Gokhale Method Institute

Ok, I’ve received my Gokhale Pain Free Chair several weeks ago amidst much drama with the billing and shipping department of Gokhale. That part, was definitely, not pain free, as the website crashed when doing the payment procedure, which resulted in my account being charged twice. Getting the money back was like pulling teeth as nobody ever answers the phone there, ever. Well a little more than 2 and half weeks later, the chair finally arrived all the way from Canada, which I found odd because they will not ship to Canada.
The quality of the chair is good, and installation was a breeze, (only 3 Allen screws). However if you have to sit for a living, this is not the chair for you. I believe it is designed for a much smaller and lighter person (I am 6″ tall and weigh 225lbs). and the Non-​Adjustable seat back is to low and does not allow for the proper back traction as explained in the Gokhale Book, and resulted in serious pain when performing the Gokhale Stretch’s for sitting. I can also say that after about a half day in the chair my toosh feels like I’ve been sitting on a wooden bench. On the bright side it does force me into the right sitting posture. It would be a lot more functional if it had an adjustable back rest or seat cushion angle. As it sits, the back rest is way to low for my size and push’s awkwardly into my low spine and is no where near my shoulder blades as advertised. So, if your five feet tall and weigh 95 pounds, this is the chair for you. If your regular human size, you might want to think twice about investing $ 500 dollars on this chair.

I took the foundations intensive 3 day course with Faye Alexandrakis. Faye is amazing! She is a talented teacher! After buying the book and trying it at home, it really is imperative to go in person to get feedback and instruction.

I am posting this review just so expectations are clearly set for people. I took the class because I have two torn discs (L4-​L5 and L5-​S1). I was experiencing pain in my center back, hip and down my leg. Before starting I could not walk more than 10 minutes and could not do any activities. I had regular spasms in my back/​hip and lots of pain in my back, hip and leg. My hope was that this class would fix the pain or at least reduce it.
Outcome:
— I believe I have much better posture now.
— Having said that, my pain is worse than when I started the course even after making all the corrections.
Strengths:
— I believe they try to help fix the problem and not the symptom. Huge plus on this aspect.
— The class does a much better job than Physical Therapists and doctors on getting you to actually sit right and stand better
— My instructor was very nice
Areas for improvement:
— I believe the class can be a little too aggressive at times for people with really bad pain. They could do a better job of learning how ease someone into things. For example, they provide a stretch exercise for the leg. If you have pain down your leg like I do, this exercise can actually cause major increases in your pain level as it did for me. It took me a week of pain to connect the dots and realize this was the source of the change in my pain for that period of time.
Recommendation
— I think people should take the class (people should know how to sit and stand in ways that are healthy for their bodies) but please have your expectations set. It may or may not work for you.

I loved the studio arrangement. Excellent class with Esther Gokhale; she is a master.

I have a slump in my posture and scheduled an appointment after hearing her called the «Back Whisperer» on KQED. She basically told me that she couldn’t help me. It was disappointing since I took a day off of work and drove over 100 miles round trip, not to mention the cost of a wasted visit.

I too would give Esther’s course 10 stars if I could.
I took the 6-​week foundations course in Palo Alto from Kathleen, one of Esther’s disciples. The course has been life-​changing — my lower back pain has abated. Using Esther’s techniques, I feel better while sitting, and — the biggest suprise for me – I am sleeping much more soundly.
I highly recommend Esther’s course.

I first heard of Esther Gokhale and the Gokhale Method when I met Monisha White (Esther’s daughter) at Mark Sisson’s PrimalCon Lake Tahoe in September 2013. I was looking for ways to optimize my health and get a deeper understanding of posture and movement so I decided to sign up for the Gokhale Method Foundations Course.
I took a one on one class with Faye Alexandrakis (one of the instructors at the Gokhale Method Institute in Palo Alto) back in December 2013. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and found Faye to be very knowledgable, professional, warm and engaging with a great sense of humor. She explained the core principles of the Gokhale Method along with the Hows and Whys of correct posture very well. I liked Faye’s teaching style so much that I am actually writing my first Unilocal review!
There is no question that Esther’s method is very well researched and got me to rethink how I approach the most fundamental of things such as sitting, standing, bending, walking and sleeping (forgotten basics in the modern world). It can be a little tricky to put some of the principles into practice in daily life mostly because we are so used to poor posture and are blissfully unaware of how we sit, stand, walk etc until we get the wake up call in the form of back pain! What is really needed is some practice and attention and folks will start seeing the long-​term benefits of good posture!
I highly recommend the Gokhale Method and Faye Alexandrakis to anyone looking to improve their posture, struggling with back pain etc!

