J-Spine

SCIJ isn’t a very memorable acronym, but the shapes of the letters do accurately represent the four most common spinal shapes. In this blog post you will discover which SCIJ category you belong in, what changes you might want to make, and the first baby steps to improve your spinal shape.

The letter “S” is widely used to describe the conventional paradigm for an ideal shape of the spine. The Gokhale Method perspective is that we need a paradigm shift.

Loren had developed a pronounced S-shaped spine before she took the Gokhale Elements online course. Tightened lower back muscles formed a pronounced lumbar curve, and her upper back had to round over to return her to upright. 

S. This is the spinal shape considered to be normal (as well as ideal) in today’s conventional wisdom. You will find the S template for spinal shape in lay circles, alternative health circles, as well as medical circles. Massage therapists, yoga teachers, physical therapists, and medics, are all taught the S-shape paradigm, which may include arguments about the strength of arches and “opposing curves'' and their ability to absorb vertical load like a spring.

The S-spine consists of a significant concave curve in the lower back meeting a significant convex curve in the upper back. From the Gokhale Method perspective, both curves are exaggerated and can lead to pain and dysfunction. This posture loads the spinal joints and takes a lot of muscular tension to maintain. It is the reason, we posit, that maintaining “good posture” has a reputation for being hard work. If this shape fits your spinal contour, it is unlikely to have been called out by either conventional or alternative practitioners. After all, it is the described ideal. If you have faced the frustration of having your back “go out” soon after an intervention, or your symptoms return again and again, a possible reason is that your S-shaped spine has never been recognized as the root of your problem, let alone be treated. 

This medical illustration (1990) displays the excessive curvature that can result in pinched nerves and compressed intervertebral discs. 

As both the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs have virtually parallel upper and lower surfaces, like a cylinder, the exaggerated curves of the S-spine create pinch points that can impinge on nerves, and cause wear and tear on the discs and degenerative change in the bones. Any of the tissues of the back, shoulder area, and neck might well “complain” about being obliged to maintain these contours.

An ideal first step to improving the shape of your S-spine would be stretchsitting. You can begin to learn stretchsitting here.

The letter “C” describes the most common modern posture of all—slumped.

The C-shaped spine will curve more at the top if we hunch more…

or curve more at the bottom if we tuck more…

either way, a C-shaped spine is bad news for our discs.

The C-spine is the product of slumped posture, with the tail tucked between the legs, shoulders rounded, and head forward. This compresses the front of the spinal discs, squeezing the interior contents (the nucleus pulposus) backward. This is the most dangerous direction to load the spinal discs since the nerve roots exit the spine right behind the discs. Slumping with a C-spine also overstretches and weakens the ligaments around the spine, undermining their ability to maintain the integrity of our all-important spinal column. Many people alternate between forcing an S-shape in their spine in the name of “good posture” (wrong!) and collapsing into a C-shape when they are fatigued from their efforts. Both these shapes in fact cause damage—in different ways—and need to be replaced with a J-shape (keep reading!). 

An ideal first step to improving the shape of your C-spine would be learning to use your inner corset, the deep muscles of the abdomen and back which support and protect the spine. This is explained in detail in my book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back.

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The I-spine shape results from a “sinking into oneself” without a significant increase in spinal curvature. 
Older people may develop an I-spine as they lose height due to spinal degeneration. Unsplash

The I-spine is common in older folk living in modern industrialized societies. There are no particularly pronounced contours in the spine, but rather a general “melting into itself” with the disappearance of 1 or more inches in height accompanying the aging process. The shrinkage is often the result of degeneration in the discs or mini-fractures in the vertebrae. Some diagnoses that might accompany this spinal shape include osteoporosis and stenosis. The pelvis is tucked, there is no angle between the buttocks and the back, and the buttocks are underdeveloped. Though the I-shape is most common in older people, it can begin at a young age with tucking the pelvis.

This photo of Taylor Swift shows how a tucked pelvis flattens the lumbosacral angle, and disadvantages the gluteal muscles, combining to produce a flat “behind." 

An ideal first step to improving your I-spine would be to learn stretchlying on your back.

