Squats

I’m grateful that my posture journey is still unfolding

My Gokhale Method® journey has unfolded in stages. I attended an in-person weekend Gokhale® Foundations course in 2016, seeking relief for a stiff neck. My neck had been a chronic problem during my long career as a professional oboe player, and it was now much worse after a freak fall down the stairs. As I began to incorporate the Gokhale principles into my daily life, my neck gradually improved. 

In the fall of 2023, I took another step forward: I completed the PostureTracker™ and Advanced Glidewalking online courses for alumni. This time, I immediately noticed a striking sense of groundedness and well-being—so much so that I volunteered to write my first Gokhale Success Story (you can read it here.) I could not have imagined that only a year later, in early 2025, I'd be writing again with even greater excitement, but here I am! In this Success Story I'll describe the surprising (to me) and wonderful changes I'm experiencing as I complete my fourth month of steady attendance at the Dance Party, 1-2-3-Move, and Gokhale Fitness classes. 

My fitness gathers momentum

I signed up for the three-week Gokhale Fitness challenge in September 2024. I attended all six classes each week, for three weeks. I loved the classes. I also felt fantastic. 

Emily speaks about the momentum of her posture and fitness journey, from a six-lesson course, to taking a daily program…

So after that, I joined Gokhale® Active and I simply kept going. All along, I've used the Dance Party and 1-2-3 Move classes as a sort of mindful warm-up before the Gokhale Fitness class. In this way, in an hour a day, six days a week, I've managed to get dramatically stronger. Even better, I've done it without pain or injury. 

What the process has felt like

My muscles are sometimes a bit sore, especially every six weeks when the Gokhale Fitness instructors change up the exercises (each class features three exercises, always taught with keen mindfulness to Gokhale principles.) However, I appreciate the change because it means I never get bored, and because each class pinpoints specific areas of the body and aspects of fitness (lower body strength, upper body stability and mobility, and so on). I find this gives my muscles and joints ample time to recover each week.

Our foster cat Arjuna relaxes while I do my daily 1-2-3 Move class. I aspire to have shoulders as flexible as his! (see below)

In addition, I took advantage of the special lesson rate we were offered during the fitness challenge and signed up for two private lessons online in the weeks after the challenge ended. I found the lessons invaluable to help me "see" (and feel) the ways I was holding and moving my body well, and the ways I still needed to change.

The body worker I see once a month was wowed by the increase in my strength and vitality, and friends have commented on the change. When my partner and I had to (literally) pick up an unwieldy 28 lb. (13 kg) bag of cat litter at the pet store recently for the cat we were fostering, my partner just looked at me and raised an eyebrow. He knew I'd want to be the one to do it. I did, easily. Not surprising as I’m now lifting a 35 lb. (16 kg) kettlebell for squats in class. And everyday life is easier, like bending to put a heavy cast iron pot into the back of a low cupboard. 

Emily shares the secret of her new physique!

My strength is increasing

The 1-2-3 Move posture work and the Gokhale Fitness classes create a powerful synergy. Having done both classes for four months, I understand clearly now that for me, strength had been the key missing piece of the postural puzzle. A year ago, I couldn't keep my shoulders back all day because the muscles in my upper back that perform that action were weak. In fact, in the PostureTracker™ class, my upper back would start to ache after just a few minutes. Now that I have reached the necessary baseline tone in that area in the Gokhale Fitness classes, I have no problem resting my shoulders back.

In the past, I instinctively shied away from work with weights. When I did try it, my neck would get worse. Now I understand that if I do strength work in the right way, with healthy alignment, it makes my neck—and my posture overall—better, not worse. What a joyful discovery! I have two sisters-in-law who are very athletic: one of them does clap pushups. Observing them, I’ve always felt like a cat watching a bird through the window. I admired their strength, but I thought I could never be that strong myself, or that if I could, it would take way more time than I could possibly spend (and, possibly, make my neck worse.) Now I see that getting stronger is a gradual process, one that I can engage in by investing a totally manageable amount of time each day.  

As I knead bread, I'm conscious of keeping a J-spine, engaging my inner corset, and letting my shoulders stay back and down.

