NPR recently featured the work of acupuncturist, Esther Gokhale, and her method to restore the spine to ‘primal posture’. Gokhale believes that the American S-shaped spine is what causes our back pain and that we should attempt to restore our bodies to a J-back posture where the back is flat and then the low back
Articles about the extra shoelace hole appeared all over social media a few weeks ago. These articles contend that the extra hole provides greater ankle stability–particularly when running. While I understand the thought process, I would never encourage anyone to lace their shoes that high because it would affect the rest of the body’s alignment
Sitting for hours with proper posture is challenging! It can be hard to find a good sitting posture because of the ergonomics of the chair/sofa/work station that we’re sitting at. It can also be difficult if we have forgotten how to access certain places in our body that support good posture throughout the day. That
New clients often ask me to analyze their posture or teach them ‘proper posture’. This is actually a complicated question because we are not 2D characters on a poster, we move 3 dimensionally. You can correct or hold your body in a certain posture but then the second you take a step, that will change.
In this 21st century, we all spend too much time hunched over a screen or a steering wheel. If you look at yourself in the mirror, do you notice that your shoulders are pulled forward or rolled in? Maybe you suffer from chronic neck tension or are fully aware of your head constantly pitching forward.
We have another great Ki Hara calf and hamstring stretch this week–this one simultaneously stretches your foot, calf and hamstring (back of the thigh). Another Ki Hara threefer! Ki Hara is a unique stretching modality because it stretches muscles as they’re being activated–this leads to the actual muscle elongating like taffy, creating lasting change. This
Most of us spend long periods of time in more or less the same position for our jobs–this could be sitting behind a computer, standing behind a counter or hunched over a table. As a result, our backs get tight and stiff making it difficult for us to really change our posture. This exercise is
Can’t remember things like you used to? Memory loss with age is something that many of us are afraid of, myself included. We do crossword puzzles or online brain training because we’ve heard that these things keep our brain healthy and active. But, both of these activities preclude us to more sitting and looking down
Last night I treated myself to a facial (LOVE) and chatted away with my aesthetician about her persistent back pain. Chiropractors and massage therapists have helped her in the past, but the pain always returns. I looked up to see her locking (hyperextending) her right knee and putting all of her weight on the outside of
I get asked this question a lot and my usual response is that the research clearly states that standing as opposed to sitting for 8+ hours per day is far better for our health. Most recently, the New York Times wrote an article citing 2 studies that conclude that sitting less is better for our