wedge

Some things in life want to be “just right.” There is a popular fairytale about the importance of this—the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The most well-known version features a young girl with golden hair who wanders into the woods and finds a house with no one home. It belongs to Papa, Mama, and Baby bear. The story goes that Goldilocks

thought she would sit down and rest until they came, so first she sat down in the GREAT BIG CHAIR, but the cushion was too soft. It seemed as though it would swallow her up. Then she sat down in the middle-sized chair, and the cushion was too hard, and it was not comfortable. Then she sat down in the dear little chair, and it was just right, and fitted her as though it had been made for her.

(Katharine Pyle, E. P. Dutton & Company, 1918 )

Goldilocks tested the three bears’ chairs, their beds, and even their porridge, to find what was “just right” for her. (Illustration by Katharine Pyle, E. P. Dutton & Company, 1918 )

The sitting conundrum

Just like Goldilocks’ search for what felt “just right”, sitting comfortably without a backrest can be a particular challenge. A wedge that is “just right” is required to enable most people to sit upright and relaxed, rather than be trapped in the common back and forth between upright and tense, and relaxed but slumped. Stacksitting enables you to avoid compression on delicate spinal nerves, discs, and tissues, and encourages healthy breathing and organ function. You can see how this works below:

The pelvis is your foundation in sitting. When your pelvis is well positioned with a wedge, the upper body can be upright and relaxed (a). With the pelvis poorly positioned, the upper body is either relaxed but slumped (b), or upright and tense (c).

Why most wedges fail

Existing wedges on the market are either too soft to support a healthy change in pelvic position, too hard to be comfortable, or too variable (buckwheat filled, for example). They are often far too shallow to help the pelvis antevert (tip forward) correctly. And since every body is different in terms of weight, size, and degree of natural L5-S1 angle, most off-the-shelf solutions are unlikely to be optimal.  

For two decades Esther Gokhale advised students not to use or buy proprietary wedges for sitting, but to make their own from household items such as rolled towels or folded blankets. Not only were these items immediately on hand, but, most importantly, it meant students could learn how to customize them to be just right. The downside was that these makeshift wedges were less than attractive, unwieldy—needing frequent reshaping, and consequently underutilized.

This was a somewhat frustrating situation. The Gokhale Method® has logical and effective cues to teach and give our students all the comfort and benefits of stacksitting with a wedge, but we needed to make it more accessible.

A well-designed wedge helps you to rediscover sitting comfort and develop a healthy alignment for your back in standing and walking too.

Getting it “just right”

After thorough research and development, two years ago we launched the unique Gokhale® Wedge to solve all of these problems. Elegant in form and function, our wedge is designed so it can be sat on four different ways around. It not only meets your individual needs, but it can also adapt as your body changes on your Gokhale Method journey.

Most people use their Gokhale Wedge rounded side up. The slightly different degrees of curve on each edge gives a choice of more or less angle to help tip the pelvis into anteversion.

Beginners, slighter people, or those with less natural L5-S1 angle, often prefer their Gokhale Wedge flat side up. They can choose more or less tilt. 

The Gokhale Wedge can give you just the right amount of pelvic anteversion at each stage of your posture journey. 

Back up your Gokhale Wedge with education

No matter how well-designed, a posture product is best supported by training. Just as a car needs skillful driving, the benefits of the Gokhale Wedge are maximized through proper understanding and application. You can learn about stacksitting in our in-person Foundations course, one-day  Immersion course, our online Elements course, plus our Gokhale Exercise program. Our DVD Secrets to Pain-Free Sitting, also helps you to integrate your wedge optimally into daily life. Furthermore, as a Gokhale Method student you can integrate using the wedge with our wearable PostureTracker™, which has settings that can track the degree of your L5-S1 angle, and spinal stack.

Take advantage of our Memorial Day Sale: Get three Gokhale Wedges for the price of two, May 24– 26, 2025, and get your upright sitting just right!

Best next action steps 

If you would like help with a healthier sitting position, 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…

I came upon the Gokhale Method®  very much by chance. Years ago I worked with a pianist named Sheila Page who was trained in a technique which was founded by the American music teacher Dorothy Taubman. Taubman observed people with high levels of playing ability, found out what they did so well, codified it into a method and taught it. At a Taubman workshop I heard of Peter Egoscue, who had devised a therapeutic exercise program; I worked from his book when I hurt in places, and had some improvement with that. Doing further research for pain relief, I then encountered Esther Gokhale’s name. Not too long after, my son and I drove together to attend a one-day Immersion course Esther was teaching in Boulder, Colorado.  

I’m pleased to share my Gokhale Method experience with you. 
David Pickering, organist and Professor of Music at Kansas State University

I came home, got distracted, and didn't do much with what I’d learned. But increasingly I found that if I wanted to play challenging pieces, and practice the organ for long periods of time, I would feel discomfort—I was going to have to hurt myself, which I didn’t want, or change something. I decided to do some research on body posture at the organ at Kansas State University, where I teach organ and music theory.

