healthy aging

Gokhale Method teacher Kathleen O’Donohue worked for many years as a Physician Assistant and headed an organization helping seniors age in place.

Who knew that learning to walk well could change the course of one’s life — even in one’s 60s? I was inspired to teach the Gokhale Method after experiencing welcome relief from chronic hip pain by learning how to glidewalk. 

"The Gokhale Method: No More Aches and Pains" was the title of the flyer that I grabbed as I exited my mother’s appointment with a Neurologist M.D. “Why have I never heard of this?” I asked as I explored the website later that day. After a deep review of online material, I purchased Esther Gokhale’s book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, and a Stretchsit® Cushion. I did not have back pain at that point, but I had a lifelong habit of learning about health and well-being.

What led me to learn the Gokhale Method for myself
My hip had bothered me since a miles-long walk in my late 20s, after a car break-down, though it wasn’t severe until later on. While in my early 30s, I had experienced severe back pain after doing new workouts on machines at the gym. I had horrid back spasms requiring bed rest, with spasms and back pain for at least 6 weeks. Standing was the best posture to avoid this pain, or sitting upright on the edge of a chair (at the time, I didn't know why this worked or that it approximated stacksitting).

Fast forward to the day I picked up that fateful Gokhale Method flyer in my mom’s doctor’s office, when I was in my 60s. My new chief complaint was an increase in frequency and level of pain in my left upper leg/hip/groin area during and after walking. Walking daily was my practice, and the discomfort impeded this. A couple of times each year, my left knee would start “clicking” while I walked. And then there were the times that my back would “go out”…

I guessed that Esther’s book would educate me as well as the folks I worked with, but I had no idea that the Gokhale Method would change my life.

Trained as a primary care Physician Assistant (PA), I have studied and practiced health and wellness for decades. Much of my healing arts practice focused on women’s healthcare, elder care, LGBTQ matters, and community health education. I’m a longtime practitioner and teacher of Tai Chi and Qigong and a certified instructor of the Tai Chi For Health Institute, with multiple specialty accreditations.

Kathleen teaches Tai Chi to 4th graders in rural Grundy County, Tennessee.

Starting down the path of pain-free living
The Stretchsit Cushion went directly into my car and made a big difference on my 17- to 70-mile commutes. A light round of cedar wood was my first head weight in my attempt at head alignment and neck strengthening the Gokhale way. This was followed by a light bag of beans, before I bought the Gokhale™ Head Cushion. I appreciated hearing Esther say that she created her products to fill a need, and she always offered home-made substitutes…hence my bag of beans.

Glidewalking is the focus of Chapter 8 of 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, and I jumped right in. The pain in my left upper leg/hip/groin area lessened, but I did not really understand why. I wanted to know what I was doing and why it was successful. In the past when my hip was “acting up” and the chain reaction seemed to include my left knee getting “wonky”, I’d go to a practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method® and have positive results. But neither they nor I knew what was causing my problems. I was discouraged and dreading that this repeated misalignment would lead to hip surgery.

I signed up for every Free Online Workshop that Esther offered, and became a “frequent flyer” as I absorbed her teachings like a sponge. Esther is extremely generous with her teaching and the many and multiple modes of educational resources that are available. This impressed me, and I appreciated the cultural richness and factual basis of her material.

Teaching the Gokhale Method as a way to give back
Six months later, I completed the Gokhale Method Foundations Course and told Esther that I knew I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to empower people in the way that I’d become empowered. At this time, my job was as the founding Executive Director of Folks at Home, a local nonprofit that coordinated services in the village-model of aging in community. I gave two (2) years’ notice and started preparing to transfer my knowledge to my successors. At the same time, I was on the teacher path, enthusiastically studying and practicing the Gokhale Method.

In October 2019, Esther invited me to join her for a year of teaching in Palo Alto / Stanford. We traveled around the Bay Area and the southwestern states, teaching Pop-up Courses, a 1-day immersion with two qualified Gokhale Method teachers in a group setting, using the newly-developed SpineTracker™ wearable technology. In addition, I taught individual and group Foundation Courses, Alumni Continuing Education, Free Workshops, and online follow-up lessons.

