a Question to Esther

Hello Dr. Schmidt,

Thank you for inquiring about the Gokhale Method and in particular, in regards to foot positioning. My name is Kerri and am a Gokhale Method Teacher. We teach what we call the kidney bean feet. This is where the heels rotate inward while the front of the foot stays in place. This creates a kidney bean shaped foot and the toes angle out slightly with inner arches off the floor. This also creates healthy alignment in the knee as the knees externally rotate outward allowing the knees to track well. Additionally, this foot positioning allows the femur bones to exernally rotate and fit into the hip socket so that the pelvis can settle in the best postion for sitting. The behind is behind when sitting and the weight is on the anterior portion of the sitz bones. This foot positioning allows for good alignment all the way up the body. For me, when I learned to position my feet this way as well as keep more of my weight on my heels, I was able to, over time, correct the pronation issue I had all my life and contributed to a number of foot problems. I hope this gives some clarification for you and please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

Best, Kerri

Hi,

Here is a short video that briefly explains how to kidney-bean shape the feet. It explains how to strengthen tibialis anterior which is a key muscle needed to shape the feet and ankles well. Another resource is the book, "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back". Particularly on page 135, there is a more detailed description on the topic. Ideally, if you have a chance to take a lesson from a trained GM teacher, that is the best way to learn. Intellectual and visual ways of learning are a great start. Still, there is a kinesthetic element needed that a qualified teacher can give to help make lasting posture habits.

http://gokhalemethod.com/video/gokhale_moment_toe_tap

Hope you find this helpful! 

Kerri

We teach our students to shoot for something between where they are at now and what's ideal when practicing the GM techniques. The kidney-bean feet is one of them. In modern society, we don't have much opportunity to strengthen our feet because we are often in shoes and walk on cement and other hard surfaces. This can make them stiff and not easily able to kidney-bean right away. Nothing we teach should cause pain. We recommend backing off if this happens and allow the feet to get stronger and more flexible over time. There are some good exercises in the book on page 211-212 that will help strengthen the feet. Great questions!

Thank you 

Kerri