8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for Pain in the Back, Neck, Shoulder, Hip, Knee, and Foot (Remember When It Didn't Hurt)

Esther Gokhale uses ancient methods to treat a modern problem. Especially for people who spend a lot of time on the computer, back pain is a wide-spread problem. Esther's solution focuses on posture, taking cues from cultures that never experienced back pain. I first learned about her work when she exhibited her photographs of women in Africa, India, and elsewhere with the "right" posture in a gallery in Palo Alto. Her approach is unique and widely endorsed by orthopedic experts.

After reading this book and employing the techniques I am stronger, straighter, and healthier. If I start to experience back twinges I can track them to my poor posture (long airplane rides, sitting in overstuffed chairs, being in a hurry when I walk/hike and forgetting to pay attention to my shoulder & spine position, etc.). When I make a correction with the techniques described in this book, my pain disappears. Overall, it took less time than I would have thought to shift into good posture habits. The effect is very reinforcing and there is something intuitive about standing and sitting properly. It's as though my body takes over and remembers how it is supposed to be used.

This is an excellent book for learning how to avoid and alleviate chronic body pain, including back, neck, and knee pain. Gokhale's methods are based on scientific principles and anthropological studies -- and clearly a lot of research. The book provides a detailed description of ideal posture and gives in-depth instructions on proper techniques for standing, sitting, walking, bending, and sleeping to avoid pain. Exercises and stretches to facilitate the methods are included. The explanations are clear and concise and supplemented with numerous excellent photos and illustrations. I found Gokhale's teachings easy to follow and, most importantly, have been able to easily and consciously incorporate them into my daily life. These methods work! The book is beautifully presented and a joy to read. I highly recommend this book.

This is an amazing and easy to use book that gives the experience of taking a workshop on how to sit, stand, bend sleep and walk correctly. It is beautifully written, has wonderful pictures and is a clear guide to a healthier way of living with your body. It requires some time and motivation but if you have that this book can help you to rethink all your movements. I am a Tai Chi Instructor and an ESL teacher. This book, and I've only had it for two weeks, has changed the way I walk, sit, stand and sleep. I am even changing some basic things in my Tai Chi set. I feel fortunate to have this book. I took one lesson with Esther in person and it helped tremendously, but only because I had studied her book so carefully before I went to see her. My presenting problem is pain in the heel of my right foot. I am very encouraged by all the exercises she presents as well as the new way to walk. Everything that is presented is not strenuous or complicated. It just takes practice. Ester's book provides a great service to modern man.

I think the book is based on solid theory, but it is very difficult to explain, even with numerous pictures, the proper postures in a book. This book is based on a hands-on class. It is like reading instructions on how to ride a bicycle.

I purchased this book for my mother who has had problems with back pain for years. She had been to the chiropracter, physical therapist and neurosurgeon with no improvement. After working her way through the book she is markedly improved. Wonderful pictures, easy to follow. I recommend it for all with this problem.

This was the greatest gift I could every given my self. I am 40 years old, always had back issue and horrible posture. I have bought every kind of pillow and device I could find over the years to help improve my posture and back pain and have heard stand up straight und pull your shoulders back a million times and nothing has helped. This book showed me how to have correct posture very easily with no discomfort and ease. My posture now is almost perfect back pain is little to none, my confidence is at its peak just because I feel normal after all these years. Buy this book!

This book is a wealth of information. I am a licensed massage therapist and I can honestly say that well over half of the pain I treat daily is posture related or caused by holding the body in positions that are sorely out of balance with nature.
Personally this book has helped me as a motorcycle rider. It taught me how to keep my helmet from wrenching my neck out of alignment and how to sit properly by example. I figure if the ladies riding the covered wagons can make it across the country on wooden seats (with no shock absorbers) by stack-sitting on their voyage, I should be able to make it a couple of states over to visit my mom!
Now I can allow my chiropractor to get off the backseat of my bike and go back to treating his regular patients! Thanks to a really great book!
Mary Grimmett LMT

My husband and I are glued to this book. At last a health related how-to book which is totally sensible, not based on gimmicks and HELPFUL.
Even after a few weeks we can see and feel a difference.