When the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were initiated in March 2020, the Gokhale Method Team went into super high productivity mode to create a new online curriculum, online alumni offerings, and online workshops. I transitioned to being a completely online teacher of the Gokhale Elements Course, Online Consultations, and online Follow-ups from the Premium Online Workshops, which are deep-dives into specific topics.

Teaching the Gokhale Method is extremely satisfying. Students usually get some level of immediate relief from their pain, discomfort, and/or tension, as well as valuable insights into and realizations about their habitual postures. They notice the changes, feel better, and gain hope that their chronic problem will have a resolution. Crowd-sourced data supports this.

I appreciate the clarity and effectiveness of the Gokhale Method, which blends intellectual, visual, kinesthetic, and hands-on learning methods. Each student is empowered to integrate and apply this training into all aspects of daily life. The worldwide team of Gokhale Method teachers and workers are smart, passionate, and collaborative. The new-in-2020 live daily programs of Gokhale Exercise allow for the worldwide community of spirited students and teachers to have fun, to connect, and to learn, strengthen, lengthen, reshape and move together in new ways.

A great journey begins with a single (glidewalked) step.

Joan Baez has upgraded her posture since this photo was taken, with benefits for her whole body.

If you’ve been participating in our ongoing Posture 1-2-3 Challenge for alumni, chances are you’ve seen my longtime student, Joan Baez, who regularly joins in. At age 79, she’s sturdy and beautiful, with shapely legs, toned arms, and a peachy, perky butt. Although we’ve all enjoyed her bodacious pipes for many decades, she hasn’t always been such a well-rounded posture student. In her 20s and 30s, her boombox was highly functional, but her booty was lacking.

Case in point: in 1973, at age 32, Joan visited Sing Sing to perform for the people imprisoned there. Her set list included the rousing anthem “I Shall Be Released,” followed by “Viva Mi Patria Bolivia,” a duet with her sister Mimi Fariña. Here she is, singing and playing her trusty guitar, connecting with her audience, doe-eyed and full-voiced in her signature way.

But below the belt things are different. At 3:56 you see a shot of Joan’s behind, and that it doesn’t fill out her pants. Her pants fall poorly on her derriere, because there isn’t the tone and muscle to hold the folds. Her voice sings, but her glutes hit a flat note.

The folds in the fabric of Joan’s pants over her backside while standing upright indicate a tucked pelvis and underdeveloped glutes.

Part of the reason her glutes were not developed is that she used to tuck her pelvis, which puts the glutes in a position of mechanical disadvantage. Tucking the pelvis also sets the framework for rounding the upper spine. This curvature — and the pain it caused her neck — is what she came to me for and what we have worked to transform.

Joan tucking her pelvis while playing guitar and singing.

Young Joan demonstrating a tucked pelvis and rounded upper spine while sitting on the grass.

A flat butt and tucked pelvis aren’t uniquely Joan’s problems. In fact, “glute amnesia” is widespread in our industrialized, increasingly sedentary society. For those of you who share this problem, we’ve developed a special Free Online Workshop called Wake Up Your Glutes: They Snooze, You Lose. If you are available to attend tomorrow, I will be delighted to teach you how to rouse your glutes in their natural context, which is walking. 

Joan is quite diligent about doing her exercises and staying active. She has also done a lot of self-care in general, for her body, mind, and spirit. The results are obvious: 

Joan in my garden last year, preparing to pick some calendula with a deep, healthy hip-hinge and her behind well behind.

Joan celebrating her 79th birthday at Yosemite. Note her excellent muscle tone and beautiful upright posture. Image courtesy Joan Baez.

The moral of this story is that aging doesn’t have to mean decline. You can actually improve with age, as Joan has. Yes, it takes a certain amount of investment and learning and discipline in implementing, but you can change. You can improve. Let’s do it! Let’s join Joan, let’s get our walking shoes, and let’s be walking down the line...

 
Lithuania, 1967. My mom is in the center, with my sister and me on either side of her.

