4 Posture Mistakes That Are Causing You Pain

When I was 27, I herniated a lumbar disc so severely I couldn't even put my own shoes on. I tried everything I could find to help, including surgery. Nothing gave me lasting relief—until I realized that the problem was actually the “good” posture I had been practicing my entire life.

After decades of research, study, and working with thousands of students around the world, I've come to understand that conventional wisdom has posture backwards. The advice from parents, teachers, fitness instructors, and even healthcare providers is well-meaning, but it is hurting our bodies.

The good news? Once we understand the posture mistakes we are making, we can solve them. Here are the four most common posture mistakes I see—and how to begin fixing them.

Mistake 1: Holding a Pose 

When people first hear that I’m a posture teacher, they usually stiffen up their back, lift their chest, and pull their shoulders back. Most people seem to believe that good posture requires effort and needs to be held. 

Yet truly good posture—natural human posture—is relaxed. When you stand or sit the way your body is designed to, your bones stack so you can be upright with minimal muscular effort. 

We see this in toddlers. There is no stiffness, no forcing—just natural alignment obeying the laws of biophysics. Breathing is easy. The body emanates well-being. 

We can get back in touch with our body’s natural biomechanical blueprint at any age.

We all used to know how to be upright with ease. Credit: Mochi Mochi 2023

Mistake 2: Standing Up “Straight” (Swaying Your Back)

Most of us were told as children to “stand up straight.” We did this the only way we knew how—by thrusting out our chest. The intention was good. The result was not. Lifting the chest causes the lower back to curve or "sway".

When the lower back is chronically curved, the vertebral discs are compressed. Over time, this leads to disc degeneration, nerve impingement, and pain. It's one of the most common structural reasons people develop lower back pain. It usually begins in childhood, long before symptoms appear; the good news is that it’s never too late to change.

The natural shape for the human lower back (L1-L5) is long and straight, with each vertebrae stacked over the one below it. One of the first things I teach in the Gokhale Method is the rib anchor technique, which gently decompresses the lower back. This shift alone can be profoundly relieving for people who carry chronic tension here.

Curvature in the lower back compresses the spinal discs and nerves. Credit Mikhail Nilov 2021.

Mistake 3: Tucking the Pelvis

Advice to tuck the pelvis is everywhere—in yoga classes, Pilates studios, physical therapy offices, and ballet barres. Again, this instruction is well-intended (it straightens out a sway!)—but as a habitual posture, it creates serious problems of its own.

When the pelvis tucks, the lowest disc in the spine—”L5-S1” (this is the disc I herniated twice) becomes compressed in the front and protrudes toward the sciatic nerve roots. The solution is to gently untuck the pelvis (without swaying your back in the process). A key part of untucking the pelvis is strengthening the buttock (gluteus) muscles (with every step you take) and learning to relax the six pack (rectus abdominis).

Learning to turn each step into a glute rep. Copyright Gokhale Method 2025

Mistake 4: Doing Crunches for a Strong Core

This one surprises many people. We've been told for decades that core strength protects the spine, and that's true. What's not true is that crunches and sit-ups are the way to get there.

Anything that pulls the spine into a curve compresses the spinal discs with every repetition. This is why both the U.S. and Canadian militaries have phased crunches out of their fitness programs. 

These exercises are also problematic in that they primarily target the six-pack muscle (rectus abdominis). An overly contracted rectus abdominis will pull the pelvis into a tuck. The more important muscles for spinal stability and protection are the deeper abdominal and back muscles. I teach a technique called the inner corset, which engages these muscles in a way that elongates and braces the spine, rather than compressing it. Better yet, the inner corset can be activated during ordinary daily activities—carrying groceries, walking, washing dishes. No gym required. This is how the body was designed to build functional strength.

Turning on my inner corset. Copyright Gokhale Method 2023.

Retrain Your Body and Reclaim Your Life

What unites these four problematic habits is that they come from recent cultural conditioning—from instructions circulated in fitness cultures and modern medical paradigms that do not take into account our bodies’ design. Indigenous and non-industrialized populations around the world—who are largely free of the back pain epidemic—never learned these habits. 

That's a reason for hope. What was learned can be unlearned. The body is remarkably responsive, at all ages. Over 35 years have passed since I had my last episode of back pain—and my body is stronger now than it was in my twenties. Pain is a signal that your body is sustaining damage. Make today your first step in responding appropriately to that message.

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