Pilates Instructor & Pro Dancer Says Try This! It's Even “Better Than Stretching!™

Taryn Wayne, Pilates instructor and Modern dancer, has come to question much of her life-long training and knowledge about the frequently-taught, but little-understood practice of stretching- in light of recent findings on its usefulness.

“I’m starting to realize,” she says, “that most of what people think they know about stretching is based on anecdotal evidence of its benefits, rather than on tested scientific evidence.”

The most up-to-date articles about the practice of stretching argue against the long-held notion that it aids in injury prevention. They, in fact, suggest that the increase in flexibility resulting from stretching may actually contribute to instability, and perhaps even injury.

In the hopes of sharing this cutting-edge information and research, Wayne and her partner Rage, (Resistance Training Specialist, Master Level and ex pro cage fighter) are letting the world know that what they thought was helping them may actually be harming them.

Together they are introducing the latest in stretching (or more-than-stretching) knowledge and practice, which they call

The Better Than Stretching Workout™

And yes, they are serious!

Taryn Wayne was a gymnast in her early years and then spent time as a professional ballet dancer at Pacific Northwest Ballet Company in Seattle, WA. She is currently a professional modern dancer, a certifed Pilates Instructor, a Master Reiki Practitioner, and a "Force & Flow Exercise Specialist." Throughout her life, Taryn has been taught, guided, encouraged, and even forced to stretch her body in various ways. In her free time, she has enjoyed many types of Yoga and Pilates mat classes, in which flexibility, of both body and mind, is a highly coveted state. So why, with all of this previous dance, Yoga, and Pilates training, is Wayne suddenly a “Better Than Stretching” advocate?

She explains that it had to do with an injury that nobody could fix:

“I sprained one of the ribs on the right side of my ribcage about four years ago. No one, and I mean no one, could help me get relief from the constant pain in my chest, my back, and the related pain in my shoulder, neck, and even right hip area. The pain was so severe that I couldn't even manage the simplest of Pilates exercises. I visited doctors, Chiropractors, and spoke to my Pilates certification instructors. Everyone was trying to crack me back into place and massage or stretch out the sore and overworked muscles, saying that there is nothing to be done with a sprained rib but to let it heal. But it wasn’t healing! And all of the muscles in the right side of my torso were getting tighter and tighter and more and more sore.

So, in my spare time at the Half Moon Pilates studio, I stretched and stretched because it was the only thing that seemed to give the pain and “tightness” in my back, side and shoulder any relief. Until one day, in dance class, I looked in the mirror and realized that I had stretched my right arm right out of its socket. It was literally about 3 inches longer than my left one!”

It was not until meeting Rage, that Wayne began to recognize the negative effects being wrought by her efforts to alleviate the pain through stretching. This is when Rage referred her to his good friend and colleague, Jaques Henri Taylor of Bioconstructs, who identified rampant weakness and lack of function resulting from the injury. Through a series of sessions, says Wayne, Mr. Taylor was able to decode many of her body’s compensation patterns and facilitate proper neuromuscular function.

Following these sessions and the integration of Rage’s suggested strength-training program, Wayne ceased to feel the need to stretch-the-pain-away. At this point she discovered that what had been a continual state of pain was now starting to subside!

It turns out that some of the muscles in the area surrounding the sprained rib had actually “shut down” (ceased proper communication with the brain), and the rest had been forced to take on an extra work-load, in order to compensate for the non-functional ones. These were the muscles in which Wayne was experiencing “tightness,” and the ones that she was stretching.

However, the only thing that stretching the tight and sore muscles had done was to encourage them to lengthen, relax, and even shut down as well- thus creating more weakness and instability in the area. Yet this was precisely where there needed to be an increase in strength and stability:

the elements which would bring the damaged rib (and possibly, the affected vertebrae) back into their normal place and keep them there!

So, with this new understanding that stretching was actually doing her more harm than good, Wayne began to see for herself what the recent research on stretching is explaining. While it may contribute to flexibility or Range of Motion, neither of these attributes equals a reduced risk of injury. They may even, as in her own case, drastically exacerbate the problem.

In other words, Taryn Wayne learned that no matter how good it may feel at the time, the best thing for her body was to find an alternative to stretching.

You may be wondering if this is for everyone, or just dancers, gymnasts and Yogis. Well, the answer is:

Better Than Stretching™ applies to everyone- athletes and couch-potatoes, Pilates moms and touch-football dads. It is a revolutionary way to increase your flexibility and Range of Motion, while simultaneously increasing stability and strength.

You will enjoy the feeling of a well-stretched and malleable body, without the risk of injury of traditional stretching. You will experience flexibility without instability, and while you are lengthening, you will also be strengthening!