I suffered from nightly back pain for months. I purchased two new beds before going to a chiropractor. I only experienced limited temporary relief. I then purchased 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back. (for less than one co-pay to the chiropractor) While there are beneficial exercises in the book - most helpful to me were the postures I could use in my everyday life - sitting - walking - and even sleeping. The author also includes photos of common mistakes of what NOT to do. Easy to read, colorful and sturdy book binding. I am back pain free after only about 10 days.

This book is really wonderful! Fortunately I don't have to deal with any severe back problems, but am mainly interested in the posture aspect of the book. The background information (accompanied by photos and illustrations) about how the spine works, how our everyday life can compromise its health, how many other cultures don't have the kind of back problems that we have come to accept as inevitable, is truly fascinating. The solutions offered are easy to incorporate into daily life. They address the way we sit, stand, lie down, bend down and walk. The descriptions are easy to understand, and the many photos make it very easy to follow the instructions. I am definitely much more aware of how I move and of my posture and I am sure that the benefits in the long run will be enormous.

This is an elegantly written, beautifully illustrated book which should be on the shelves of everyone who has ever had a back twinge, stiff neck, or generally poor posture. I would recommend it to those who are concerned about the accumulative effects of habitually poor sitting, sleeping, or walking postures, because it nurtures an increased consciousness for what postures will inevitably lead to problems down the road while offering a clear and memorable program for making sustainable, longterm changes. I often find myself now, for instance, when driving or sitting at my desk, automatically placing my shoulders in the correct sitting position and lengthening my spine as I work. It increases my productivity, and saves my back! For someone who hasn't had extreme back problems, but is on the cusp of middle-age, I find this book has opened up a whole new language for body care that is already having a positive impact on my health.

After being diagnosed with several chronic back problems and being told that back surgery was inevitable, I felt desperate to find a way to avoid surgery. I stumbled upon this book by accident, but was immediately intrigued by the foundations and lessons presented in this book. The book is well-written, uses simple, straight-forward language, and includes detailed photos and descriptive steps to work through the lessons. In addition, the book itself is beautiful, and includes hundreds of photos and diagrams to illustrate the principles. The steps themselves are simple enough, though not necessarily EASY; they will take some practice to get used to, but they can be incorporated right into your everyday activities and do not require extra "workout time" or special equipment. I am just starting to incorporate these steps into my daily routine, and I am already noticing some small improvements in my posture and a reduction in pain. The testimonials from other individuals who have either read the book or have taken a class with Esther Gokhale are absolutely amazing and inspiring! There are several printed in the book, [...], which also includes a wealth of information! I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to ease back and neck pain, or simply just wants to improve their posture, since it truly is the foundation for a strong, healthy body. I'm thankful to Esther for her immense research and long hours that went into this book, and for her generosity in sharing this wealth of information with the rest of us!

8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for Pain in the Back, Neck, Shoulder, Hip, Knee, and Foot (Remember When It Didn't Hurt)
After reading Esther's wonderful book I was lucky enough to be able to work with her individually. She teaches new ways to sit, stand, lie down, and walk -- moves you thought you knew how to do, right? -- which align, stretch, strengthen and relax the body. The book does a great job of capturing her teachings. After being told all my life to "stand up straight", I finally know how to do that. I've had major neck surgery and a knee replacement, as well as being told I need foot surgery. Besides great improvements with all the types of pain listed in the title, all of which I had, I was delighted to see how much better good posture makes me look (I'm no sylph),and and how much more easily I move.

When I found Ester's book I had been in serious pain for three months. My doctors gave me Vicadin and then morphine to control the pain, but I still wasn't smiling. I tried exercise, no exercise, special exercise, a ton of money on chiropractors, massage and acupuncture and I still felt limited and unable to smile and enjoy life. I tried an epidural injection and felt somewhat better, but then I found this book. The logical and simple process has given me my life back. After just a couple a weeks I felt real relief and have canceled a second injection in my back that was scheduled. With Ester's book I hope to avoid future episodes and be able to move onto the "rest of my life".

Excellent book--very helpful photos and demonstrations. Descriptions very also very helpful. Recommmend this to anyone with back pain.

