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Positive Stance Newsletter
 
 
     
The Myth of the Fancy Office Chair   News of the Month
Esther Gokhale portrait and link to About Esther on the web site

Students frequently ask me what type of chair is best--and the real answer is, you don’t need a fancy chair for healthy posture.

In the image below, observe these women in Burkina Faso sitting on the ground spinning cotton. They sit like this for long hours each day, yet report no pain. As you can see, it’s possible to have great posture without a chair at all.

 

But for us, who have grown up sitting in chairs, it is best to remain sitting in chairs. Here are the key things to remember when sitting:

  1. Place your bottom behind you. A tipped pelvis supports your entire structure; your spine will stack naturally and without compression.
  2. Ensure that your shoulders have space to roll back and settle near your spine. This allows healthy circulation to your arms and hands, vital for office work and repetitive tasks.
  3. Leave your spine lengthened, either stretched out against the back of your chair or well-stacked with your paraspinal muscles relaxed.

 

Stacksitting on a pot, this Portuguese potter sells her wares in the marketplace.

 

In the photo below observe two women sitting on a ferry.

 

The woman on the right, seated well, has her bottom behind her and her legs angled down. Her shoulders are back and her neck rises relatively straight from her spine.

The woman on the left, however, is not using her seat well. She tucks her pelvis, which distorts her spinal structure, and her neck is slumped forward. As you can see, even in a well-designed chair, it is easy to sit badly.

The Stretchsit™ cushion can help make any chair a healthy one. The rubber nubs, situated mid-back, are used to maintain your spine in a lengthened position, decompressing spinal discs and nerves. The depth of the cushion allows space for your shoulders to be back and your neck to remain stacked over your spine in spite of a poorly designed headrest.

Remember that the main focus should be on your knowledge of posture rather than on the chair itself—your body awareness will always travel with you, no matter where you sit.

Wishing you the best for 2011,
Esther

 

SUCCESS STORY OF THE MONTH

I recently drove alone two days from Bay Area to Portland, a distance of approximately 700 miles. Normally after about two hours of driving I begin to get sciatic pain and back muscle pain. Consequently I was certain that my 14 hour drive would result in significant discomfort. Instead, because I used my new Stretchsit cushion throughout the trip, I had only one sciatic twinge, and no backache at all!

-Susan Hardie, 2010

CONTACT US

Esther Gokhale Wellness Center
(650) 324 - 3244
info@egwellness.com
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Public Television Program
A one-hour pledge program about the Gokhale Method is due to air in June 2011. We will keep you posted.

New GMF Alumni Membership Program
Maintain and integrate the skills you learned from the Gokhale Method Foundations (formerly GM 101) course by joining our program. Membership includes unlimited refreshers and alumni workshops for $299/year; until the end of January, it will be offered for $199/year. Please reach us at info@egwellness.com or 650-324-3244 to sign up.

Palo Alto Massage Therapist Tom Chow
Tom Chow is a unique massage therapist who recently joined our Center in Palo Alto. He has 30 years of experience in his craft and combines techniques from Acupressure, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Anma, Seifukujitsu and Reiki in his massage practice.

Seeking a Palo Alto GMF Teacher
We are looking for a posture teacher for our rapidly growing wellness center in Palo Alto. We provide training and certification to teach our Gokhale Method Foundations course and a competitive annual salary. You must be an alumnus of the Gokhale Method Foundations course, have background as a health or fitness professional, and be passionate about helping people. This is a full time position with morning, evening, and weekend hours. Please email your resume and cover letter to hr@egwellness.com if interested.
 

IMAGE OF THE MONTH

Monisha, Esther's daughter of shea butter fame, on the right, was fortunate to have been carried in a healthy way. As a result, she stacksits unselfconsciously. Her friend on the left shows more typical relaxed, slumping posture on a tucked pelvis. After some lessons in her teenage years, she now also knows how to stacksit.

 

Upcoming Gokhale Method Foundations courses:

Click here for Refresher classes

 
FREE EVENT OF THE MONTH:
Online Office chair workshop

This online class teaches you how to modify common office chairs to be more healthy and comfortable. Learn about the chairs we use in the Center and get tips and tricks for the most common posture problems at work.
When: Mon, January 24, 2011, from 4:15pm – 5:15pm Pacific Standard Time
Where: Online-- we will email you a link to join the workshop 48 hours prior.

To participate in the online class, you will need:
a) a computer and a headset with a microphone
OR
b) a computer and a telephone.

Register here


In the Media

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"It's like when you want to make a house... the technique is very important."

-Cecilia Bartoli

 

"When I am totally race fit, I don't worry about breathing or technique - they take care of themselves."

-Frank Shorter