The letter J represents the healthiest spinal shape. 

The shape of this Ubong tribesman’s back is best described as a J-spine.

Though rarely preserved in adults in modern industrialized societies, the J-spine is the shape we all enjoyed as toddlers and is still prevalent in many nonindustrialized areas of the world. This “J” is a modern, stylized “J,” reflecting the relatively straight alignment of the vertebral column and the pronounced angle at the lumbosacral junction. There is no exaggerated lumbar sway or thoracic curvature. You can see this shape embodied in the Ubong hunter’s torso. 

This medical illustration from 1911 more closely depicts the J-shape spine rather than the S-shape of modern conventional wisdom. The only pronounced curve is at the L5/S1 junction at the base of the spinal column.

Since taking the Gokhale Elements online course, Loren has made good progress in losing unwanted curvature in her back. Her upper lumbar spine has straightened out considerably. Over time, given her dedication, we expect to see her most pronounced curve move lower as she continues to cultivate her J-spine. 

If you are interested in restoring your J-spine, we recommend taking our Elements course (one-on-one coaching online), or our Foundations Course (one-on-one or small groups in-person) or Pop-up Course (not available during COVID). These courses teach you to systematically lengthen, strengthen, and remodel your spine to a healthier J-shape in a safe and effective way. 

To gradually and safely improve their spinal shape students learn well-honed techniques using their fingertips to monitor their spinal groove, kinesthetic and visual cues, customized exercises, and visualizations. Because it is still challenging to rely heavily on your proprioceptive sense, we have also developed the PostureTracker™, a tool that tells students exactly where they are positioned using Bluetooth sensor technology. PostureTracker tracks the shape of your spine in real time—it gives immediate and intuitive feedback, is easy to use, and reveals information about your spine that a plain mirror cannot show you. Though PostureTracker is not yet available for sale, it is available as a loner (while supplies last) to students who sign up for the online one-on-one Gokhale Elements course.

If you sway in your lumbar area, PostureTracker will show what is going on with your spine.

To get an idea of the current shape of your spine, view yourself side-on. You can use a mirror, but it is best to photograph or video yourself, or use several mirrors, so that you can observe your shape without turning your head. Take a while to study yourself both sitting and standing. Notice that your spine changes if you alternate between swaying and slumping. You may discover that your habitual posture combines elements from two or more of the categories we have described—for example, you may most closely resemble the I-spine, except that your head and neck jut forward.

The curves in our spines precisely reflect our everyday posture habits.

If you would like a trained eye to help you understand your spinal shape and how to improve it we recommend an online Initial Consultation with a Gokhale Method teacher. In-person Initial Consultations may also be available depending on the COVID status of your area.

As a student and teacher of yoga and practitioner of the Gokhale Method, I choose yoga poses that make good use of my time. “Chair pose” is well worth the time investment. In fact, it has become one of my favorite strength-building postures. It is useful for cultivating a J-shaped spine. It helps increase gluteal tone. It helps to pattern healthy hip movement. It is strengthening for the legs and spinal stabilizers. And, last but not least, it allows a yoga practitioner to smoothly transition between a standing forward fold and mountain pose — without compression of the intervertebral discs.

Cecily Frederick in chair pose with J-spine visible, overlaid with SpineTracker™ snapshot.

   
Detail of Cecily Frederick’s spinal shape in chair pose, overlaid with SpineTracker snapshot.

SpineTracker snapshot of Cecily Frederick’s spinal shape in chair pose.

Chair pose is also Esther Gokhale's favorite way to cultivate strength in all the muscles needed to tallstand well. She recommends it to students who tend to park in their joints (locking the knees and groin, flattening the feet, arching the back and introducing extra curves throughout the spine). After practicing chair pose, the small amount of muscular effort it takes to stand well becomes easy to access.

To practice chair pose, stand with your feet about hip-width apart and kidney bean shape your feet. Reach your arms forward and up as you simultaneously bend your knees, hips and ankles as if you were sitting down and back into a chair. Hold for a few seconds and then press down through your feet (and especially through your heels) to come back to standing while lowering your arms.  