Feeling joy and confidence in my body

I’m almost 65: I just finished applying for Medicare. Yet I feel more energetic than ever. While I already had a positive attitude towards aging, I really did not see this coming. I am, in fact, in my body more: it is like a mindfulness practice. I am aware of what my neck and shoulders are doing, for example, and this awareness keeps me in my body. The daily 1-2-3 Move classes I attend are like drip irrigation for my posture: the changes soak in easily and gradually, leaving me with a deep, ongoing sense of well-being and strength. I also feel peace of mind knowing that the strength and postural habits I am building will help reduce my fall risk as I age. Best of all, I’ve noticed that in stressful situations, I’m much better able to stand on my own two (kidney-bean shaped!) feet and say whatever I need to say in a calm way. In other words, improved posture has noticeably changed for the better the way I show up in my relationships.

Thanks to my Gokhale studies since the first picture (above) was taken in our garden in 2021, my posture has shifted from tentative and diffident to sturdy, erect, and confident (below)

Investing in my health now—and for the future

We all do our best to save money so we can live comfortably as we age. That’s important. However, I’ve come to realize that investing in my body, as I do each time I take a Gokhale class, is equally important. I want my quality of life to be high as I get older. Healthy posture and robust strength are underappreciated but crucial elements of a good quality of life. By cultivating these qualities, I’m making a tangible contribution to my health and happiness not only now, but years down the road.

Now that I understand that good posture is a lifelong journey, attending to my body alignment and strength has become as regular a habit as brushing my teeth—including regular “checkups” with Gokhale teachers through classes and lessons. The physical, emotional, and relational benefits of my newfound regular attention to posture are hard to overstate. I hope that reading about my journey inspires you to dream big about how you’d like to feel as you get older. And I hope I’ve conveyed how much studying the Gokhale Method has helped me live the way I want to live—feeling joyful, energetic, and strong.

Best next action steps

If you would like help finding your potential for healthy posture and exercise, get started by booking a consultation, online or in person, with one of our teachers.

You can sign up below to join any one of our upcoming FREE Online Workshops…

In surveys of what people find physically attractive in a partner, a shapely butt is often highly rated. Perhaps it’s no surprise, but if you want, there are even apps to help! So, are good-looking glutes all about sex appeal and filling out our clothing in a flattering fashion? While these concerns may be valid, it is also true that well-toned glutes have many other, profound, but less widely recognized attributes. 

This blog post takes a look at the bigger picture of glute function. You may be surprised to find out just how much your glutes can contribute to healthy posture and a pain-free body.  

Glorious glutes—not just a “nice to have”

Your glutes potentially form the largest muscle group and have the largest impact. Most of us realize at some point in our lives, perhaps due to overdone squats or steep hill climbing, that the glutes are major players in sports and exercise. But if we don’t need them for competitive sports or challenging hiking, is it still worth investing in them for better returns? Let’s take a look at the dividends.

Reduce stress on your lower back

Glutes have a crucial role in offloading stress from the lower back and sacroiliac joints. When the glutes are weak, the lower back muscles work harder to try and stabilize the pelvis and trunk, leading to overuse and pain. When the glutes are strong, along with the inner corset, they steady the pelvis and lower back. This reduces the risk of wear and tear to discs and bones, nerve pain, and muscle spasm in the area.

Vigorous and/or repetitive movement, without the gluteal strength and pelvic stability shown here, leaves the back and spine more vulnerable to damage. (Photographs by Eadweard Muybridge, 1872–​​1885)

Avoid sciatica and piriformis syndrome 

True sciatica occurs when there is pressure on the sciatic nerve, usually from a herniated disc or degenerative changes in the spinal joints. The symptoms may be numbness, tingling, burning and/or electrical shock-like pain. It usually extends from the buttock down the leg, and sometimes the foot, on one side. The Gokhale Method helps by restoring the anteverted position of the pelvis, and decompressing the lumbar spine where the sciatic nerve roots exit. We call the resulting natural alignment a J-spine.

Piriformis Syndrome is a condition characterized by pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks and often down the leg. It occurs when the piriformis muscle compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve passes under (or, in some individuals, through) the piriformis muscle, and is particularly prone to overwork and disturb the sciatic nerve if its neighbor, gluteus medius, is not doing its duty. The Gokhale Method encourages healthy pelvic positioning and gluteal function to allow the sciatic nerve free passage through the area. 