My mom had beautiful posture when she was young, as you can see in the photo above. Here she is, flanked by my sister and me. Note her open chest, lengthened neck, and head pivoting on the axis of the spine. I believe healthy posture has helped her age well. When she recently developed leg pain, she assumed it was part of the aging process and that there was nothing she could do about it. But happily, after working with some Gokhale Method techniques, her pain has subsided.

As a result, she now sleeps better and has more energy. She’s even resumed some light housekeeping. To help protect her back while vacuuming and sweeping the floor, I taught her the inner corset technique.

The inner corset: what is it?
Anytime one lifts, twists, or moves their arms or legs away from the body, there is an opportunity to distort the spine. Distortion puts unhealthy stress on bones, joints, and nerves. The inner corset technique is crucial in protecting one's back while in action. It lengthens and decompresses the spine by activating our deepest abdominal and deepest back muscles (transversus abdominis, obliques and rotatores, and multifidi). This muscular engagement forms a “corset,” which preserves the spine through physical activities. Notice how the discs are protected with extra space in the illustration below.

We all have this muscular engagement pattern available. It is automatically activated with activity that poses an immediate threat to the spine, such as jumping off a high place. However, when the threat is low: picking up a grocery bag or vacuuming, this instinctive bracing is not activated. Most back problems are a result of cumulative misuse of the body. Therefore, learning to use the inner corset in daily activities is the key!

Hands-on help from a Gokhale Method teacher is the best way to find the right muscles. This is true of teaching my mom, as well. While working with her, I was able to help her use her breath to engage her inner corset (see below). Teachers often practice this with students several times to create new muscle memory, and I did the same with my mom. 

 
Helping my mom locate the correct muscles by using her breath also helps her build muscle memory.

Vacuuming with an active inner corset
Alas, with her inner corset in place, my mom is now ready for action. She has always enjoyed housekeeping and continues to vacuum and clean at 95! Now she can keep her back lengthened and maintain her spine’s structural integrity while she does this work. Engaging her inner corset allows her arms to move independently of her torso. It’s a win-win: a workout session for the abdominal and back muscles; meanwhile, the back is protected, and the house is clean! 

My mom shows no sign of slowing down now that she’s learned Gokhale Method techniques.

Summary
I am so grateful my mom gave the Gokhale Method a chance. Not only did it help relieve her nighttime leg pain — as I described in my previous blog post — she now has tools to keep her activities safe! To her huge credit, it took an open mind, a bit of courage, and effort to try something new. I am so proud of her. I believe one is never too old to learn a few Gokhale Method tricks. And we never know what changes are possible until we try!

Lithuania, 1957: my parents' wedding day.

Everyone in this photograph reflects effortless elegance and poise. Notice that their shoulders are resting toward the back of their torsos, and their necks and backs are elongated; very different from the modern "chin up, chest out, thrust your pelvis forward” stance. This photograph was taken on my parents’ wedding day. My mom and dad are on the left. Healthy posture has contributed pain-free living (musculoskeletally speaking) well into my mom’s advanced years. She didn't have aches and pains until my dad passed away, two years ago.

Resolving knee and leg pain
My mom is very gentle, yet she can be stubborn! Despite recent complaints of leg and knee pain at night, she was adamant that she did not need Gokhale Method instruction. At 95 years old, she said she was too old to change and had no time for “such things.”

However, I could see that when she used the stairs a lot, her pain would increase. In the end, she consented to instruction — and subsequently reported diminished leg pain, and increased stability in walking.

We know that leg pain can be local and/or referred from the low back. To address the legs and knees locally, I showed her parts of the glidewalking technique. To help take the pressure off her back, I taught her stretchsitting and stretchlying on the back.

Knee pain can sometimes result from posture issues. Image courtesy Dr. Manuel González Reyes on Pixabay.

Foot grab and bum squeeze
Weak arch muscles can cause the feet to pronate, which is the case for my mom. Pronation pulls the leg in, creating misalignment in ankle, knee and hip joints. Notice the white arrows in the photos below, showing my mom's legs and the feet moving in dramatically different directions. No wonder when she goes up and down the stairs, her symptoms flare up!

My mom's usual way of climbing stairs pulls her femur and foot in two different directions.


She experiences the issue on both sides.