Ether's method has transformed my approach to my own long-term back pain therapy. I have herniated lumbar disks, in addition to tight gluteus medius and piriformis that have contributed to chronic sciattica over the past 5 years. I have employed many forms of therapy, including PT, massage, Yoga, inversion, Feldenkrais and others. All have helped, but when a friend told me about Esther's book, I was intrigued to try a new approach. Within 3 hours of integrating Esther's method of stretchsitting (did this while reading the book), I felt a tremendous improvement in my pain level. This was especially significant to me, since at the time, I was 2 weeks away from an epidural cortisone injection - my overall pain level had become unbearable. I worked on the other 8 steps over that time period and was able to cancel the procedure because after 2 weeks I was 95% pain-free. This work has been the single most transformational therapy for my back pain. It has given me an entirely new way of looking at my posture in every-day activities, as well as all of the athletics I participate in. I feel so strongly about Esther's method, as a massage therapist, I'm going to become certified to teach her method to help my own clients. Esther's research and structure of her book make it easy to understand and integrate. Thanks Esther for your insightful, common-sense approach to posture and body mechanics.

Esther's approach to moving our bodies is revolutionary and ancient. She has truly created a gift through her many years of researching and perfecting such a simple program to help eliminate back pain. In addition to her book, I attended her 6-week course, and the results are astounding! In 5 years of chronic back pain and countless different approaches to find relief, her method is the only one that has made a sustainable difference. Anyone with or without back pain can benefit from this book.

I love going to collegiate athletic events, but my back used to kill me after about half an hour on the bleachers. Using stack-sitting as described in the Gokhale method, I can now sit comfortably through the whole game, and even overtime!

8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back is such an extraordinary, concise, clearly understandable "guide" book that anyone/everyone can achieve a strong, healthy frame to carry them from childhood to 90+years. Personal experience has clearly demonstrated to me the many diseases and procedures of our current culture herniated discs, sciatica, hip and knee replacements, and inflamed joints, to name several can be significantly reduced or eliminated by proper skeletal alignment. Moreover, the feelings of enhanced self-worth associated with an erect,relaxed, aligned posture are profound. A challenge for today's parents is their responsibility to assure that one's children can overcome the counterproductive cultural norms regarding furniture, clothing, trends.This book clearly will help parents address that challenge.

I had always been healthy and active, riding my bicycle, hiking, gardening and was very flexible. To my dismay I began to have pains in my right hip after some fairly vigorous gardening. It got worse and worse as time passed and I tried everything. First a standard exercise class with stretching and some weight work. It helped a bit for a while but the annoying pain in my right hip came back repeatedly. Then I tried a massage therapist that worked on loosening my joints. I would feel better for a bit and then an exertion, like bicycling, made it worse again.
Next I went to a chiropractor. She exuded confidence and assured me that aligning my body would work wonders. She also had me using cold packs and doing various exercises of the usual sort; stretching and bending. Some of them hurt too much to do and I quit. Then another friend suggested an excellent acupuncturist. He was a Chinese immigrant and was reputed to work wonders. He never explained what he was doing but it was relaxing and I would fall asleep with the needles in my body and wake up relaxed and feeing better. but in a day or two the pain came back and stayed.
Now I tried supplements; pain gone in two days, feel like a new body, the end to your pain forever, cure your pain like magic, etc. None of these worked at all.
Meanwhile I was limping so badly from the pain that even walking through the grocery store became difficult. People who had not seen me for a while looked shocked and asked what was wrong. Quite a few people told me I needed to get a hip replacement; that it worked wonders and the pain would be gone. I did not want to get cut up and have plastic and metal in my hips.
Then I saw Esther's book in the local health food store. I did not even look at it the first few times as it was for back problems, not hips. Finally I picked it up and began to look at it. It was amazing; lots of pictures of primitive peoples with beautiful posture that looked a little strange to me. However they apparently did not suffer from back problems. There were explicit directions to put your body in a position for comfortable sleep or sitting. I realized that I needed to buy this book and study it.
The very first night it was helpful. I tried the 'stretch sleep' pose on my back. To my amazement it felt very comfortable and I even fell asleep on my back which I never do. Eventually I woke and went back to my usual side position. To my amazement my hip did not hurt in the morning as it usually did. Reading the book some more I found the diagram I needed. It showed the bones of the hip socket and thigh bone in the correct and also in a misaligned position. With the proper posture it would be aligned and not hurt. After only two weeks I am beginning to feel much better and am convinced that this is the answer to my quest.
I cannot recommend this book too highly. It is a magnificent book with clear illustrations, clearly written, with explicit and precise directions and it is changing my life in a way I had never dared to expect. I cannot thank her enough for all her work, effort, and care in writing this book and helping so many people become healthy, strong, relaxed, and pain free all their lives.

