About the Gokhale Method
The Gokhale Method® teaches natural, relaxed posture and movement in everyday life. Instead of adding exercise routines, it changes the way we sit, stand, lie, bend and walk. Every everyday activity becomes an opportunity to use the body well.
The core idea
In many traditional societies, people move upright, relaxed and with ease well into old age. Over many years, Esther Gokhale observed and photographed posture and movement in such places, including Brazil, India, Portugal and Burkina Faso. What she found: these people use their bodies differently from what we are taught in modern industrialised countries.
A central idea is the shape of the spine. Western textbooks usually depict it as an S-shape. The Gokhale Method holds that its natural shape is closer to a J: with a flatter lower back and a pelvis that is tipped slightly forward. All of the method's techniques build on this foundation.
Four principles
- Every bone in its home: The bones are stacked so that they carry the body's weight.
- Muscles relaxed when not working: Unnecessary tension is released.
- Use the muscles, spare the joints: The muscles do the work and the joints are spared.
- Movement in daily life: The method turns everyday activities into exercise, with no extra time needed.
What you will learn
The method is organised into eight steps that build on each other:
- Sitting: leaning back with a lengthened spine (stretchsitting) and sitting upright on your sitz bones without a backrest (stacksitting)
- Lying: on your back and on your side in a way that lengthens the spine (stretchlying)
- Standing: relaxed and upright, with your bones stacked (tallstanding)
- The inner corset: using your deep core muscles to support the spine
- Bending: hinging at the hips instead of rounding your back (hip-hinging)
- Walking: a natural, gliding gait (glidewalking)
Esther Gokhale
Esther Gokhale studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. During her first pregnancy she developed severe back problems, and even surgery brought no lasting improvement. That prompted her to search for the underlying causes.
She studied at the Aplomb® Institute in Paris, which focuses on natural posture, and travelled to places where back problems are much less common. From her observations she developed the Gokhale Method, which she began teaching in Palo Alto, California. Today, the method is taught around the world by trained teachers.
Esther Gokhale has taught at companies including Google, Facebook and IDEO, and has advised trainers of professional and university sports teams. In 2013, the New York Times called her “The Posture Guru of Silicon Valley”. Her book 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back was published in 2008, won awards including the Nautilus Gold Award, and appeared in a revised 2nd edition in 2025. The German edition is titled Nie wieder Rückenschmerzen.
Research
The Gokhale Method is currently being studied at Stanford University in a randomised controlled trial. It compares the Gokhale Method online course with standardised physiotherapy in people with chronic back pain. The trial began in 2024, and results are not yet available.
How to learn the method
- Courses: The best way to learn the Gokhale Method is with a trained teacher, in person or online. For an overview of courses in Germany and Europe, see Courses and teachers.
- Book: 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back explains all eight steps in detail with more than 1,500 images. You can find the German, English and Spanish editions in our shop.
- DVDs: Back Pain: The Primal Posture Solution shows the core techniques, and Secrets to Pain-Free Sitting covers sitting in detail (both in English).
Aids for everyday life
Esther Gokhale has developed aids that support the techniques in everyday life:
| Product | Use |
|---|---|
| Stretchsit® Cushion | Stretchsitting on chairs with a backrest and in the car |
| Gokhale® Wedge 2.0 | Stacksitting on chairs and stools without leaning back |
| Gokhale® Head Cushion | Upright posture and neck alignment when standing and walking |
| Gokhale® Roller | Mobilising the upper back |
About Müller & Krüger
We are the official distribution partner of the Gokhale Method for Europe and know the method from our own experience. Our products come from the same production runs as the goods Gokhale Method sells in the USA. We do not offer courses ourselves. Find out more on our About us page.
The Gokhale Method is an approach to posture and movement in everyday life and does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. If you have persistent discomfort, please consult your doctor.