The solution was to incorporate glidewalking elements with every step on a new stair. I taught her to grab the floor with the foot and squeeze the bum (same side) with every step. This engages the foot and glute muscles and reshapes the leg and foot into healthier architecture and articulation. See my mom make this change in the photos below. Notice how her thigh bones and feet are now aligned!

After incorporating Gokhale Method techniques, my mom's femur and foot on each side are now aligned while climbing stairs.

Learning glidewalking was key for helping my mom recalibrate her stair-climbing technique.

After addressing her legs and knees locally with glidewalking, we helped take pressure off her back with stretchsitting and stretchlying.

Stretchsitting
My mom loves to decompress her back by stretchsitting in the Gokhale Pain-Free™ Chair. She lengthens her back against the backrest and maintains a gentle traction while she sits. Moreover, a Gokhale-style shoulder roll helps open her chest and decrease hunching on top. With a history of chronic bronchitis and heart issues, this small gesture supports these organs with more space and better orientation. Quite a contrast to her “before” sitting photo!

Above, my mom’s “before” photo sitting in a typical chair, with hunched shoulders and a rounded upper back. Compare with her "after" photo below.

    
Here, my mom uses a Gokhale Pain-Free Chair to stretchsit, effecting gentle traction in her spine, and positions her shoulders with a shoulder roll to gently open the chest.

Stretchlying on the back
Finally, we learned stretchlying on the back as another practical way to decompress the low back, illustrated below. Once the spine is lengthened by stretching, it is supported with strategically positioned pillows. A pillow under the shoulders/head elevates the upper torso and flattens any sway in the low back. A second pillow under the knees relieves pressure in the low back by relaxing the psoas. She now has a relaxed, lengthened back while she sleeps.

This sketch shows how stretchlying helps gently lengthen the spine.

Results
My mom now stretchsits and stretchlies easily on her own. Walking and taking the stairs continue to be works in progress but she is already very pleased with the results. With diminished pain she sleeps better and has more energy. Hands-on instruction does help things stick! In fact, she is now enthusiastic to learn more Gokhale Method techniques.

While we all await a return to in-person teaching, you can schedule an Online Initial Consultation with one of several qualified online teachers to begin individual posture coaching and begin learning these techniques (and more!) yourself.

To be continued!

Harvesting rye with scythes in early twentieth-century Lithuania. Original photograph Balys Buročas, 1923.

The Gokhale Method has improved my understanding of how posture correlates to our health and physicality. The method is based on healthy body architecture and has been informed by movement patterns from populations without back pain, those shared by our ancestors worldwide. This inspired me to take a look at my own forefathers in Lithuania, especially their posture while laboring in the fields. 

Memories of my youth
I was born and raised in urban Soviet Lithuania. Yet, we had a little plot of land outside the city in “kolektyviniai sodai” (collective gardens) and most of our weekends and summers were spent there. It was heaven to play in the fields, but there was always plenty of work.

My sister and I were often assigned weeding, watering, or harvesting to complete. It was definitely good exercise and a learning experience. I remember how proud I was when, one summer, my dad deemed me grown-up enough to show me how to cut grass with a scythe. It took a lot of coordination and control to swing the blade just so, to catch the grass low enough and to not drive the blade into the ground.

Harvesting rye with scythes in Juodėnai village, Lithuania. Original photograph Povilas Butkus, 1938.

In the summertime, we frequently visited with our relatives in the country. The grownups helped with harvesting and us kids followed them around and entertained ourselves with lighter tasks. My parents, aunts, and uncles all grew up on farms and were used to this type of work. I remember them teasing each other and laughing in the fields. Yet, it was hard work and they were all exhausted by the end of the day.

My own ancestors in Old Lithuania, like ancestral peoples everywhere, must have carried much body wisdom. Working the land shaped their bodies and their posture. Theirs wasn’t just a weekend task: it was a day-by-day, year-after-year way of life.

Photo treasures
Much more recently, I found a treasure trove of photos on E-paveldas. I immediately recognized the pristine body architecture and beautiful movements of the Lithuanian farmers. Here were women and men working with a clear J-shaped spine — which is found in highly functioning and musculoskeletally sound populations and is a cornerstone of the Gokhale Method. I was not surprised to see the J-spine show up in historical photos from Lithuania. How else could one exert oneself on a daily basis and remain productive and intact?