A couple of practice sequences you could consider: 

• Transition from tallstanding (“mountain pose” or Tadasana) to chair pose and back to tallstanding 4-6 times.

• Transition from tallstanding to chair pose to an upward forward fold (Urdhva Uttanasana) to chair pose (Utkatasana) to tallstanding 4-6 times.

Cecily Frederick in upward forward fold (Urdhva Uttanasana or hip-hinge).

Five refinement tips

1. Strengthen your butt / spare your knees
To help develop gluteal strength and avoid knee strain, don’t let your knees come forward over your toes as your knees bend. Think about pulling your butt back behind you. Consider using a stool that you position in front of your shins while standing, and don’t let yourself push it forward as you move into chair pose.

Cecily Frederick using a stool to cue chair pose, with help from a friend.

2. Save your discs
To help avoid swaying the back and compressing upper lumbar discs, don’t reach your arms up vertically. Instead let them reach forward. 

3. Settle your pelvis
To help the pelvis to settle well, you might not want the feet and knees too close together. Experiment with different widths between your feet. Remember what you learned in the Foundations Course or Pop-up Course about hip-hinging.

4. Less is more
Don’t force yourself into a deep knee, hip, or ankle bend. Allow your chair pose to begin where it begins. Less is often more in a yoga practice. 

5. Break it down
If you have an injured shoulder you can lower your arms, bring them to your hips or press the palms together in prayer position in front of the sternum.

I have been practicing massage therapy and bodywork for over 19 years. I believe in the value of massage and love my work. But over the years I noticed many clients kept returning with the same, or related complaints/injuries, over and over again. And this happened even though they diligently performed PT exercises, stretched, practiced yoga etc. I felt there was something missing, something that could help clients retain the benefits of therapeutic work and maintain their good health. For me that answer came when I learned about the Gokhale Method®, a postural re-education method created by Esther Gokhale, author of the bestseller 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back.

My introduction to the Gokhale Method came through my massage client Susan, a former competitive figure skater and modern dancer who had experience with several forms of bodywork. When she excitedly told me about a wonderful article she had just read in the New York Times about the Gokhale Method, I listened. The whole concept of posture re-education as a means to become free of pain made sense, but with so many different approaches and techniques already out there, I just filed it away to look into later. My “later” came much sooner than I expected. In a few weeks Susan came back for her regular massage and shared with me that she was taking the Gokhale Method Foundations course and how helpful it was.  What I noticed right away in our session were the changes in Susan’s body. The most pronounced improvement was in her lower back. Her spine and pelvis were much more balanced and open, and her hamstrings were no longer tight and congested. I literally felt like I was working on a different person. And what was even more impressive, these improvements persisted over the weeks. That was enough to motivate me to sign up for the course to learn more.

My original intention was to simply experience the work to see if this was something I could recommend to my clients. I didn’t anticipate how deeply the work would affect me. First, what I learned in the course turned my “body worker’s world” upside down. It completely changed my understanding of healthy posture.  Instead of the popular S-spine, considered normal in our society, Esther teaches something very different. She teaches a shape and body architecture shared by our ancestors, some isolated populations today, and young children the world over. She calls this shape a J-spine. And populations with this type of spinal architecture do not experience as much back pain as modern populations do. The lesson is that if individuals get their body parts lined up correctly, they become resistant to injuries and general wear and tear. The Gokhale Method techniques are simple and performed with everyday activities such as standing, bending, sitting, lying down, and walking. The beauty of the method is that once you learn how to apply the knowledge, every task can become therapeutic, whether sitting in a chair, or cleaning house, or standing in a check out line.

Anatomy textbooks from 1911 (right) showed healthier spine shapes than more recent textbooks (left).

Another unexpected benefit of taking the course was the improvement of my overall health. I noticed that my tension headaches decreased considerably. All of a sudden, I found myself with extra time on my hands since I didn’t need to lie down to nurse headaches. I had more energy. Also, my functionally shorter leg evened out and I no longer needed to trim and hem my “long” pant leg.

