. Splits and lower back flexibility were things I already had, but I knew there was more I could do to improve. I also wanted to be able to do a needle scale, and I wasn’t making much progress with my YouTube video training. Rissa taught me proper muscle engagement for middle splits, how to square my front splits, and how to activate my hip flexors, upper back, and neck for better back bends. It was a fairly large learning curve for me having to unlearn years of bad habits, but now my movements feel more stable and stronger after just a few months of weekly classes. One of my greatest memories was when she helped me finally unlock my hip flexor engagement for waterfall bridges. It was amazing to feel my hip flexors activate, taking the load off my lower back.
In addition to Rissa’s subject expertise, she is also extremely supportive and sweet, both in and outside of class. She provides detailed feedback during class or whenever I send her videos of me struggling with a move, and with a good helping of encouragement, too.
Lastly, Rissa’s flexibility journey is such an inspiration. We both started our aerial arts journey at the same pole studio, and when I met her she had fairly average flexibility. Over the past few years she’s become the most flexible person I know, and someone I trust completely to help me achieve some of the jaw-dropping flexibility moves I dream of. It’s comforting knowing that Rissa wasn’t just born naturally flexible, and that her hard work, dedication to learning, and passion are what got her this far. She is a contortion student as well, learning from the best teachers, and I look forward to growing with Rissa on our flexibility journeys!
In addition to Rissa’s subject expertise, she is also extremely supportive and sweet, both in and outside of class. She provides detailed feedback during class or whenever I send her videos of me struggling with a move, and with a good helping of encouragement, too.
Lastly, Rissa’s flexibility journey is such an inspiration. We both started our aerial arts journey at the same pole studio, and when I met her she had fairly average flexibility. Over the past few years she’s become the most flexible person I know, and someone I trust completely to help me achieve some of the jaw-dropping flexibility moves I dream of. It’s comforting knowing that Rissa wasn’t just born naturally flexible, and that her hard work, dedication to learning, and passion are what got her this far. She is a contortion student as well, learning from the best teachers, and I look forward to growing with Rissa on our flexibility journeys!
Erik Steffl
What Rissa teaches works! Not only just works but works under very adverse conditions, namely me :) I've been doing dance and acro since forever and been always struggling with flexibility/mobility, despite having lot of really good ballet, gymnastics coaches, doing yoga and pilates etc. Active flexibility style that Rissa teaches makes it possible for me to activate appropriate muscles and make pretty fast progress (compared to other methods). She is also great at tracking and documenting my progress which I didn't even know I wanted to do but it helps a lot. Seeing Rissa's own progress also helps, makes it easier to believe in more bendy future.
Belinda
I'll start with saying I didn't like stretching before taking Rissa's classes. It was something I did to get better at sports or not injure myself and I found it boring since most of it was passive. I like how Rissa explains why you're doing the exercises you're doing and how she tailors things for your body's abilities versus pushing you beyond what you're ready for. I can say after a year of regularly stretching with her, I have definitely gotten more stretchy. Even though it feels like no progress is happening sometimes, looking back at pictures does show that I have made progress!
Celeste
I never aspired to be super bendy, but Rissa helped me realize that my body is capable of so much more than I thought possible. I have more body awareness and am more flexible now than ever I have been and I started at age 39. I am a nerd so I don’t just want to know the “how”, I also want to know the “why” e.g. “why do I need square spits vs. open?” Rissa will happily nerd out with me about it. For those of you who just want to move, her precise, succinct verbal cues are always on point. If you’re a tactile learner, she has what I call Magic Pokes. She can pinpoint which muscles you need to engage to be more stable and safe in these ultra bendy shapes. With the touch of an index finger she can help you isolate the exact part of your back to engage and BOOM! All of a sudden not only does your bridge not feel like death, you feel like you could build a house on it! If you’re like me and want to take a safe methodical approach to your movement journey, I highly recommend Rissa to help you navigate.
Connie S
I have been a student of Rissa’s since September 2019. Before coming to her, I was really struggling with my bridges. I couldn’t hold a bridge without relying on someone to be there for me to use their ankles for support. The very few times I tried to do a bridge without anyone there for support, my wrists would hurt tremendously and I couldn’t hold it for longer than three seconds. Through Rissa’s classes, I was able to not only strengthen my back, shoulders, and glutes to hold a bridge, but also build up the wrist strength and flexion to hold a bridge by myself. And because Rissa is very good at giving progressions and challenging her students, I am now at a point in my active flexibility journey where I can work on more advanced backbends. I took her online backbending series and each week I felt like I was making progress and being challenged. While my waterfalls are still a work in progress, through Rissa’s guidance and attention to detail, I do know what I need to work on in order to further my progress.