Before machinery, harvesting was a communal affair. Men did most of the chopping, plowing, and scything. Women raked and gathered, but also did heavier work when needed. Hay and grain harvesting was done with scythes. When harvesting grain, as in both photographs above, the cuttings were gathered and bundled into neat bunches and stacked in big piles in the fields. If harvesting hay, the cuttings were first spread out to dry and once dry, the hay was gathered and transported to the barns (below).

Young women from Didsodė village harvesting hay. Original photographer unknown, ca. 1940.

In the picture below, we see women hefting piles of dry hay to load up a horse cart.

Women loading harvested and dried hay onto a horse cart. Original photographer unknown, 1935.

Postural highlights
These old photographs give us a good view of people’s silhouettes. In contrast to modern-day postural tendencies in industrialized societies, there is no tucking of the pelvis. Behinds are very much behind. Shoulders are back and necks are lengthened. That’s J-spine, the same spinal shape we all had when we were little! 

This body architecture sets a foundation for inner corset engagement. Here, the obliques, transverse abdominis, rotatores, and multifidi muscles are all engaged. 

The inner corset muscles stabilize and decompress the spine so there is no wear and tear on spinal structures during exertion. This is how repetitively thrusting with pitchforks, lifting weights over the head, forcefully swinging scythes across the body, or reaching and pulling with rakes can be performed without hurting one’s back. Of course, the inner corset muscles get a huge workout! Meanwhile, they become stronger and in turn better support the spine.

Additionally, heavy arm and shoulder actions require correct shoulder placement. Notice that the farmers’ chests are open and wide, and shoulders are set further back. This shoulder location allows for better arm circulation, opens the chest cavity for better breathing, and prevents the upper spine from slumping. This position is key for efficient movement and protection from injury.

Bending well is essential to avoid back pain. You can see all the women hinging beautifully from their hips and keeping their backs flat while harvesting potatoes, doing laundry, and cooking. In spite of long hours bending, they did not hunch their shoulders, round their backs, or distort their spines.

Potato harvest in the Džiuginėnai fields. Original photograph Juzefas Perkovskis, 1940.

This healthy way of bending does no damage to the bones, discs or ligaments. Instead, it strengthens the muscles in the back (erectors and rhomboids) and provides the best stretch for the leg and hip muscles (external hip rotators and hamstrings).

Women hip-hinging while doing laundry. Original photograph Balys Buračas, 1923.

Hip-hinging while cooking in an open-air summer kitchen. Original photograph Stasys Vaitkus, 1937.

Another beautiful image (below) depicts three shepherd boys with their instruments. Notice that their lengthened leg and hip muscles in turn allow the spine to stack without slumping even when squatting on the ground. Their legs remain externally rotated, and their foot arches intact.

Village shepherds. Note the deep, healthy squat at left. Original photograph Stasys Vaitkus, 1938. 

In the last image (below), an older couple carries a yoke (naščiai) and baskets. What a clever way to carry a load! The yoke is placed close to the spine — the best place to bear weight, just like in weight lifting, while arms and hands are spared.

Marija and Augustas Šarkai on their way to harvest potatoes. Group Photograph/Bernardas Aleknavičius, 1971.

This couple encapsulates what we find across all ancestral populations:

1. Their feet are turned out and bean-shaped.

2. Their behinds are behind them.

3. Their ribcages are flush with the contours of the torsos, which means their lower backs are lengthened.

4. Their shoulders are set way back and their arms are externally rotated.

5. Their necks are long; their chins angle down.

Furthermore, this couple is not young anymore. I am sure they worked throughout their lives, yet they retain beautiful, erect posture.

Reflection
This was a brief glimpse of village life in Lithuania in the early twentieth century. The photographs of my ancestors laboring in the fields are brimming with body wisdom. This wisdom is a part of a common worldwide heritage that has been displaced by modern culture. Yet, it is still available to us through photographs, stories from elders, and posture work.

