How to Become a Contortionist – From Zero
- Zohar
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a contortionist — twisting into jaw-dropping shapes, bending in half, or holding a backbend with effortless grace?
You don’t need a background in gymnastics, dance, or circus arts to start. In fact, I started over from zero myself — after years swimming and running half marathons. And now, I help others do the same through at-home contortion classes on YouTube, designed specifically for beginners and late starters. In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to begin your journey — from zero — and how you can train safely, sustainably, and successfully at home.
How to Become a Contortionist — From Zero:
· Can You Teach Yourself Contortion?
· How to Start Contortion on Your Own
· Training Plan For Contortion: To Do's and Don'ts
· Final Thoughts
Can You Teach Yourself Contortion?
The short answer? Yes — but you still need guidance. Contortion is a high-level flexibility practice that anyone can begin, but it requires proper technique and patience to avoid injury. I learnt it in the hard way, and this is why I can only reinforce that self-taught contortion is possible, but it can also led you to poor alignment that translates into injuries.
In order to support individuals that want to explore the art of contortion and even one day perform as contortionist, I created a series of free weekly YouTube classes that are available at the Zohar.Yoga.Flex YouTube channel. These classes follow a structure that I will be sharing in this post, under the Training Plan For Contortion: To Do's and Don'ts section.
As a contortionist and flexibility coach, I help you train from home — safely, consistently, and with expert structure. Whether you’re a dancer, aerialist, performer, or complete beginner, you’re welcome here.
How to Start Contortion on Your Own
Here are my top 5 tips for starting a self-taught contortion journey:
1. Focus on the Foundations
The goal is not just to get into a pose no matter what (e.g. chest stand) — but to understand the body mechanics behind each pose. Every movement and final pose has its foundational work. For example, a Needle Scale is a combination of front splits, back and shoulder flexibility. If your splits are not flat, you are not going to get a Needle Scale. On a separate note, you can learn more about Needle Scale in the beginner's guide blog post.
Same for scorpion handstands: if your chest stand is not solid, you will always struggle with the scorpion shape. Of course, achieving the poses is possible — but the better your foundations are, the easier it will be and the less prone to injuries you will be. And what are the foundations in contortion? Keep scrolling down to the section Training Plan For Contortion: To Do's and Don'ts.
2. Create a Consistent Training Plan
No, you do not have to train daily for 4 hours to see results. Even 2–3 classes per week are enough to see real progress if you are used to movement. My videos are designed for all levels and can be followed at your own pace. Try the classes, and see what works best for you with your current flexibility, strength level, and lifestyle. Depending on your lifestyle, you will have periods where you can train longer — do use that time wisely!
I started in my late 20s, as I was also starting my career in corporate. There were times I could not train for days. During those times, I still tried to softly stretch my body with easy routines like this 15min Spinal Flexibility Routine. Consistency is not intensity. You do not need to stay intense, but consistent with movement.
3. Use the Right Props
At-home contortion is more effective (and safer) with a few tools:
Yoga blocks
Yoga strap
Resistance bands
Foam roller
A sturdy chair, sofa
A wall for support
These props help you build up range and stability over time. Use them — all contortionists I know that perform at a high level still use yoga blocks for splits and backbends. They help us position ourselves into the right alignment during the warm-up. If you are interested in alignment techniques for splits, check out our classes at the 30-Day Split Challenge. The same applies when it comes to backbends and poses like the bridge or cobra. Check the 30-Day Backbend Challenge playlist and practice those classes to improve your technique.
4. Learn from Experience
I know firsthand how important it is to have a coach who knows about contortion and has experienced it in adulthood. I would never train with a coach who hasn't done contortion himself or herself. When I first started, I went to stretching classes and afterwards classes that were supposed to be contortion. However, I did not realize that these classes were useless and were only damaging my body until I took classes with a former contortionist who was experienced in training adults. Once you get into adulthood, body structure changes and techniques for contortion need to be readjusted. We do not train kids and adults in the same way.
Therefore, depending on your age, search for a coach that has experience and regularly gives flexibility training or teaches contortion classes. If you are interested training with me, feel free to reach out to zoharpalacio@zoharyogaflex.com to enquiry about 1-1 coaching or our weekly open level flexibility online group classes.
5. Don’t Skip the Cool Down
Contortion challenges the body — and your recovery is just as important as deep stretching or strengthening drills. I always pair each class with a cool-down session to help reset the nervous system and restore balance. See below an example of a cool-down session. The exercises I present in that class help the body and mind to reset after intense flexibility training like contortion.
Training Plan for Contortion: To Do's and Don'ts
In contortion training, especially when you are an adult, it is all about simultaneously building flexibility and control. Rather, you go slow, break down the poses and the corresponding techniques, and listen to the body. This is how you can build sustainable, lifelong flexibility training. The contortion class structure should follow:
Warm up: activate supporting muscles, and do any physiotherapy work you need to do to support your body.
Lower body warm up: front split, middle split, straddle split.
Upper body warm up: shoulders, full back with upper back drills, bridges and cobra pose.
Drills to get deeper in the poses you are working on: e.g. chest stand, bridge to chinstand, flying cobra
Inversion prep: first with wall support before you move to the center of the mat to balance.
Cool down: bring the body back together like in the warm up I share above.
In all the contortion sessions, you should be working on the foundations of all contortion poses and tricks, which are the splits, bridges, and cobra. From them, we extract drills and variations that help us get deeper and target different parts of the body.
Create your own training plan, low budget, by first learning how to use YouTube for your contortion training in the blog post Best Practices for At Home Training with YouTube. Afterwards, head to the Zohar.Yoga.Flex YouTube channel and explore the Contortion training playlist. Start by doing a class that you think is doable for your level. If the class is too challenging, you can also check the Flexibility Training - Intermediate playlist or simply try another class from the contortion playlist.
In all sessions, we focus on building flexibility and movement control. We go slow, break down the technique, and listen to the body. This is how you build sustainable, lifelong flexibility.
Whether you’re starting completely from scratch or returning to your flexibility practice later in life, becoming a contortionist is not out of reach — it’s a path built step by step, with patience, awareness, and guidance.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel to start training with me weekly — and join the growing number of bendy humans rewriting their story from zero.
Final Thoughts
Starting contortion doesn’t mean going to a circus school or risking injury by forcing yourself into deep bends. It can begin right here — on your living room floor, with the right support and mindset.
Whether you’re doing this to feel more free in your body, explore new movement, or return to something you once loved — I’m cheering you on! Remember, stay consistent, train smart and use guidance.
Let’s get bendy, together!
With love,
Zohar aka Zohar The Nootzel
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