Kinesthetic Wisdom: Rediscovering Posture and Debunking Myths

Did you know that back pain is the number one cause of global disability and that posture can affect mood and hormone levels?

Join us for today's episode of Push To Be More where our guest Esther Gokhale shares her story of suffering from crippling back pain after her first pregnancy and how she took that experience as a challenge to find a solution for back pain. After years of study and research, Esther developed "The Gokhale Method" to help hundreds of people eliminate back pain and enhance strength. You don't want to miss this inspiring episode - tune in now!

Here's some of the great stuff that we cover in this show:

• Esther discusses the benefits of using dance as a reminder system to revisit posture and keep the body in a healthy position, while also forming a joyful community. She also notes that indigenous cultures have a kinesthetic wisdom that has been lost in the modern West, leading to high rates of back pain and other musculoskeletal problems.
• Esther disagrees with the modern belief that sitting is the root cause of back pain, but says its rather how we sit and the shape of our spine. She believes our spine is J shaped rather than S shaped. Indigenous people sit as much as we do but don't suffer from the same problems.
• The Gokhale Method recommends "stretch sitting" with a modified backrest for gentle, hours-long traction to ease back pain and allow for a natural, healthy back. This is a more effective and convenient alternative to inversion tables.
• Esther developed the Gokhale Method to relieve her own severe back pain, which resulted from her first pregnancy, and sought out strategies to improve her own physical structure. She worked on the method over the years and was successful in making the process more efficient, effective and sustainable, and now shares it with others.
• Esther shares how she built her business organically and has been able to focus on innovating and developing techniques that work to relieve back pain. Despite the success, Esther feels impatient as she believes the approach needs to be more mainstream and widespread to help the millions of people suffering from back pain.
• She says their biggest challenge is finding new customers and creating repeat business. However, there is a great need for their services as back pain is the number one cause of global disability. They have stayed afloat through various challenges and continue to improve their offering.
• Esther is expecting extensive coverage for the Gokhale Method with their upcoming trial at top universities. They are also exploring the benefits of posture for mental health, and have created a course to teach basic posture principles for empowerment and confidence.

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ABOUT ESTHER

Meet Esther Gokhale – a pioneer in posture education and pain relief. Esther transformed her own experience with crippling back pain into the Gokhale Method, a unique system that restores your body's primal posture to eliminate pain and enhance strength. Growing up in India, her journey started with helping her nurse mother care for abandoned babies, leading her to study biochemistry at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Princeton, and later, acupuncture in San Francisco.

The turning point came when Esther suffered from severe back pain during her first pregnancy. After an unsuccessful surgery, she dedicated her life to finding a solution to back pain. Her pursuits took her across the globe, from the streets of Paris to the communities of Brazil and India, culminating in the creation of the Gokhale Method.

Esther's bestselling book, "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back," has reached over 300,000 readers worldwide, and she has shared her wisdom on stages like TEDx Stanford. Known as the "Posture Guru of Silicon Valley", she has worked with top corporations like Google and Facebook, consulted for various Stanford sports teams, and conducted workshops for leading health institutions. Amid her business challenges and personal trials, Esther remains committed to being of service and inspiring people towards healthier, pain-free living.

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For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.pushtobemore.com.