Gokhale Method

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Postural awareness technique


The Gokhale Method or Primal Posture method is a postural awareness technique developed by acupuncturist and yoga instructor Esther Gokhale.[1] The method proposes that certain patterns exist in the way people in pre-modern and less industrialized societies move and adopt posture. Gokhale claims that these patterns, which she calls primal posture, can be learned through practice. The method became popular in the beginning of the 2010s among professionals in the Silicon Valley, where Gokhale is located.[2][3]

History[edit | edit source]

Esther Gokhale teaching at the Ancestral Health Symposium in 2013.

Gokhale started searching for a method to cope with her own back pain,[3] including sciatica and spinal disc herniation which began with her first pregnancy.[4]

She based the method on training in the Feldenkrais Method and from a French organization for postural awareness called the Aplomb Institute.[2][5] Gokhale also spent ten years observing and photographing people's posture in less industrialized societies.[5][4][6] Gokhale started teaching in a studio at Palo Alto, California.[4]

Features[edit | edit source]

The result of Esther Gokhale's observations was an eight-step method that emphasizes a posture with a J-shaped spine as the ideal form, created through repositioning the pelvis.[2][4] The method emphasizes training posture through everyday activities, rather than exercise,[3] and involves as much unlearning

former habits of poor posture as learning new habits of good posture. Postural training involves the shoulders, neck, back, hips and knees,[6][7] and incorporates yoga and dance.[8][9] Moreover, the method aims to elongate the spine and lessen the burden on the lower back.[10]

Esther Gokhale demonstrates posture.

The method consists of consecutive steps, with instructions on how to sit, stand, lie down, bend over, walk, and lift heavy objects.[11][12] Gokhale uses kinesthetic, visual and intellectual teaching methods in her classes.[8][13] Claiming legitimacy from medical literature and anatomical arguments,[8] Gokhale has made statements that certain medical conditions such as RSI (Repetitive strain injury) are strongly related to posture and can be solved by improving posture.[14] She has also spoken out against the widespread notion that "sitting is the new smoking", stating that "we are much better designed than that".[15][16]

Gokhale has published a book and a DVD about the method.[17] She has stated in interviews that her ultimate aim of teaching the Gokhale Method is to make the method widespread and thereby change what she describes as a culture of posture,[18] saying that parents and teachers' examples affect children's posture.[19]

Reception and analysis[edit | edit source]

The method quickly caught on in the Bay Area, as she has been described as the "posture guru of Silicon Valley".[4] Apart from the United States, the method has been taught in the United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands.[5]

However, one of the main assumptions of the Gokhale Method, that people in less industrialized societies have less back pain,[4] is not supported by mainstream science. "Low back pain occurs in similar proportions in all cultures, interferes with quality of life and work performance, and is the most common reason for medical consultations."[20] For example, arthritis of the spine was common in pre-contact Native American populations.[21] As of  2015,[[Category:Articles containing potentially dated statements from Expression error: Unexpected < operator.]] 

the Gokhale method had not yet been scientifically studied.[2]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ , A simple cure for back pain: grow up in the Ecuadorian mountains Full text, The Guardian, June 10, 2015,
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 , Soothing Back Pain by Learning How to Sit Again Full text, The New York Times, May 11, 2013,
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 , The Gokhale Method Full text, Santa Barbara Independent, May 13, 2014,
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 , Lost Posture: Why Some Indigenous Cultures May Not Have Back Pain Full text, NPR, June 8, 2015,
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 , Exercises to tackle bad posture can avert back surgery Full text, Financial Times, December 16, 2013,
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 , Sit up smart Full text, Bangalore Mirror, Bennett, Coleman and Co, January 23, 2017,
  7. ↑ Sen, Sohini, Bad posture is not just about having a hunched back Full text, Live Mint, HT Media, February 6, 2017, Accessed on: February 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 , Good moves for a better back, Palo Alto Weekly, pp. 21–2, Full text,
  9. ↑ , 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for Pain in the Back, Neck, Shoulder, Hip, Knee, and Foot. online version, Pendo Press, ISBN 978-0-9793036-8-5,
  10. ↑ Rethinking the Right Way to Sit Full text, Men's Journal, December 4, 2013,
  11. ↑ Buckley, Joan (host); Cooks, Roberta (Gokhale Method trainer) (2017-08-29). Your Family's Health: Gokhale Method (Podcast). Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  12. ↑ Back Problems: 5 Common Causes and Prevention Tips Full text, WebMD,
  13. ↑ Cristo, Paul (host) (January 27, 2014). Posture Guru and Pain Relief (Podcast). Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ , Shoulder Posture Contributes to Syndromes Involving Multiple Meridians, California Journal of Oriental Medicine, Vol. 20(Issue: 1), Full text,
  15. ↑ Esther Gokhale: Primal Posture For Wellness Full text, Wellness Force,
  16. ↑ Cohn, Meredith, When it comes to back pain, don't believe the myths Full text, Baltimore Sun, June 10, 2010, Accessed on: April 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ Back Pain: Is Your Yoga Practice Hurting You? Full text, Bell, Misha, Yogi Times, Accessed on: April 21, 2017.
  18. ↑ Esther Gokhale: Primal Posture For Wellness Full text, Wellness Force,
  19. ↑ Hobelsberger, Bernhard, Eine Frage Der Haltung Full text, Donna, March 1, 2013, Accessed on: April 21, 2017.
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ English, Taunya, Can we break our slouching habit by reclaiming our 'primal posture'? Full text, Newsworks, August 13, 2015, Accessed on: August 29, 2017.


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