When I started working I began to have back pain. My body was not used to sitting down for long hours facing the computer. Although I have not needed to see a doctor for these pains... I worry about the long term damage. I hear about so many people needed back pain surgeries and long term chiropractor treatments and I end up worrying. My girlfriend was the one who suggested I prevent the problem at the root and recommended this book for preventative care. This book has clear pictures and has changed the way I sit, now I no longer feel sore after work. I feel more circulation in the arms and no longer have tense shoulder pains. The great thing about the exercises in the book is that they can be done anywhere and all the time. I have begun to integrate these exercises into my daily routine. I definitely recommend this book for people like me who worries about future pain.

Esther Gokhale has effectively and clearly transferred her method of posture and back improvement from her class content into a very readable book. I cannot recall ever having seen a book of exercises or techniques with such clear, thorough and well-illustrated content. A very effective teacher, she bases her techniques on years of study and research into the human body and how various peoples around the world effectively and gracefully hold and move their bodies while maintaining a stately posture. Persons of many cultures work and use their bodies well into old age while seldom experiencing back pain or injury. Esther clearly explains and beautifully illustrates the steps we can take, all day long, to retrain our bodies to move with similar grace and ease. I am privileged to attend a current session of The Gokhale Method classes, and I have been helped from day #1. Thank you Esther!

About 20 years ago, Esther herself had a serious problem with back pain. This launched her into a passionate quest to determine why some cultures (including our own) experience a high rate of back pain, while several other cultures do not. The passion with which she took on this quest is evident in her book (and in her classes, in which my wife and I are currently enrolled). The book is well written, the exercises are well grounded, and they work -- after one month, I find myself automatically assuming a better posture, and consequently experiencing less back pain.

This book is a must read for anyone who currently has, or will have, back pain. I have heard from several sources that I needed to improve my posture, but nobody could tell me how to actually do it. This common sense approach can actually be implemented (with a bit of practice), without constantly tense muscles to hold your new position. This approach is safe, relatively easy, and a very low risk approach to reducing back pain. You aren't likely to hear about this method through conventional MDs, DCs, PTs, etc. Buy the book, it is a small investment in what could be a solution to you back pain problems.

Amazing how a few corrections in posture can make such difference. The Gokhale Method has changed my life. My hips, back and sciatic are not hurting anymore. The method is fully detailed in the book, with images and explanations that when you see them, all you can say is "that makes a lot of sense".

Aside from the value of the science and practice discussed in this great book, it is also a delight to look through. The photos of "native" peoples, who know how to stack their bones correctly, inspired me to learn how to stack my bones using the natural intelligence that is so easy to forget in our hard driving lives. The clear explanations combined with the beautiful photos make this a how to book that really provides useable tools for improving the way we live in our bodies.

I first encountered Esther Gokhale's method a few years ago and subsequently took her class myself. I am a physician in practice for almost 25 years and of course have taken care of many patients with back, neck and joint problems, not to mention the increasingly prevalent "over-use" injuries. I am convinced that our "modern" posture has played a big role in this. Esther's program is a return to our "traditional" way of sitting, standing, walking, carrying, bending etc. I have referred over 80 patients to her program, people ranging in age from teenagers to over 85 and they have all benefitted greatly. I am so delighted she has published her findings and method in this wonderful book which makes it possible to share this information world-wide. Once you become aware of what "good posture" looks like and how much it benefits our entire body you will be convinced too. And the best part, it is also very attractive, makes you taller, slimmer, improves your energy and self-esteem! It doesn't require any special equipment and is incorporated in all activities of daily living. It re-conncects you with your ancestors and a "natural" way of life.