The profile view (right) shows swayed, leaning back posture, which causes problematic tightening in the posterior chain muscles and compresses the lower spine, including its discs and nerves. 

Make your movement strong, flexible, and stable

Your glutes are the powerhouse muscles that propel you in climbing, squatting, running, jumping, and more. They also work to control those movements, and are key to maintaining your balance. But glutes are not just for vigorous exercise…

In walking, it is your glutes that enable you to correctly achieve forward motion, rather than relying overly on your psoas and quads, shuffling, or falling forward. Glute activation brings a natural smoothness and grace to walking that we call glidewalking. Glidewalking allows your front foot to meet the ground deliberately but lightly, which is gentle on your joints; it also stretches your psoas with every step. 

Long jumper Khaddi Sagnia of Sweden uses her glutes to power the run up and propel her amazing jumping…and also to glidewalk away.

Muscles support a healthy metabolism 

The muscular system plays an integral role in our body’s metabolism. Well-used muscles will be larger, helping to burn calories rather than store them. This can help to keep insulin levels low in the blood and can contribute to a healthy metabolism and weight range. 

Well-toned glutes contribute to a healthy muscular and metabolic system. Man at His Bath by Gustave Caillebotte, 1884.

The foremost antiaging strategy—beautiful buttocks!

Never mind face yoga, cosmetic lifts, or surgical implants. Rather than costly interventions that do nothing to stop you losing your balance, strength, and mobility, embrace the art and science of how to rejuvenate your body by learning to move as you are meant to. Healthy posture can greatly improve your body’s architecture, self-confidence, health span—and your appearance as a bonus!

 
As infants (left) we instinctively align ourselves well, making good use of our muscles. In our society, adopting poor postural habits as we go through life results in lack of healthy muscle tone, like “glute amnesia”—flat, wasted muscles that have forgotten how to work (right).

Best next action steps

We invite you to join us for a themed Free Online Workshop: Wake Up Your Glutes, They Snooze, You Lose, on Friday, September 6 at 12:30 pm PST, in which you will learn how to make every step a rep! A replay will be available over the weekend if you cannot join live. So sign up, and you will also receive a special offer.

This workshop launches our 21-day Strong Glutes, Strong Body Gokhale Fitness challenge, which will run from Sept 9–29, to help you continue to build strength and improve your posture.

In this blog post, the fifth in our series scrutinizing popular home exercises, we are looking at squats. Is it a beneficial exercise, and how does it stack up—or not—against the principles of healthy posture?

Squats are a popular and effective exercise designed primarily to strengthen the quads, stabilize the knee joint, tone the glutes, and also work the back muscles. 

A squat is an essential baseline position for many athletic movements including this kettlebell snatch. Wikimedia

How low should they go?

Deep squats have become increasingly popular in recent decades, following a trend towards cross-training and exercise based on “natural movement.” Fitness and movement trainers have sought to emulate people in non-industrialized societies or traditional cultures who squat with ease, often for long periods.

Deep squats present challenges unless you grew up in a culture that routinely sits and squats on the ground. The challenge is not only in the muscles around the hips, knees, and ankles, but also in the bony part of the joints. When you are born your hip joint is made entirely of cartilage. By age 16, it is fully ossified. If you are not continually sitting and squatting low in your formative years the ossification pattern will not facilitate the angles necessary for squatting as an adult. It is therefore impossible for most westerners to squat low without tucking the pelvis and rounding the back, just like it is hard for them to sit crossed legged and relaxed.

 
Even though her high heeled shoes reduce the angle of bend required to squat, the woman on the left rounds her back to squat. The Indian villager (right) can squat with a straight back. Unsplash

The benefits of standing/partial squats

For this reason I highly recommend partial squats, which are a safer option and offer many of the benefits of a full squat. They are also a perfect exercise to focus on and develop healthy posture.

Anyone who has ever done a fitness or yoga class may also know this exercise as Chair Pose. In some schools of fitness training, it is regarded as a foundational exercise. In traditional yoga it is known by its Sanskrit name, Utkatasana. Utkatasana translates as intense, powerful, fierce, difficult—you get the idea. 

BKS Iyengar in Utkatasana, showing the challenge of the pose. Facebook

Squats can indeed be demanding. Lowering and raising your body weight into and out of the partial squat works the biggest muscles in the body (the leg and buttock muscles) hard, as they alternately contract (concentrically), and then release their length (eccentrically). 