Before I was introduced to the Gokhale Method, the concept of good posture was confusing. To sit and stand up straight with shoulders pulled back was tiring and very uncomfortable. Popular guidelines on how to attend to the lumbar and cervical curves, and how to walk did not help me. The Gokhale Method clarified posture for me. I learned that good posture is mainly relaxed, very comfortable, and available to everyone. Now if I feel a headache coming on, it’s a cue to check my head and neck position, and to lengthen the back of my neck.  If my pant leg starts to drag on the floor, I am reminded to work my glutes more in glidewalking…

Healthy posture (right), learned through the Gokhale Method, results in a presence that is more upright, more confident, and more open.

So yes, healthy posture is an ongoing project for me, but having the right tools has made it very empowering and rewarding. Practicing my posture helps me center myself — I feel grounded and find I move more gently and mindfully throughout the day.

One of the many benefits of having excellent posture is the ability to enjoy an active lifestyle without injury. Conversely, an active lifestyle can help cultivate good posture. While you are still honing your posture, water is a perfect medium to train in since your buoyancy will reduce impact on your joints. In this forgiving medium, you can safely increase your muscle strength, stamina and flexibility while exploring the nuances of natural posture. You can reset movement patterns and connect the dots that make up the Gokhale Method while enjoying the soothing effect of the water on your body and mind.

The butterfly stroke provides an intense workout for the
"rib anchor" muscles.

No matter which stroke you choose, you will have occasion to summon up and strengthen your deep abdominal muscles. These muscles are especially important for the health and safety of your spine.

Breaststroke / Butterfly for Rib Anchor

The internal obliques keep the front of the ribcage flush with the contour of your torso. This “rib anchor” is our best defense against swaying the back. The breaststroke (and butterfly, if you are able) are perfect opportunities to strengthen your rib anchor. In these strokes, there is a strong tendency to arch or sway your back every time you come up for air. Next time you attempt the breaststroke or butterfly, try to come up with your entire upper body, just enough to breathe, without a sway. Your lumbosacral juncture will gain flexibility and your internal obliques will get a challenging workout.

The internal and external oblique abdominal muscles
get a substantial workout in backstroke.

Crawl and Backstroke for Obliques

Asymmetric motions are a great way to strengthen both the internal and external oblique abdominal muscles. When you twist or rotate your body to the right, the external oblique muscles on your left side work together with the internal oblique muscle on your left. The left external oblique muscle rotates your left side forward as the right internal oblique rotates your right side back. Conversely, when you twist to the left, the right external obliques and left internal obliques are engaged.

One way to engage the inner
corset muscles is reach
upwards vigorously as in this
victory gesture.

The arm and leg motions involved in both the crawl and backstroke have a tendency to twist or otherwise distort the torso. If you engage the external and internal obliques appropriately during each stroke, you will tone your obliques as they work to dampen this twisting effect. The result is that the entire body twists rather than just a piece of it.

Adding the Inner Corset

Even if you are conscientiously using your obliques for all three of these strokes, vigorous swimming will include some distortion. To really protect your spine, use your Inner Corset to keep your elongated J-Spine intact. This will have a dual action, protecting the spinal element during your workout, as well as strengthening your deeper back and ab muscles.

Walking in water is a gentle way to
augment your glidewalking technique.

Glidewalking in Water

Even if you don’t swim, water is a soothing and therapeutic medium for practicing Gokhale Method techniques. Glidewalking in water is easy on your joints and provides extra resistance for building strong gluteal muscles and lengthening and strengthening the muscles in your legs. Begin with tallstanding:

1. Kidney bean shape your feet; 
2. Put your weight on your heels; 
3. Antevert your pelvis and engage your rib anchor; 
4. Keep the back of your neck long and your chin down. As you begin to move, imagine yourself walking regally with a basket on your head, or using your legs as poles to punt a boat along a canal.

Enjoy the healing weight of the water. It slows you down, giving you time to become aware of nuances in your gait.

Join us in an upcoming Free Workshop (online or in person).  

Find a Foundations Course in your area to get the full training on the Gokhale Method!  

We also offer in person or online Initial Consultations with any of our qualified Gokhale Method teachers.