I have read numerous self-help books and few, if any, had a lasting impact on my life. I read the Introduction to "8 Steps..." in a coffee shop while waiting to be served and applied some of the simple principles on the drive home. I experienced back relief immediately. Next day I bought "8 Steps..." and have applied simple steps as I go through each day... driving, walking, sitting and sleeping. My back hasn't felt this comfortable since 1989.
There is no secret... just compare Ms. Gokhale's picture of the average American spine published in a 1920 medical journal with the spine published in a recent medical journal. We've been taught incorrect posture. Ms. Gokhale has merely looked into history and observed cultural changes over the years to identify the cause for our back pain.
Her solutions are simple to apply (and our own backs will remind us to apply the principles of "8 Steps...").
This is not hype... it works. If you have any back pain, buy this book.

I hurt my low back in a lifting incident and spend weeks in and out of chiropractors. I was introduced to her book was imediately compelled to sign up for her class. She taught me a lot, and I basically relearned how to function on a daily basis. Her amount of knowledge and information is uncomparable. The book is easy to follow with many pictures(just the way i like books) and step-by-step instructions. Her class was easy to follow and it follows along exactly with the book. I would reccoment this book and esther's classes to anyone who is in pain, or even just wants to better their posture to avoid bad habits and injuries.
-Laurence

I read Esther's book in 2 days and promptly contacted her at her Palo Alto office. I signed up with my 17 year old son for her class. My high school son hurt his back by improperly lifting weights. He had missed the first 3 weeks of his beloved track season,and I was feeling his pain! I was amazed how simple the techniques gave immediate results! After 2 weeks of Esther's class, my son was back on the track running full speed.
I especially enjoy practicing hip hinging as I garden without pain. I love to walk so I now glide walk every where I go. I can now spot bad posture immediately and realize that used to be me!
Esther, thank you for what you have done for my family. You truly are a legend in our home!!
Ruth

I've had physical therapy, facet injections by a renown physiatrist and researcher in the lumbar spine, and chiropractic manipulation to help relieve the pain in my lower spine. But this book has given me the precise knowledge to properly sit, stand, walk, lie down, and bend at the hip. The book has given me the tools to begin the journey to wellness and to remain in a healthy relationship with my lower back. I am not only fortunate to have read her book but fortunate to have taken her 6-week class reinforcing the precepts of the book. I feel empowered that by learning her methodology I can heal myself.

Esther Gokhale's book is one self-help book that really helps. I got the book as soon as it first came out and immediately began using the sections on "Stretchsitting" and "Stretchlyhing." My back which has multiple problems began to feel better as soon as I began stretching it according to Gokhale's method. I had done several courses in physical therapy and, although it helped overall, I learned that some of the exercises they had me do were not helpful because they aggravated my problems. The book makes sense. My problems were caused by years of poor posture. I thought that at age 69 it was too late to do anything about it. Esther Gokhale tells me it's not too late and that I can get better by incorporating her method into my daily routines. My back is clearly feeling better!

What a great book! "8 Steps to a Pain Free Back", is easy to read and very visual. The book has detailed instructions with good illustrations and beautiful photographs. My husband and I took the Gokhale Method course. We have both found it extremely beneficial and we now use the Method daily.
Thank you Esther for writing this book as it will benefit many people, helping them to be pain free.

I am very athletic and used to have a sore back for days. Not only does this book teach us ways to sit, stand, and sleep painlessly, it also teaches us how to protect our backs during exercise that is usually very jarring to our backs. I haven't experienced any back since I started using the methods described in this book. It's the first sensible guide to painless posture I've yet seen, and it's helped me a ton.

I'm so excited to have finally found a sensible way to sit and stand properly. It is amazing how most of our problems are caused by positions and postures we learn later in life, and how much better we can feel when we revert to the ways we stood, sat, and slept when we were toddlers. The positions taught in this book make a lot of sense and I am so glad to have found it. This book teaches good posture in a new way that seems so much more realistic, comfortable, and easy than any previous methods I have been taught.

