gokhale method

Current fashions are cut for today's average posture, which includes rounded shoulders and a tucked pelvis.

[If you use the Gokhale Method, you may need to] alter or replace some of your fitted clothing.


A common solution for an uncomfortable chair or seat is a lumbar support cushion that supports of even exaggerates lumbar curvature. The design of these cushions is based on misguided notions of ideal spinal curvature.
Even when placed above the lumbar spine, most lumbar cushions do not work for stretchsitting as they don't have the appropriate firmness or texture for "hitching" the spine.

A lumbar support cushion exaggerates lumbar curvature.
The Stretchsit cushion lengthens your lumbar spine.

Place a support so that it rests at the level of the mid-back, just below the shoulder blades.


[When lying down and sleeping], tossing and turning is an attempt to find a healthy position in which your muscles can relax. If you start the night with your body in a relaxed, neutral position, you won't have to toss and turn to find one.

Many people assume corsets are uncomfortable and unhealthy.
A moderate corset remains a healthy device; weight lifters regularly wear back support belts as do workers who carry heavy objects. The medical profession also prescribes corsets for back pain to patients to correct distortions or protect damaged tissues. Simple versions of these are available at medical supply stores and can be useful if you are injured. In my clinical experience, most patients, if they need a corset at all, do best with a corset that leaves the pelvis free to settle in an anteverted position.

Many people are uncomfortable standing for long periods of time. If they go to a museum, their backs hurt; if they go to a party, their feet hurt. Yet many others stand comfortably all day to earn their living. By learning to tallstand, you will be able to stand for long periods of time without feeling fidgety or uncomfortable.

Healthy standing requires tipping the pelvis forward and stacking the vertebrae. The hips align over the heels which carry most of the weight, and the knees and groin area remain soft. This position facilities healthy blood flow to and from the legs.

Good shoes are especially important, given the harsh and unnatural surfaces on which we walk, and the corresponding damage and under-development in our feet.

If there is one action that makes or breaks a back, it is bending. People who bend well usually enjoy good back health; people who bend poorly often develop back pain.
By watching people bend, a skilled observer can predict where tension or pain is likely to occur.

Successful bending requires a health baseline back contour that you preserve as you bend.


- Esther Gokhale, 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back