If you want to train with someone who knows her stuff, puts your safety first, and is also your biggest cheerleader, you should definitely go train with Rissa to help you with your flexy goals.
If you want to train with someone who knows her stuff, puts your safety first, and is also your biggest cheerleader, you should definitely go train with Rissa to help you with your flexy goals.
Connie
I began my active flex journey with Rissa when she first began teaching. Although I started with decent flexibility to most people, I felt like I regressed when Rissa showed me proper form. It’s been a long two years since, but I am extremely proud of how far I’ve come with Rissa’s guidance. She works extraordinarily hard to educate her students on the proper form and engagement to prevent future injuries having experienced poor teaching in the past. She has worked with world renowned teachers such as Serchemaa, Catie Brier, and Bendyanya. Now working towards a teaching certificate with Bendyanya’s Kintortion program focused on the kinesiology science behind mobility. If you would like to work towards strength and flexibility with reputable guidance, start your classes with her today!--
Thao
The first time I attempted the bridge, I was 22 and had to use someone’s ankle to help me push up into it. Since then, I thought that I had to push my shoulders past my wrist and that the numbness in my shoulders and arms were normal when attempting bridges.
However, when I started taking flexibility classes with Rissa, the numbness and pain drastically subsided. Rissa focuses more on strengthening the muscles that allow your body to stretch. She teaches multiple and different exercises as well as modifications for your level of flexibility. She’s attentive to the needs and conditions of her students. Thanks to Rissa, I have learned that you do not need to feel numbing pain in the shoulders to get more backbendy. Instead, you strengthen the muscles in the back! Aside from her knowledge and teaching experience, she is also your biggest supporter and will cheer you on even when you feel like you cannot do it. I think this is one of the most important things that makes a good coach. I went from thinking “I’m just not backbendy” to “I can become more backbendy”!
For splits, I always had a very difficult time squaring my hips in my front splits. My hips would always open out and it was thanks to Rissa who taught me how to square my hips. She has multiple exercises to strengthen the muscles to square out your hips in front splits. To the average non-circus person, I may seem very flexible in my middle splits, but I did not have the strength to control or hold up my middle splits. Rissa has plenty of butt exercises to strengthen the muscles so that I eventually had enough endurance to hold my middle splits. Also, she definitely challenged me even when I did not believe in myself to do oversplits! She will not push you unless she knows you are ready for it. Now, I am not afraid of doing oversplits!
The best thing about Rissa is that she is very understanding and patient with her students. She is aware that her students come from different backgrounds and begin with different levels of flexibility. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced student, you can definitely learn a lot of new things from Rissa!
However, when I started taking flexibility classes with Rissa, the numbness and pain drastically subsided. Rissa focuses more on strengthening the muscles that allow your body to stretch. She teaches multiple and different exercises as well as modifications for your level of flexibility. She’s attentive to the needs and conditions of her students. Thanks to Rissa, I have learned that you do not need to feel numbing pain in the shoulders to get more backbendy. Instead, you strengthen the muscles in the back! Aside from her knowledge and teaching experience, she is also your biggest supporter and will cheer you on even when you feel like you cannot do it. I think this is one of the most important things that makes a good coach. I went from thinking “I’m just not backbendy” to “I can become more backbendy”!
For splits, I always had a very difficult time squaring my hips in my front splits. My hips would always open out and it was thanks to Rissa who taught me how to square my hips. She has multiple exercises to strengthen the muscles to square out your hips in front splits. To the average non-circus person, I may seem very flexible in my middle splits, but I did not have the strength to control or hold up my middle splits. Rissa has plenty of butt exercises to strengthen the muscles so that I eventually had enough endurance to hold my middle splits. Also, she definitely challenged me even when I did not believe in myself to do oversplits! She will not push you unless she knows you are ready for it. Now, I am not afraid of doing oversplits!
The best thing about Rissa is that she is very understanding and patient with her students. She is aware that her students come from different backgrounds and begin with different levels of flexibility. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced student, you can definitely learn a lot of new things from Rissa!