Pain in the morning getting out of bed.... Pain everytime standing up after sitting for more than 5 miniutes..... Pain is gone after practising Esther Gokhale, lessons!!!!! What more can I say? Buy the book/take the classes.

I am happy to see the Gokhale method available in print.
I have been fortunate to have been taught by Esther Gokhale. The simple ways to correct posture, while walking, standing, sitting or sleeping, have helped me tremendously. I no longer sleep with a pillow tucked under my belly, and maintaning the right posture while sitting in my car or at my easle has enabled me to go for many hours without feeling the stress in my upper shoulders. Gokhle mehtod has been easy to incorporate into the daily routine, making tedious chores painless and giving my image an overall boost. I truly believe that this method should be encouraged in every family along side with "eat your veggies"!

I highly recommend this book for mother's, teens and for anyone who would like to stand taller and gain an elegant posture.

Esther Gokhale was the gift I'd been praying for when I saw her appear on "View from the Bay". Through her keen insights and principles for proper posture, she transformed our teenage son into a stately and graceful young man whose confidence has soared.

This is a wonderful book for anyone with back/neck pain, or who wants to improve his/her posture. I'd also recommend it for health professionals who are not satisfied with the status quo explanations that people just must have structural pain.

Gokhale's explanations just make *so* much sense. The set of evidence she puts together is overwhelming and a reasonable departure of the conventional wisdom (which says for you to tuck your back, for example).

However, don't have the illusion that you are going to read the book and magically solve your problems. I mean, you are going to intellectually appreciate and agree with it. But it is going to take commitment and effort to reteach your body a better posture. I don't rate this as a book deficiency though. I guess it is pretty much unavoidable.

Don't let the title mislead you. I don't have back pain (or neck, shoulder, hip, knee, foot pain), but this book was still very useful to me.

Sitting:
This book helps me sit more comfortably at work for longer periods of time. My back feels great because my spine is getting a nice stretch out of sitting. Learning how to elongate my neck and release tension in my neck muscles makes it feel a lot better too, whereas before, I would feel tight and cramped in my neck after working on my computer for a while. Also, sitting on a stool, on the floor, or any place that doesn't have a backrest, is easy to do now. I no longer have to force my body to "sit up straight". I can sit tall with my muscles completely relaxed-- so much so that when I breathe, my back feels like it's getting a massage!

Sleeping:
After following the directions for Stretchlying in the book, I've found that I sleep more deeply, don't wake up in the middle of the night, wake up in the morning in the same position I went to sleep in, and feel so much more refreshed. I had no idea that my posture played such an important role in the quality of my sleep . . .

Running:
I've been surprised at the ways the techniques in this book benefit my running. I'm able to run more comfortably, longer without getting as tired, and faster. Amazing.

After years of coping with a tender back following my almost daily horseback riding, Esther Gokhale's program has been a boon. I find my posture in the saddle has improved--no longer unintentionally leaning to one side or the other. My legs more easily wrap around my horse giving me more security when jumping fences.Engaging my "inner corset", as explained in the book in great detail, has helped prevent the jarring of the lower back when landing after a fence.
Since I plan to continue to ride for many more years, protecting my back is of great importance. Esther's class and book give me the tools to do this comfortably.

Nancy Hoffman
Los Altos Hills, Ca

This book has been very helpful to me, not just for the back, but also for my hip, knee, and feet. This is a beautifully illustrated and designed book, with very clear directions and explanations, using many diagrams, photographs, and visualization techniques to move the body as a whole, integrated unit.Included are sections on sitting, standing, walking and sleeping. There are also sections on helpful exercises and stretches, and troubleshooting guides with each chapter.
The sections on hinge-bending and the anteverted pelvis were especially helpful. You can watch an 53 min. talk by the author on youtube by looking up her name. Another good book on this subject is one by Stuart McGill, but it is much more scientific and doesn't address walking, sleeping, feet and knees. Esther's book is much more user-friendly with the same science and more anthropology to back up her method.

