Kate Potter, Gokhale Method Teacher, Peoria IL

09/04/2024

I love watching Swedish longjumper Khaddi Sagnia. Check out her phenomenal glutes. Strong glutes support excellent posture and are achieved through walking well.

08/30/2024

I certainly agree with Esther Gokhale here about the "anti-aging" effect of good posture! I have two Gokhale Method Foundations courses coming up, as well as a free workshop ohttps://gokhalemethod.com/biography/Kate_Potter September 11 near Peoria. Check those out here:

06/04/2024

Does your neck hurt? A simple positive change to make is how you look at your phone. I'm sharing a reel of Julie, a Gokhale Method teacher in Germany. Let her teach you how. And learn more at my next free workshop: https://gokhalemethod.com/biography/Kate_Potter

05/31/2024

What shape is your spine?

These are drawing from medical textbooks. 1911 is on the left. 1990 on the right. They pretty fairly represent typical spine shapes (in our society) at the time they were drawn.

In the Gokhale Method we call the spine shape on the left a "J-spine."

The "S-spine" (1990) is now considered normal.

What differences do you see?

Want to learn more? My next free workshop is Wednesday, June 5 at 6 p.m. https://gokhalemethod.com/civicrm/event/info?id=12751&reset=1

05/21/2024

I decided to get new headshots for my teacher page on the Gokhale Method website. Huge shout out to Hair by Maggie Craft and Dawn Bergeron!

These were my 3 favorites from the shoot. Which one do you prefer?

I'm doing a free Gokhale Method workshop this Friday – please come! https://gokhalemethod.com/civicrm/event/info?id=12750&reset=1

05/17/2024

It is possible to resolve back pain. We've been told that back and joint pain, disc degeneration and getting stooped and shorter with age is inevitable. But is it?

We don't recognize that people from other places/times largely don't/didn't struggle with these structural issues.

Learn more at a free hour-long Gokhale Method workshop. https://gokhalemethod.com/biography/Kate_Potter

(Photos from 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back by Esther Gokhale. https://shop.gokhalemethod.com/collections/products/products/8-steps)

05/14/2024

We've lost alot of good things from our culture. Some of my favorites: Nourishing, fatty food. Small town community choruses. Firelight in the evening.

And good posture!

Looking at old photos with an eye to posture is an excellent way to train yourself to see good patterns. Take a look at some of my forebears here. Notice their necks, their shoulders, where their arms hang relative to their torsos....

Their shoulders are what really strike me. They are relaxed but very much more back than most of ours. Having the shoulders back opens up our chests in a healthy way. Notice also their long necks and how their heads are centered over their bodies, not pushed forward like so many of our heads are today. There is a relaxation and inspiring dignity in their necks.

Maybe you'll take a look at some family photos with posture in mind. Feel free to share them here!

Rolling your shoulders back (Shoulder Roll) is one of the easiest Gokhale techniques. Here is Esther Gokhale teaching it: https://gokhalemethod.com/video/gokhale_moment_shoulder_roll

05/10/2024

Argh – I did it. Last week, for the first time in more than ten years, I sent my lower back into spasm. I knew I was risking it as I awkwardly lugged a 60 pound solar fence charger several hundred yards over rough pasture terrain. But it was a sheep emergency!

When I got home and started noticing the pain, I groaned. Was I going to have to re-arrange the next several days so I could be prone on my bed, just waiting until my back muscles relaxed? Which is what I always had to do in the past...

But I decided to try something different. The reason I hadn't had back pain in ten years is because I had learned the Gokhale Method. I wondered if using some easy Gokhale Method techniques could alleviate this acute situation.

First I tried Stretchlying https://gokhalemethod.com/video/stretchlying. I put myself into position, felt the gentle, safe traction in my lumbar area and lay on my back for about 10 minutes while I talked to a friend on the phone. Then I felt okay to Stretchsit https://youtu.be/n9CDhcVTAdc?si=R63QyKmlymnLo9Gcup on the couch. When I finished the phone conversation, I stood up and the pain was gone!

In the past, when I would pretty routinely "throw my back out," it would be a several days ordeal. Now it was no biggie because I knew how to take care of it.

There are lots of other free resources on the Gokhale Method website. Or come to an hour-long workshop https://gokhalemethod.com/biography/Kate_Potter to learn more!

Gokhale Method®
gokhalemethod.com

05/07/2024

The what method?

When you take a Gokhale (pronounced go-klay) Method course, you learn techniques for bending, sitting, standing, sleeping and walking that protect and lengthen your spine.

Esther Gokhale learned these traditional, healthy ways of movement and posture while seeking relief from extreme pain due to a herniated L-5/S-1 spinal disc.

For many people, learning and practicing the Gokhale Method eliminates back pain they've had for years.

Learn more at a free hour-long workshop near Elmwood, IL:

This 1-hour workshop will show you how to get started with the Gokhale Method and return to moving like you are meant to—free from pain. With simple adjustments to the way you stand, sleep, bend, and sit, you can transform your posture and address the cause of your back pain, not just the symptoms...