Esther Gokhale is an unassuming genius. She has tuned into the natural state of the body with VERY simple techniques. They are almost too simple.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that the Gokhale Method is ineffective because it isn’t complicated. EVERYONE can learn these moves and there is no special equipment or machinery necessary to see life-​changing results. Truly.
In 2010, I was in bad shape (in so many ways) and headed down the road to back surgery. My husband was a neurosurgical nurse at the time and we both knew that one surgery would only lead to more surgeries. So, I sought out an alternative. My Rolfer (Carol Cobb) introduced me to Esther’s book, «8 Steps to a Pain Free Back» and I was hooked. She made so much sense.
I attended a weekend workshop lead by Esther in Tucson, AZ and though I didn’t quite «get it» at first– I knew that if I followed through and changed my habits I could heal myself and avoid surgery.
Not only did I avoid surgery, I GREW AN INCH by 2011. Standing, walking, sitting & sleeping taller (the right way) had LITERALLY made me taller. My confidence grew, as did my connection with my mind & body. I am eternally grateful.
In the years since, I have recommended the Gokhale Method to everyone who will listen and it has helped many of them.
If you are facing the possibility of surgery and you have tried other alternatives (massage, medication, exercise, physical therapy, voodoo, etc.) to no avail– do yourself a favor and pick up Esther’s book on Amazon. Or, go to YouTube and watch one of her demos.
One Important Hint: It’s best to leave your preconceived notions at the door. If you really LISTEN to what Esther says and trust the incredible power of your own mind and body, you will find hope in her philosophy and healing in her method. I betcha.

In November I met Esther at the Weston A. Price conference in Santa Clara and realized immediately that this is what I was looking for as a massage therapist and nutritionist who deals with the pain of others on a daily basis. A month ago I flew from Minnesota to Monterrey, CA for her weekend of classes. Upon returning home and putting into practice her «stretchlying» for several days, I noticed a significant increase in the length and quality of my sleep. Her methodology and style of teaching was warm, engaging, comfortable, and very personal. One continuing benefit of her Foundations Course is the opportunity to enroll in an alumni program which gives you access to professionally produced videos each month that go beyond the basics, and also to monthly Skype calls with Esther. Anyone wrestling with back pain should definitely contact her. As she says, it is wonderful to «remember when it didn’t hurt!»

I had a one-​on-​one consult with Esther. It was a total waste of time and $ 225. The same information is conveyed in the free introductory classes.

I did the basic course with Esther about three years ago… and today, did a one on one with Charlene to refresh some of the basics.
All outstanding.

I would also give at least 10 stars if I could. I am taking a course in San Francisco from Charlene Hannibal who is one of E. Gokhale’s teachers and it’s been one of the best things I have ever done to alleviate my back pain.
Her course makes it so abundantly clear why so many of us in this culture suffer from back pain. Esther went to countries where they do alot of physical labor but have a very low incidence of back pain. She watched and studied them to see how they were moving/​standing. That makes SO much sense to me!
Being able to stand, walk and bend over without pain is FABULOUS and life changing. So glad I found them!

My wife and I recently went for their free lesson, after which we were convinced that this was exactly what we needed to fix our postures. We signed up for the intense weekend course — with the 6×90 min classes packed into one action-​packed weekend — and it was GREAT. It’s amazing that things that are so as fundamental like standing, sitting, bending, and walking, are things that we’ve forgotten how to do correctly, in a way that isn’t harmful to us. Esther’s anthropological method, where she went around the world looking at how people in traditional cultures held themselves, is fantastic, and has given her some amazing insights that she shares in her book and her course. She’s also an incredible woman — full of charm, grace, and poise. I would strongly recommend this course to anyone and everyone — even those who don’t have back issues, herniated discs, injuries etc. I’m in perfect health, and this was an amazing weekend where I learnt more than I imagined. And I strongly recommend getting a close friend to sign up with you — it’s amazing how much improvement you get when you have someone watching your back (literally) and reminding you of what you need to do when you forget it.

I recently completed the Gokhale Method Foundations course (90 minutes per class over a six week period). I came to course after having spent the better part of a year traveling for work (i.e., lots of sitting!). I had been feeling discomfort in my back from too much sitting and not enough exercise, and came to the course to learn proper techniques to enable me to be more comfortable at work and in life; I achieved these goals, and left the course with a much greater awareness of my body’s needs and knowledge of how to keep my back healthy through life.
Esther taught the class herself and showed a deep and impressive knowledge of the body, an incredible dedication to her art and science, and a sincere desire to help her clients achieve healthy and pain-​free lives. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is interested in developing a higher level of awareness about their body, and especially for those who are struggling with chronic back pain issues.

