8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back – by Esther Gokhale

Esther Gokhale (Go-clay) is a posture guru! I was first introduced to her by her TED Talk.

A few years later I stumbled upon her book which teaches how to properly stand, walk, sit, and lie down. Her teaching system is called the Gokhale Method. Esther Gokhale has helped thousands of people restore their “primal” posture. 

Esther Gokhale, I think, was a yogi who had serious back problems that worsened after giving birth to her child. After having a back surgery that did not help her pain, she traveled around the world studying the postures and movements of indigenous cultures. On her journey around the world, she came to some incredible conclusions.

Basically, she concluded that the spinal shape is different in the industrialized world than it is in the unindustrialized world. Things like sofas, car seats, and modern furniture have literally changed the shape of our spines.

Look at these 2 pictures. The spine on the right is a picture that was included in the Grey’s Anatomy textbook in 1911. The spine on the left is a picture copied from an Anatomy book in 1990. There is a noticeable difference even to the untrained eye. Specifically, the lordotic curve in the 1911 picture is less exaggerated. The anterior tilt of the pelvis occurs between the sacrum and L5, where Ms. Gokhale believes it should naturally occur.

The book goes into the Anatomy of posture more deeply. The book is also filled with beautiful photography which clearly shows examples of good and bad posture. After reading this book, I had a much greater understanding of posture and the reasons behind the chronic back pain epidemic. As a Massage Therapist and Personal Trainer, I have some training in Anatomy. However, I believe this book is written so that anyone can benefit from it whether they have taken Anatomy or not. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the reasons why we have back pain or who wants to improve their posture.