Shiki
I have had a lot of coaches in the years I have been formally training active flex and Rissa is one of the very best for so many reasons! The extra care and instruction that Rissa gives in class have been invaluable for me, such as correcting foundational techniques/form that I’ve been doing wrong, her focus on strengthening, specifically tuning drills for your specific safety needs/abilities, etc. I’m SO happy to say that after just a few sessions with her, I’ve started to progress past some longstanding plateaus in both my strength and bendiness.
Rissa’s discipline and progress in her own flex journey are great sources of inspo as well! Seeing her posts on IG motivates me to work harder in her classes and make the most of my time with her. It’s totally worth the one hour drive I take to go train with her! An added bonus is that I’ve also made new flexi friends from her classes and everyone is so supportive to one another.
I highly recommend training with Rissa if you are serious about getting bendy in a safe, fun, and motivating environment!
Rissa’s discipline and progress in her own flex journey are great sources of inspo as well! Seeing her posts on IG motivates me to work harder in her classes and make the most of my time with her. It’s totally worth the one hour drive I take to go train with her! An added bonus is that I’ve also made new flexi friends from her classes and everyone is so supportive to one another.
I highly recommend training with Rissa if you are serious about getting bendy in a safe, fun, and motivating environment!
Before Rissa, I didn’t value active flexibility in a way I should. I just pictured, passive stretching, relaxing, and being gentle. Rissa’s active flexibility coaching really opened my eyes to the world of flexibility and how focused it is on strength training. Her instruction and cues are extremely helpful and easily digestible. The strength gains I’ve achieved from Rissa is greater than any traditional weightlifting I’ve ever done!
Rissa’s active flexibility has tremendously leveled me up in my aerial training (lyra and straps). I feel stronger, my range of motion is wider, my engagement is more stable, and I just feel good from it. I honestly felt like I was Jean-Claude Van Damme and getting stronger splits to become the hero.
Not only did I benefit from Rissa for aerial, her back flexibility coaching has greatly helped my upper back pain from sitting at a computer all day. My posture is better, and when I’m consistent with Rissa’s back flexibility training, the pain between my shoulder blades are gone! That’s because those muscles are getting stronger as opposed to weakening from poor office desk posture. Even if you aren’t in the “circus”, any office desk worker would greatly benefit from this.
Thank you so much Rissa for your coaching and guidance!
P.S. Rissa also has great taste in music.
Ivy
I've been working on my flexibility for the past couple of years, trying to overcome my habit of avoiding stretching due to laziness. As I've gotten older, I noticed my body isn't as flexible, and I want to avoid injuries by building muscle strength. This is especially important for me as an aerialist.
While I’ve always been naturally flexible in some areas, like middle splits and lower back. I lacked the strength to hold poses. Even though I’ve been doing aerial since late 2015, instructors have assisted me in squaring my splits but I didn’t quite get it until I started working on flexibility with Rissa. She’s helped me become more aware of my body.
Some might say it’s easier to learn stretching from Youtube but I disagree. Having a coach like Rissa, who’s been training contortion for over 3 years, gives personalized advice and encourages you in real-time.
I first met Rissa at a pole studio until I moved and we’ve crossed paths again at our current home studio. She’s not only a great instructor but also a caring individual who wants her students to avoid injuries. She changes exercises to engage different muscles.
I highly recommend learning from Rissa, no matter your background. Her class is beneficial for everyone, regardless of age or flexibility level. Don’t hesitate to join!
While I’ve always been naturally flexible in some areas, like middle splits and lower back. I lacked the strength to hold poses. Even though I’ve been doing aerial since late 2015, instructors have assisted me in squaring my splits but I didn’t quite get it until I started working on flexibility with Rissa. She’s helped me become more aware of my body.
Some might say it’s easier to learn stretching from Youtube but I disagree. Having a coach like Rissa, who’s been training contortion for over 3 years, gives personalized advice and encourages you in real-time.
I first met Rissa at a pole studio until I moved and we’ve crossed paths again at our current home studio. She’s not only a great instructor but also a caring individual who wants her students to avoid injuries. She changes exercises to engage different muscles.
I highly recommend learning from Rissa, no matter your background. Her class is beneficial for everyone, regardless of age or flexibility level. Don’t hesitate to join!
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