The Gokhale Method

[admin]

Has anyone tried this?

It uses healthy posture and movement to help you re-establish your body's structural integrity and regain a pain-free life.

You will learn to sit, sleep, stand, walk, and bend in ways that protect and strengthen your bones and muscles, in ways for which the body was designed. You will reposition and reshape your shoulders, arms, neck, torso, hips, legs, and feet the way they were designed to be. You will develop a high level of confidence in and sense of control over your well-being.

It consists of an integrated set of exercises and posture techniques designed to provide long term relief for their pain.

[gravelbelly]

What you described sounds similar to the Alexander Technique.

According to Wikipedia,

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines the Alexander technique as an education/guidance practice to "improve posture and movement, and to use muscles efficiently."

I found the site on the Gokhale Method, and it seems to operate on a similar premise.

[Chriswa]

sounds interesting ill have to look into it

[admin]

Just came across this press release promoting the Gokhale Method and their classes for 2011:

GROUP THERAPY FOR BACK PAIN SPREADS INTERNATIONALLY IN 2011

Many experts agree that although one-on-one consulting sessions are beneficial when dealing with medical problems, the social interaction and dynamics of group therapy have advantages. Back pain sufferers now have a similar group option - The Gokhale Method.

The Gokhale Method Foundations courses, taught by renowned pain expert Esther Gokhale, who has been featured in Parenting, Family Circle, Weight Watchers, Prevention and more, are spreading throughout the country and internationally. Originally only offered at the Esther Gokhale Wellness Center in Palo Alto, Calif., new teachers in different areas are also being trained in this method. In 2011, Gokhale and her team of teachers will be visiting a variety of cities from January through June to teach these highly effective group sessions. Gokhale Method Foundations (GMF), Semi-Intensive GMF and Intensive GMF sessions will be offered. The 2011 schedule includes:

· New York, N.Y. – Intensive GMF, January 7-9
· Miami, Fla. – GMF, January 14-16
· Cambridge, Mass. – Intensive GMF, January 14 – 16
· Seattle, Wash. – Intensive GMF, January 28 – 30
· Portland, Ore. – Semi-Intensive GMF, January 31 – February 3
· Portland, Ore. - Intensive GMF, February 4 – 6
· Driebergen, The Netherlands – Intensive GMF, February 25 – 27
· Tel Aviv, Israel – Intensive GMF, March 3 – 5
· Jerusalem, Israel – Intensive GMF, March 10 -12
· Los Angeles, Calif. – Intensive GMF, April 8 – 10
· Eau Claire, Wis. – Intensive GMF, April 29 – May 1
· Ann Arbor, Mich. – Intensive GMF, May 6 – 8
· Minneapolis, Minn. – Intensive GMF, May 13 -15
· Berkeley, Calif. – Intensive GMF, June 3 – 5

During the classes, instructors teach small groups of up to eight people how to end back pain for life – in most cases, eliminating the need for participants to seek out time-consuming one-on-one doctor’s visits or other expensive treatments.

After six 1.5 hour therapy sessions, those trained in the Gokhale Method gain lifelong tools for using movement and posture to eliminate pain. They are shown how to make simple changes to how they sit, stand, walk or lay, which make a drastic difference in their quality of life.

Esther Gokhale developed the Gokhale Method after many years of studying posture and movement in populations with low incidences of back pain. She found that in many cultures, both manual laborers and sedentary workers have not forgotten how to sit, stand, walk and sleep in harmony with their bodies’ design. As a result, they do not suffer from back pain. Inspired by their techniques, Gokhale created this method of posture re-education that has guided thousands of her clients away from pain. She also outlines her method in her first book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back.
For more, readers can visit www.egwellness.com.

Esther Gokhale (Go-clay) is an acupuncturist, author and expert in pain-free living. She developed the Gokhale MethodSM, a unique, systematic approach to help people find their bodies’ way back to pain-free living. Esther has practiced acupuncture and taught posture, dance, and yoga in her Palo Alto, Calif., wellness center for the past twenty years.


Have you tried this or know anyone that has? How was it?