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How to Choose a Bike Seat for Good Posture (Part 2)

Esther Gokhale
September, 2017

In our part 1 blog post on the topic of bikes, we went over how to find the right frame for you. The next important step is to find the right seat for your body and your bike, since without a decent seat you may be uncomfortable, or may find it challenging to have healthy posture. Your seat should distribute your weight across regions comfortably; it should have padding, but not so much that it lacks support and stability; it should be set at an angle that allows your pelvis to antevert (that is, tip forward relative to the angle of your spine.) A good seat is crucial whether you prefer to be upright and stacksit, or if you prefer a racing style with a hiphinge. Here’s what you need to know about bike seats to find the right one for you:


Seat shape and angle: On most bike seats, it’s possible to change not just the height, but the horizontal position and the tilt of the seat.... Read more

Tags: 
sitz bones
tucked pelvis
curved spine
bike riding
bicycle
stacksit
hiphinge
pelvic anteversion
biking posture
inner corset

Fredrik Prost's Journey to Tuva: Posture, Shamanism, and Traditional Life Far Away and Close to Home

Esther Gokhale
August, 2017

Esther's note: Fredrik Prost, the Saami craftsman and posture student I wrote about in these past blogs:  Fredrik's Journey to a Pain-Free Back, Sleeping on Birch Branches in Samiland, Beauty, Art, and Posture, and Better Posture, Better Sleep, recently journeyed to Tuva. Here is an account he wrote for us about Tuvan posture, culture, and shamanism, including photos he took. It is a rare treat to hear about indigenous people from an indigenous person - one who speaks English well and knows our posture language too!


Tuva is an autonomous republic of Russia that lies northwest of Mongolia in the south of Siberia.

 

This... Read more

Tags: 
Fredrik
Tuva
Glidewalking
stacksitting
shoulders back
rib anchor
squatting
anteverted pelvis

How to Ride a Bike with Good Posture (Part 1)

Esther Gokhale
August, 2017

Most people, when they ride a bike, tuck their pelvis so the rear portion of their sitz bones rests on the seat. Then they lean over to reach the handlebars causing a lot of spine curvature. With the additional tension created from pushing the pedals and holding the handlebars, and the bouncing and jostling from the road, riding a bike this way can be a painful and harmful activity.


Many modern bike riders look like Mr. Bean when they ride a bike, sitting with an unnaturally curved spine.


Each of these modern-day bikers has a rounded spine and craned neck. Image courtesy John Matrix at bikelist.org.

... Read more

Tags: 
sitz bones
tucked pelvis
curved spine
bike riding
bicycle
stacksit
hiphinge
pelvic anteversion
biking posture

Primal Posture™ with a Partner

Esther Gokhale
July, 2017

Over time, many Gokhale Method students have brought in their spouses to take classes with them. We’ve noticed many extra benefits when partners take our course together.


Primal Posture™ can become part of a couple's everyday life

Partners provide a built-in gentle and effective reminder system, so both parties think about and practice primal posture more regularly throughout the day.

Partners develop their own vocabulary and personal references for talking to each other about primal posture and movement. This serves as a rich, shared filter for people-watching—whether on a city street, on a beach, on a vacation to foreign lands, or while viewing art at the local museum.

... Read more

Back-Saving Tips for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Esther Gokhale
July, 2017

There are several more weeks of summer vacation before school starts again: plenty of time to squeeze a family camping trip or two out of the sunshiny drops of Summer!  Here are a few tips to promote healthy posture while you’re on the road, by the campfire, and in your tent.

 

Are We There Yet?

During the long haul to your nearest national park, it’s easy to strain your cervical spine (the vertebrae in your neck) by craning your neck forward to see the road.


Justin Bieber, in this photo, is demonstrating forward head—his ear is forward of his collar bones, and his chin is far in front of his sternum
Read more

Tags: 
forward neck
neck
neck curvature
stretchsitting
stacksitting
stretchlying
slump
healthy sitting

Working With Scoliosis (Gokhale Method Teacher Cynthia Rose's Back Story)

Cynthia Rose
June, 2017

When I was 12 years old my mother took me to our family doctor for a check up. I remember him looking at me and saying “One of your shoulders slopes down more than the other. Isn’t that interesting!” What’s interesting to me is that the word scoliosis never came up in the conversation and that there wasn’t any further investigation of my sloping shoulder. As a 12-year old I had never heard of scoliosis, so I thought my sloping shoulder was just an oddity I would live with.

It was not until many years later when I returned to school to study massage therapy that I began to notice changes in my spine that manifested as chronic low back pain. I thought it was because of the sitting I was doing in classes or the crawling around on the floor for shiatsu practice sessions. The pain never really subsided, though I did find temporary relief through bodywork and the application of heat. Though the pain was not severe, it was bothersome because it was... Read more

Tags: 
scoliosis
acupuncturist
acupuncture
schroth method
anteverted pelvis
elongation
inner corset
people watching
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