Stretchsitting vs Shirtsliding

Hello Joel,

I am so excited you are working on Stretchsitting and now you got your Stretchsit Cushion!

I am in Chicago and layers are "the Thing" for me to staying warm on days like these. Strechsitting shouldn't be a problem even with several layers, I manage to get some traction in my back while driving even with my down coat. The fact that it feels good and that you are getting your clothing bunched up when Stretchsitting indicates that you are going in the right direction. If you haven't yet, I would highly recomend  looking at this video:  https://shop.gokhalemethod.com/products/stretchsit-cushion?variant=31040686929 (once you click on the link you will need to scroll all the way down to get to the 2 videos) and do it together step by step together with Esther. Once you get to the steps where you lengthened your back by curving forward and then added aditional lengthening with your arms, pay special attention that you are hinging back far enough. You want to hinge all the way back until you feel you are firmly attached to the back rest of the chair and only then you let go, relax and move on to Shoulder Rolls. Sometimes people don't go back far enough and that results in a less effective Stretchsitting; the clothing gets picked up but not much of the skin.

And lastly, see if there is a Free Workship near you- there is no substitute for the hands-on work! 

 I hope this helps, and stay warm!

Best,

Aurelia Vaicekauskas

Gokhale Method Teacher