When you start training with squats you don’t want to go down too far—better to do a shallow, more open zigzag squat that eases you into the exercise. This avoids the risk of injury and you can increase the intensity and demands on your body by going deeper over time, as you get stronger and more flexible. 

How to do a healthy squat

   1. Preparation

To facilitate a healthy amount of external rotation in the legs and hips, softness in the groin and nestling of the pelvis, we recommend doing the paper clip stretch or figure four as it is also known. This is a good preparatory exercise before squatting, and, done regularly over time, will encourage a healthy nestling of the pelvis and alignment of the legs.

In this video I am demonstrating the paperclip stretch, which prepares the legs and hips for healthy squatting. Clip from Gokhale Method Open University video.

   2. Start from a “Ready Stance”

A well-aligned standing posture is essential to maintain healthy form as you execute squats. The Gokhale Method teaches a position we call “Ready Stance” which aligns your feet, legs, and hips for correct movement. In this stance you will find the key characteristics of a squat, but in embryonic form:

• Stand with your feet hip width apart and pointing 10°–15° outward. Have a tiny bend at the hips and knees, as if you are about to play tennis or dance, bringing softness to the groin and back of the knees. 

Gokhale Fitness teacher Eric Fernandez demonstrates the Ready Stance. It is like an ultra-mini squat.

This ancient Greek statue captures the softness and depth you want at the groin even in everyday standing. To get there, take the Ready Stance and then stop short of locking your joints as you straighten up.  

   3. Going into a squat

• In the Ready Stance, rest your hands on the top of your thighs in your groin crease.
• Initiate your squat from your hips. As you fold deeper at the hips your behind will travel further back behind you. 
• Your knees will bend in response to your bend at the hips. Keep them wide and pointing outward and your thighs out of the way as you bend.
• As you squat, allow your torso to angle forward at the groin as your pelvis rotates on your thigh bones. Check that your stance has a zigzag shape.
• Focus on maintaining the straightest possible spine by using your rib anchor. 
• Keep your chin down. You want your neck and head to remain in the same orientation as the rest of your torso.

A healthy squat embodies all the points above.

• When you are confident with the above you can raise your arms smoothly as you squat. Maintain your rib anchor, especially if you have stiff shoulders and are more likely to sway to lift your arms. If possible, bring your arms to the same angle as your torso.

Raising your arms in line with your torso requires a strong rib anchor to prevent your back from swaying.

Gokhale Method teacher Cecily Frederick in Chair Pose, overlaid with SpineTracker™ snapshot. The SpineTracker gives real time feedback on the shape of the spine. Note that Cecily’s spine remains straight in the lumbar area and the J-shaped angle at the L5-S1 junction puts her behind behind her—she does not arch her back.

   
Detail of Cecily Frederick’s spinal shape in Chair Pose, overlaid with SpineTracker snapshot.

Common Mistakes: 

• Swaying the back. Fix this by using your rib anchor to remove the sway.

Swaying the back compresses the lumbar discs and nerves. Unsplash

• Knees and/or feet collapsing inward. Fix this by angling your feet outward.

Internal rotation of the legs (left) puts pressure on the inner knees and flattens the foot arches. Feet turned outward and knees and thighs kept wide helps support your structure while allowing the pelvis to settle.

• Lifting the chin. Avoid looking up or ahead. Fix this by softening your gaze and aligning your head and neck with the rest of your torso.

Lifting the chin risks putting pressure on the discs and nerves of the cervical spine. It is better to cultivate a long, tall neck. Wikimedia

   4. Increasing the challenge in squat

Once you have good technique and can perform squats smoothly with good form, you can increase their intensity in several ways—though not all at once!

• Increase the number of reps.
• Go deeper—take your thighs towards horizontal. Make sure your torso also pivots closer towards your thighs, your behind stays behind, and your knees do not go forward of your toes. 
• Hold a squat position for a number of breaths. Maintain a strong rib anchor so as not to flare the ribs and sway with each inhalation. 

Free Online Workshops

If you would like to find out more about how the Gokhale Method can help support you, whether through exercise or posture education, sign up to join one of Esther’s upcoming FREE Online Workshops.