I felt inspired by the wisdom and proud of my Lithuanian heritage when looking at these pictures. I encourage you to do the same! Look through your own family photos, if you have them, or historical photography books. Let these images inspire you and reaffirm how well our bodies are designed, and how sturdy and strong they are when used well.

Feeling happy after a lesson. 

If you ask Joan Baez what keeps her in good enough shape to do worldwide musical tours at age 78, she will hand you a little brown card that says “Esther Gokhale, Creator of the Gokhale Method.”

My wooden business card.

Joan has used various kinds of bodywork throughout her career. Music tours invariably involve bumpy bus rides, late-night performances, uncomfortable beds, and other challenges to the human frame, and Joan, like most seasoned musicians, has experienced her share of neck and back strain. Joan lives in California, the mecca of massage therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and other healers who smooth and soothe soft and hard tissue into more harmonious states. So it’s not surprising that she has found many helpful interventions and intervenors. But one stands out in getting to the root of her musculoskeletal challenges, and in altering the usual trajectory of wear and tear, degeneration and dysfunction. It’s the Gokhale Method. And thank goodness for the Gokhale Method, because there’s only one Joan Baez, and the world needs her right now, though she is at an age where we would expect her to be winding down. 

Joan stretchlying on her side, very relaxed and comfortable.

It’s been a treat to work with Joan. My interaction with Joan began after college in New York City, when I was involved in an organization called CRY (Child Relief and You). CRY was trying to raise money for central audio/video/media cultural centers in India so less-privileged youth could have access to video cameras, slide projectors, audio recorders, and other wonders of modern technology, which they could learn to use and which would keep them abreast of a useful aspect of the modern world. Joan Baez, whose music and mission had moved me deeply, seemed like the ideal person to craft an appeal to. I fantasized that she would do a concert in India and bring awareness to CRY’s mission. I spent quite some time crafting my letter, sent it (through someone who knew someone who knew someone) — and did not get a response. When I told Joan this story decades later, she said sadly, “We tried so hard to respond to the kids especially…” I assured her the letter probably got lost because it was sent by “hand delivery.”

Joan hip-hinging to pick lettuce. Notice how her externally rotated legs create space for her torso to settle between her legs.

Shoulder rolls help the shoulders settle further back and further out from the body. Joan is enjoying having her shoulders return home.

I forget exactly how Joan, her buddy Jeanne, and her other buddy Karen ended up in my studio 11 years ago, in 2008. Each of them were able to use the Gokhale Method techniques to rid themselves of a deep-seated and seemingly inevitable degenerative symptom that many practitioners had been unable to give them relief from or hope around. Three for three was impressive to them. They decided I was the “real thing” and have championed my work since then. Joan gave me and the Gokhale Method a ringing endorsement, which we have since used on flyers and brochures to good effect.

After years of struggling with chronic neck and back pain, I had the good fortune of meeting Esther Gokhale, who introduced me to her Method. Although stunningly simple, Gokhale's Method turns much of conventional wisdom about pain and posture on its head. Each session of the course gave immediate results which have affected my life profoundly, and I now look forward to many years of a healthy neck and back. I would highly recommend that others seek out this very special woman, or read her book entitled 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back.

Joan Baez

In the course of our lessons together, Joan and I hit it off and became friends. My relationship with Joan continued at a sauntering pace, peppered with highlights like being invited with my entire family to her 70th birthday celebration at Teatro Zinzanni. This event, a comedic showcase employing impressive theatrical talent, will forever remain in my memory as our 16-year-old son Nathan was chosen to go up on stage and become a part of the spectacle. And spectacular it was, as well as bawdy, hilarious, and entirely “incorrect.” At the end of the evening, a woman came up to me and humorously remarked that she hoped we have enough saved up for therapy for the rest of our son’s life. Christine Deaver was the Maitresse d’ for the show. Christine is a large woman who owns every centimeter that she occupies. At one point in the evening, in joking with another volunteer she pointed out that her breast was larger than his entire bald head. The way she did it was very funny indeed. Nathan was one of three competitors for the role of Romeo against her Juliet.  There were several sections to the competition, including singing (for 200 guests) Mary Had a Little Lamb in a high-pitched falsetto, reciting a heavily adapted version of the balcony scene including lewd lines such as “I’ll come a-knockin’ when the balcony’s a-rockin’,” and the grand finale, in which all contenders had to pull a sword out of a scabbard to declare their love for Juliet. Christine expressed her disappointment in the limp and fallen-to-the-side swords of the other contenders, and approval of Nathan’s upstanding and sturdy sword. The show ended with Christine feeding a reclining Nathan grapes as their float circled around the stage. Oy vey.