I had always played with my pelvis tucked, inevitably resulting in my upper back and shoulders rounding forward. I’m shocked now when I see I used to sit in one big C-curve!

Initially I went to an organist with training as a massage therapist who had done some work with the Feldenkrais Method®. There were things that helped, but it was not the systematic training I was looking for. I decided to take the research back to the Gokhale Method, and was connected to Julie Johnson because of her piano background. I took the 18-lesson online Gokhale® Elements course with Julie, who lives in Germany.

Learning even the early steps, like stretchsitting, made a noticeable improvement to my posture—but the ultimate test for me would be my playing position.

The journey has not been what I thought it would be. For example, I had not realised how far from healthy my posture was! I have also come to realise that this is a journey, and I can’t just fix every ingrained habit in six months. 

In all my years as a musician, I had never seen anybody use a wedge to antevert their pelvis—it seemed such a foreign concept. The Gokhale® Wedge eventually became a firm favorite. At first, I couldn’t stay on the wedge; then I found myself stuck and immobilized on it.  At that point, I thought I would have to declare this a failure and give up.

Without a wedge my pelvis tucked, rounding my spine and upper back. My shoulders internally rotated, and my elbows winged out, all pulling on my upper back. Little wonder I was in pain! 

Thankfully I stayed with it, starting by using the wedge for playing in church, where I didn't have the pressure of a concert. The whole idea of sitting at the instrument became so different. Initially I made a few mistakes I wouldn’t otherwise have made. I started to experiment with carefully calibrated combinations of strips of yoga mat for extra non-slip as I played, plus the Gokhale® Wedge.

I used my preferred set-up in concert a couple of months ago, and I was just shocked. I played with the greatest freedom, the greatest musicality, with my mind in a better place than I had had in a long time. I particularly noticed that I had less upper back, neck, and shoulder pain, as I was not pulling my shoulders forward as I had been. Interestingly, I’ve received very few questions and little curiosity about this strange innovation to playing, although I explain to my students what I’m doing.

As an organist, there was nothing in my training (and there's virtually nothing out there) to help with physical challenges in playing. Now I’m thinking, what can I do with my students? There are certainly things I can try and pass on to my students, but I realise that for best results, they need to get the whole Gokhale package. For that, I would ideally like to train as a Gokhale Method teacher. The Gokhale Method is an established program with an established pedagogy. Its teachers are well trained to tell you why you’re hurting, and exactly what to do about it.

This video shows me exploring stacksitting during my Elements course. You can hear Julie coaching me as I play. Recording by Julie Johnson, GM

Some years ago I videoed myself playing and realised my upper body posture was problematic, but didn’t know how to address it from the pelvis upward. With the anteverted pelvis and J-spine I have had the best results for playing the organ, and it’s wonderful to feel I know where it should be. Luckily my wife is very observant and helps me to continue this posture journey into my daily life—getting me out of tucking on the sofa, and encouraging me to use my glutes when walking.

Ongoing and future learning

Rolling and resting my shoulders back is something I am aware I still need to pay attention to while playing, and I sometimes catch myself feeling “something’s off” if they drift forward. Learning how to find a long, tall neck has also been a godsend for reducing upper back pain and rounding. I also benefit from working on that area with a back roller for mobility, and working my rhomboids for good muscle tone. My inner corset strength is also progressing and I can now move better to use my feet across the pedals, though there is more to do there.

My posture is steadily improving. An anteverted pelvis is the foundation for healthy sitting. Image by Julie Johnson, GM

I also do a great deal of work at the computer—now, I know how to antevert my pelvis and am finding my J-spine with the Gokhale® Wedge.

I’ll be 54 years old shortly. I see how people around me are looking in their later decades, and how their posture is correlated with their aches and pains and immobility. I don’t want to go there, and I know how to get to a better, pain-free place. The journey continues!

Best next action steps 

If you would like help with a healthier working or playing position, get started by booking a consultation, online or in person, with one of our teachers. In addition to being a Gokhale Method Teacher, Sigrun Franzen is an experienced organist, harpsichordist, and piano teacher.

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

According to research a shocking two-thirds of professional musicians live in chronic pain. Those of you who are music makers may have felt challenged at times by the lengthy periods of sitting or standing required for practice and rehearsal. Continuously holding an instrument, maintaining a playing position, or just standing holding sheet music, can, sooner or later, trouble your neck, shoulder, or wrist. Playing can become a physical challenge rather than an activity integrated with the music making.

This graph shows the distribution of pain reported in a group of 490 musicians.