UPDATE (11/​27/​2011): I’m re-​reading Esther’s book now and am going to buy her «alumni» course as they’ve improved that offering. I think it’s best to take the Foundations course and then take «refresher» courses (either online or at their clinic) to «groove» your motor neurons with correct postural positioning.
I’ve also taken her «Advanced» class and I highly recommend that as well. Esther teaches it herself and gives a lot of personalized attention. Now that I’ve taken her classes, read her book several times and taken a few of her online «refresher» courses, it drives me crazy because I see examples of bad posture everywhere (except in the mirror!).
_​_​_​
Improved posture — at last!
I’ve had bad posture (rounded shoulders, kyphotic posture, etc.) since I was a child. I was always told that my posture was «genetic» and that there was nothing that I could do. After accidentally coming across Esther Gokhale giving a presentation to the employees at Google (search for it on YouTube:
), I bought the book, read it and then decided I needed to actually take the course to get the full benefit. I took the foundations course from one of the Gokhale Method instructors, Maya White, and now I’ve just finished the advanced course offered by Esther herself.
I did not have any back pain prior to taking this course as I wanted to correct my posture problems now *before* I came to have back pain. I’ve been given tools that work, that I enjoy using every day and that I know are going to keep me from being part of the 85% back pain statistic.
Buy the book, take the course, you won’t regret it!

I have spent years trying to find a cure for my back, neck and knee pain. I went to Esther Gokhale as really a last resort. I heard about her and her book through friends I swim with at the Y. I was looking for a «cure» but what I found is a system that can put me in control of my body and its wellness. I feel better. I think I’m standing taller and my pain isn’t a mystery I just have to live with. What a gift!
I would definitely recommend you try the free lesson. I started with that and a library copy of her book, 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back. I’m now a believer and consider myself so fortunate we have such a treasure and resource right under our noses!

*****I would give Esther 10 stars if possible!!! *****Life Changing!
I’ve had bad posture made worse by a car accident for over six years now. The Gokhale method is a gentle way of teaching your body to ease itself back into its natural state. Esther herself taught my course and she is so, so nice! Like her method she is gentle, effective and makes so much sense!!! I wish we could get her on Ellen! The world needs to know about this!!! PBS is already in line to feature her =D get in to see her while you can!
Flat mushy butt? You need her! Bunions? see Esther. Is your back curved like this question mark? Is your grandma’s? Sign yourselves both up! Back problems? Click the link above and join a class. Insomnia? Take the course already!
If only I could shrink Esther and have her live on my shoulder…

My lower back has been bothering me for a long time now, but I’ve been stubborn and put off seeking help. Finally, I went to see my doctor, who prescribed some meds that might help, but I’m not really good with pills (plus I never want to get dependent on it) so he suggested that I try acupuncture.
The acupuncturist that treated me, Colleen Burke, was fantastic. I told her I was deathly afraid of needles and I don’t know how she did it, but I didn’t feel a thing when she put them in. What I did feel was a very relaxing, serene sensation.
The first session has helped my back a lot, and I think a few more sessions might help in eliminating it! It’s such a great deal. She’s having a promotion right now — $ 75 a session for an entire month of treatment, which is great. But honestly, even if I had to pay the full price, it’s worth it.
I’ve been a bit leery about acupuncture, since I’ve never gone on the alternate medicine route before, so I guess the promotion was a good way for me to try it and decide if it is for me, and I believe that it is!

I have been among the 90% of Americans suffering from back pain. For years I had been hearing about the great work Esther has been doing in her Palo Alto studio helping friends resolve chronic back and spinal issues but for some reason kept procrastinating signing up for one of her classes. Then a friend invited me to one of her free informational workshops and after seeing some of the techniques in person, I was sold!
I am now nearing completion of the six week classes offered and already am experiencing dramatic and life-​changing results. Esther’s teaching is amazingly simple –based on well researched materials — of how the human spine works and how we can benefit from rethinking how we sleep, sit and walk. The class is very worthwhile and she has a wonderful gift of teaching. If you have an opportunity to take one of her 90 minute classes, DO IT… you won’t regret it!

I’ve just started taking Esther’s 6-​week posture re-​education series, and after only one week of sleeping and sitting the way she is teaching me to, I feel healthier and more relaxed. After «stretchlying» for 7 days before I fall asleep, I even wake up feeling taller!
She teaches her course in a cosy studio above the Café Pro Bono off of California Ave. The class is small, so she spends a lot of time working on each individual’s form. Esther creates a comfortable, non-​judgmental atmosphere in which you can transform your posture and rid yourself of pain.
This isn’t charm school: no balancing books on your head or sitting rigid at a dining table. Esther examines your regular posture, then helps you coax your spine into a healthier, relaxed position. It’s so easy! If I feel this great after only two sessions, I can’t wait to get to the end of the class…