Nathan playing Romeo opposite Christine Deaver’s Juliet. In addition to his sword remaining upright (see story above), his neck looks pretty upright too! Original photo courtesy Teatro Zinzanni, 2011.

On another occasion, Joan invited me to her fundraiser concert with Emmylou Harris and Jackson Browne for the Downtown Streets team to support local homeless shelters. Vintage Joan in her sixth decade of supporting people in need — I felt so inspired.

There are many stories: too many to recount here. Suffice it to say that our friendship has truly been a delight.

When hip-hinging for extended periods, like in a garden, it’s normal to rest on the knees as Joan demonstrates here.

In the last year, Joan has returned for refresher lessons. I feel lucky that Joan values my lessons. Joan ups my game. She inspires new turns of phrase, her paintings inspire posture lessons, we dance with good posture. And Joan helps me remember just how much is possible, well into your higher decades.

Joan in a “ready position,” preparing to hip-hinge to pick some calendula.

Photo courtesy Norman Crawford.

Norm, a hydrologic analyst and author now 82 years of age, originally hails from Alberta, Canada. When Norm was 16 years old, he accepted a summer job in Lake Louise (also known as Lake of the Little Fishes by the local Stoney Nakoda people), a location in the Canadian Rockies so known for its rugged beauty that it is frequently included on lists of “Wonders of the World.” This breathtaking landscape formed the backdrop for Norm’s lifelong love affair with the outdoors. Decades later, Norm still speaks of Lake Louise with understated reverence.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, where Norm first fell in love with hiking. Photo courtesy Kevin Noble on Unsplash.

These days, Norm still loves spending time being active outdoors. When he’s home and not working on flood research or his novel, a favorite activity of Norm’s is walking the Stanford hills and campus. His family also owns a small cabin in the mountains near a lake he enjoys circumambulating daily. Perhaps it was his early exposure to the wilderness of Lake Louise which planted the seed of his passion for outdoor activity, a healthy and restorative passion he continues to feed.

Norm has been fortunate to enjoy “quite a bit” of mountain hiking in his life: here he is summiting Mt. McArthur. Photo courtesy Norman Crawford.

Challenges to walking and hiking

Not long ago, however, Norm’s treasured outdoor activity began to be interrupted by lower back and leg pain. After only 30 minutes of walking, he would be in enough pain to have to stop and stretch out his legs. He’d then be able to continue for another 5-10 minutes before needing to stop again. The pain was significant enough that he was starting to avoid walking even his usual Stanford route. At the mountain cabin, he noticed himself avoiding the routine, 2-hour “rocky walk” around the lake, fearing pain. To be suddenly unable to take this routine walk was quite a disruption. Norm was afraid he’d have to give up the mountain hiking he’d enjoyed since his teenage years. More than that: he was also afraid of consigning himself to a shorter life of poorer quality. He’d seen similar effects firsthand after his father experienced a severe pole-vaulting leg fracture at age 45, and didn’t want that for himself. Norm decided to do something about his pain, rather than settle for a life like his father’s had become after his injury. He also wanted to strengthen his core, behind, and legs.

As Norm puts it, “it’s troubling to get old,” but he also sees aging, in part, as a state of mind. “It’s not true to say that I’m still 20,” he says by way of example, but “there’s a way to do things that you have not done before and to expand what you know.” Norm’s willingness “to try out other things” than what might be strictly familiar speaks to his adventurous approach to life and clearly benefits his mindset. As a hydrologic researcher, he’s enjoyed visiting countries where he couldn’t even begin to read the language, let alone speak it. More recently, since he’s begun Gokhale Method lessons and Continuing Education, Norm’s interest in retooling habitual behavior has benefitted not only his posture, but his enjoyment of life.