Finding harmony in your body

The good news is that healthy posture can allow music-making to be not only a pleasure for the ears and nourishment for the soul, but also something comfortable and good for your body. Each time you play, practice, or perform, with your body in harmony, it will feel all the better for it, rather than sore and achy. 

In this series of blog posts about making music with healthy posture, you will meet some of our students and teachers who are also musicians. Some are professional while others are keen amateurs, but they all treasure music-making in their lives. They share having had their musicianship curtailed at some point by back pain, and having resolved it with the Gokhale Method®. This first blog post talks about playing the piano. 

As infants we naturally stacksit well to play an instrument. These youngsters have their behind behind them, shoulders posterior, and a tall neck. Their stool is too low though!

Playing the piano pain free

Juan Zurutuza holds the unique position of pianist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Sweden. Juan discovered the Gokhale Method online and then took the Gokhale Method Foundations Course with John Carter in the UK in 2016. He followed up with two one-day Pop-up courses with me in Werkhoven, Holland, and Bonn, Germany. In a recent catch-up he said:

Most of my musician colleagues have problems—that are solvable. I see many fixable postural problems, for example, tight, forward shoulders causing tingling in the fingers and impaired sensation, which causes immense difficulty to string players. But there are examples all over. 

When it comes to physical ease in playing piano, I find two things resonate for me. For the particulars of piano playing, the Taubman Approach. For whole-body posture, the Gokhale Method is an invaluable baseline. I’m not claiming to be perfect, but I know if my lower back gets tight I need to work on my sway with my rib anchor, and my neck position. At least I am aware and can change. 

The straightforward guidelines given in the Gokhale Method have made a huge positive impact on my playing: learning how to glide your neck back, how to lengthen your spine, how to sit using a wedge. . .All these things help me to be able to sit down and practice for what can very often be all day. People may say “oh, all that sitting is really bad for you,” but it really depends on how you do it. 

This photo shows Juan playing in 2008, before he found the Gokhale Method. It shows how his pelvis tucked when he played, rounding his back and sending his shoulders, neck, and head forward. When the pelvis is tucked, coming to an upright position demands the lower back muscles tense up.

(Concert at the Railway Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands.)

Being pain free isn't a requirement to be a great musician, certainly. But for me, being pain free, comfortable, and able to move in a coordinated way, increases my chances of conveying my musical intentions. I would say that I am seeking to align my physical and musical experiences as I play.

Juan practicing in Gothenburg, 2023, applying what he has learned with the Gokhale Method.

Teaching the piano along with healthy posture

Sigrun Franzen is a recently qualified Gokhale Method teacher based in Madison, Wisconsin. Sigrun is also a professional pianist, organist, and harpsichordist. 

I was never completely comfortable playing the organ, but I thought that was just the price you paid for a more awkward instrument which didn’t allow you to balance your feet on the floor when using the pedals and using your arms at different heights to get to the manuals (keyboards). Doing these things gave me back pain because I did them by letting my ribs pop up and contracting my back. Applying the Gokhale Method techniques of rib anchoring and engaging my inner corset solved that problem!

My own piano teacher recommended Esther’s book 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back to me, as she had another student who had benefited from the Method. It was the structural integrity I got from the Gokhale Method that proved to be the key to pain-free music-making. In fact to pain-free everything! For example, I suffered with persistent sciatica until I learned to glidewalk. The postural techniques I use at the piano are also directly transferable to healthy working at a desk computer. 

Healthy sitting for working at a computer follows the same posture principles as playing the piano. 

I play and teach piano with the Taubman Approach. In addition, with the Gokhale Method, it feels wonderful to offer a healthy postural role model for my students, which goes a long way. If they are still sitting poorly and in discomfort I can give them a little wedge for easy stacksitting—a light touch that makes a lot of difference. I have had some of my piano students’ parents take the Gokhale Method Foundations Course, which is a great way for them to support their kids. I like to have a few suitable stools and images of good positioning around in my studio. One of the parents said “Oh, you’re kinda like a professional sitter.” 

Here was Sigrun teaching a young pupil piano, back in 2016, before she discovered the Gokhale Method. Like Juan, she was tucked and rounded forward. Sigrun’s young pupil still has her natural posture intact and is setting an excellent example!

Learning the Gokhale Method enabled Sigrun to sit tall and relaxed as she plays. This video excerpt shows Gokhale Method teacher Sigrun Franzen giving a harpsichord recital. (Johann Jakob Froberger, Suite in A minor. St Matthias Episcopal Church, Waukesha, WI.)

Special Free Online Workshop for all musicians

Join Gokhale Method teacher Julie Johnson for our special free online workshop End the back pain and get back to music-making with the Gokhale Method, Monday, November 20, 11 a.m. (PST), 8 p.m. (CET). Julie is a pianist and choral singer in her spare time, and particularly enjoys helping other musicians to make music without strain on the body. You can sign up here.