This book has been very helpful to me, not just for the back, but also for my hip, knee, and feet. This is a beautifully illustrated and designed book, with very clear directions and explanations, using many diagrams, photographs, and visualization techniques to move the body as a whole, integrated unit.Included are sections on sitting, standing, walking and sleeping. There are also sections on helpful exercises and stretches, and troubleshooting guides with each chapter.
The sections on hinge-bending and the anteverted pelvis were especially helpful. You can watch an 53 min. talk by the author on youtube by looking up her name. Another good book on this subject is one by Stuart McGill, but it is much more scientific. Esther's book is much more user-friendly.

Esther Gokhale has done everyone a favor by making the Gokhale Method available in a book. The book is clear, well documented through beautiful photographs and illustrations, and is true to the information given in her classes.

Does the Gokhale Method work? My 16 year old would offer an enthusiastic YES! Eight months of working with top notch doctors and physical therapists only exacerbated his injury. We were told to seek alternative approaches and fortunately found Esther. By learning to sit, stand and move in ways that took pressure off the disc, healing could finally begin. And it did! It is wonderful to see him competing in sports again.
In our household, living without back pain has meant learning to be Gokhalesque.

Well I have read two other books on this same subject but this seems to be the one that offers the most practical application of alignment principles. For example, I would be fine during the day but in the morning I would wake up stiff and sometimes in pain. Well this book has sections dedicated to sleeping positions (on back and on side). The first day that I tried these positions I woke up the next morning without any stiffness.

There are also sections on sitting, standing and walking alignment.

Wow! Is right! After 42 years of slouching while sitting and standing I was pretty sure that my bad posture was genetic and that I'd never be able to change it. Since I was in grade school I have never been able to stand or sit comfortably and now I know why. I wasn't doing it correctly. My mechanics were bad. If you look around, many people in this society appear to have the same problem. Bad posture is everywhere.

By looking at people and cultures with good posture, Esther has figured out what the basic steps are for most anyone to achieve better posture. Her simple and effective mechanics-driven posture techniques work great. Simply by repositioning my body to her specifications in chairs, in bed or while standing has radically changed my thinking on posture. I think she is right: you're not born to bad posture you learn it. What is really cool is how easy it is to fix bad posture and learn good posture. For me the lessons were somewhat counterintuitive, but once I tried a few of them I knew that Esther was on to something. The book provides wonderful real life images and examples of good and bad posture. There are also relevant figures depicting the spine, etc. to illustrate her points.

I no longer wake up with a stiff low back that takes half an hour to unwind. I wake up limber and refreshed. I no longer slouch every time I sit and fight muscle strain by constant fidgeting and repositioning. I am now working the proper posture techniques into my daily life with great success. I also feel like I've found a sustainable way to use my for the next 40 years, where before I read the book I felt like I was wearing out my back way too soon. It feels right and looks great (no more hump when I bend over!). If you are considering surgery for pain relief or posture correction read this book first.

I am fortunate to have taken the course that Esther teaches based on this book. But with just the book alone, I found techniques I could easily work into my daily life that relieved neck and shoulder pain and eliminated my tension headaches. Easy to follow, beautifully illustrated with photos and drawings - the book you'll go back to time and time again and share with friends and family for years to come.

As someone who was lucky enough to be taught by Esther Gokhale in person, I am delighted to see that her method is now available in self-help form. My own sciatica started to fade away on my first lesson (stretchsitting) and as I went on to learn how to walk, stand, sleep and bend in the way nature intended, my pain went away completely, and never came back. With its detailed instructions and excellent illustrations, the book should help thousands to find relief from pain - or even better, to keep back pain from starting up in the first place.

I am from a family of people with bad back pain.
Esther Gokhale provides a clear path where the first step is to understand what makes a back hurt, then with wonderful pictures and illustrations shows small incremental steps towards relieving the pain.
Nothing seemed complicated or expensive in her advice and simply applying her new sitting posture and way of going to sleep seems to have relieved half the pain.
Often self help books give advice which is impossible to follow because it involves big changes in the way we live, these steps are small steps that are easy to remember and apply. This is definitely a book which provides an easy path to pain relief and given how many people around me suffer from this `mal du siecle',
I definitely recommend this book.