One of the important lessons Norm learned was the sequence of muscular contractions and relaxations that constitute walking. The Orissan man above shows the beginning of the relaxation phase of a stride — his left posterior chain muscles relax as his right leg takes on a more active role. His left foot’s shape continues to hold its own at this instant.

The Gokhale Method supplies Norm with very specific ways to strengthen his back and other muscles, as well as new ways of moving and walking. These techniques are drawn from nonindustrialized, indigenous cultures —  cultures which Norm considers “less stressed” than ours. The specificity of the Gokhale Method techniques contrast with Norm’s earlier experience with the Alexander Technique, which he does not recall being as methodical and technique-oriented.

Our founder Esther Gokhale lives and teaches close to Norm, so he’s been “fortunate enough to take classes with the source,” and Norm holds her teaching expertise in high regard. Norm considers the lessons reasonably priced, particularly compared to the costs of MRIs and conventional medicine. He began lessons with Esther nearly a year and a half ago. Initially, Norm attended the lessons, listened to the instruction, and started working on the techniques, but admits he “didn’t really do things daily.” Eventually, he heard Esther say that if he wanted to gain more robust benefits, he’d have to perform the techniques daily. That shift from occasional to daily practice was when he began to see “major results.”

These before-and-after images and SpineTracker™ readings of Norm's hip-hinging indicate one way he has learned to protect his posture.

The benefits of adaptability

Since taking a Gokhale Method Foundations Course and Continuing Education, “what used to happen” to Norm in terms of pain “just doesn’t happen” anymore. That treasured 2-hour walk around the lake at the mountain cabin is something he wouldn’t hesitate to do now. Closer to home, he walks the same hour-plus Stanford routes he used to walk and doesn’t need to stop and doesn’t even feel uncomfortable. With a grin, Norm jokes that the results of treating his pain through posture seem to him like “black magic!”

Norm is living proof that, at any age, humans can learn and adapt to new situations, and can do things we’ve never done before. Rather than allowing himself to become “self-contained and narrow” in the way he does things as he ages, Norm prefers to change course and branch out, much like water does as it flows tirelessly around obstacles.

Like the water he’s researched for decades, Norm has found ways to respond and adapt to changing circumstances. Photo courtesy Ezra Comeau-Jeffrey on Unsplash.

In Norm’s own words:

When asked to say something about myself, my first impulse is self-aggrandizement, e.g. claiming I was born in a cabin I built myself. This impulse can’t survive the light of day, but if this text decamps and merges with late night camp-fire talk, beware. My work is hydrologic analysis and I have been fortunate to travel and work in many places in the world, including villages in the Amazon that have limited contact with the outside world.

I want to talk about teachers, and what we learn and don’t learn, and whether or not this changes with age. We do learn at an extraordinary rate between birth and age four; if you see a newborn and a four-year-old together, how could that transformation happen? College freshmen and graduates are different, but not that different. If you do reach seventy, or eighty, what then? Have you learned all that there is to learn?

People like these Orissan potters were the models for Norm’s posture transformation.

Specifics, my inner editor demands. OK. I’ve had the good fortune to meet teachers over my eighty-plus years and retain some of what they had to say; in high-school an English and a physics teacher. In college, still more – a mathematics professor (whose name I don’t remember) who said the increase in computational speed (then about five orders of magnitude) would change human life. The teachers I remember had discovered or realized truths and wanted to make these truths known.

So, what happens with age? Things I could do at sixty-five, eighteen-hour mountain climbs, become problematic. I would love to do those climbs but my body says, “You can’t be serious.” I have to deal with loss. My mother-in-law, who lived to 102, said, “Old age is not for wimps.”

This elderly Orissan woman’s presence in the marketplace communicates a peaceful approach to aging. She actively participates in everyday life — her biceps tone tells that story — even as she sits out the most arduous tasks.

Dylan Thomas wrote, “Do not go gentle into that good night-” How can that be done? Esther Gokhale is a teacher. Listening to Esther, and learning finally that I had to work at the Gokhale Method, I found I could defeat sciatica. My expectation that ‘things get worse with age’ proved false.

Eighteen-hour mountain climbs? Not yet. Maybe next year.