Best next action steps for newcomers

If you would like insight on your posture, consider scheduling an Initial Consultation, online, or in person.

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

In this blog post I am excited to introduce a wedge for stacksitting to our students and readers. It’s possible to experience and take pleasure in sitting as you work at your desk, eat at your table, or play an instrument. If this is not the case for you, the Gokhale Wedge could make it so.

Upright sitting is necessary for many activities. The people shown above are sitting well with ease; most people in our culture no longer know how to do this.  

How a suitable wedge can transform your sitting

Does your back get tired and tense from trying to sit upright? To sit upright without tension in your back muscles, and without slumping to let tired muscles rest, your pelvis needs to be anteverted (tipped forward). A lot of people assume that tipping the pelvis forward will result in a sway, but are pleasantly surprised to find that this isn’t the case. Using a wedge enables you to tip your pelvis forward and find the natural position for your sacrum which allows an angled L5-S1 disc space that is a better fit for the wedge-shaped L5-S1 disc. From this base your vertebrae can stack vertically, giving you a healthy J-spine. Now your back muscles can relax, and your nerves, discs, muscles, and circulation can function well.

The pelvis is the foundation for the upper body. With the pelvis well positioned, the upper body can be upright and relaxed (a). With the pelvis poorly positioned, the upper body is either relaxed but slumped (b), or upright but tense (c).

A well-designed wedge helps you to rediscover sitting comfort. It helps create healthy muscle memory for standing and walking too.

Designing posture-friendly products

In general, we have chosen to be somewhat slow to market with products. We set a high bar for effectiveness and quality of design and manufacture, and don’t want to add to the glut of products that end up in landfill. 

But creating a wedge has been on my to do list for several years. One reason is that people often arrive at our courses having bought available wedges that don’t actually antevert the pelvis—and sometimes do the opposite in tucking the pelvis. 

In the past I hired professional designers to address this problem, but was not satisfied with the outcome. So until now we taught students how to make their own wedges by folding towels and blankets. However, we recognized that this isn’t always easy to get right, and rolled fabric does not keep its shape when transferred from place to place. 

A rolled towel or blanket can make a suitable wedge for stacksitting but it loses its shape easily if moved and takes frequent remodeling.

Determined to provide our students with a truly good wedge, we recently set about trialing a number of prototypes and getting extensive feedback from students and teachers. The result is a unique, simple design which finally ticks all the boxes.

The Gokhale Wedge took some time to get right.

What makes the Gokhale Wedge different

Most wedges are not informed by the J-spine philosophy that is at the core of the Gokhale Method®. Though commercial wedges are trying to respond to the discomfort that most people feel when sitting, and the observation that many seat pans slant backwards, they don’t go far enough in helping the pelvis antevert and supporting a J-spine. 

The majority of wedges on the market have an even, shallow slope, and are made of soft foam. Soft foam allows the sitz-bones to sink into the wedge, further reducing the angle of a slope which is already insufficient to help tip the pelvis. 

An example of a widely available, evenly-sloped shallow wedge. 

Gokhale Method teacher Julie Johnson shows how a soft, shallow wedge allows users to sit in a tucked pelvic position—not what you want, and not how Julie likes to sit!

The design of the Gokhale Wedge

The Gokhale Wedge is made from a durable foam that offers both sturdy support and enough cushioning to be comfortable for longer periods. We tested materials such as buckwheat and discovered them to be too hard for most people’s comfort. Topping the buckwheat with foam still left a loose filling that needed remodeling with each use.

The Gokhale™Pain-Free Chair, which has a steep drop built into the front edge of the seat pan, encourages the pelvis to tip for stacksitting, and was one of the inspirations for our wedge. 

Our wedge is able to accommodate all shapes and sizes and works well on a variety of surfaces. It also accommodates changes in your L5-S1 angle as you progress on your posture journey. One side is slightly steeper than the other, allowing you to choose which slope you prefer. Its cover is washable and durable, so it stays looking elegant.

Top view

Base view
The Gokhale Wedge is distinct from the triangular wedges on the market.

Backing up the Gokhale Wedge with education

No matter how well-designed, a posture product is best supported by training. This is true of all of our products, but perhaps especially so for our wedge because stacksitting is a big departure from most people’s sitting form. You can learn about stacksitting in our in-person Foundations course, one-day Pop-up course, our online Elements course, plus our Gokhale Exercise program. These offerings, along with our DVD Secrets to Pain-Free Sitting, all teach the skills that enable you to integrate your wedge optimally into daily life. 

You can also integrate using the wedge with our wearable PostureTracker™, which has settings that can track the degree of your L5-S1 angle, and the stack of your spine. Consider the Gokhale Wedge a part of your toolkit as you improve your posture and musculoskeletal health. 

Best next action steps for newcomers

If you would like insight on your posture, consider scheduling an Initial Consultation, online, or in person.

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