Your pain and discomfort keep coming back because all the things you've tried never fixed the real problem.
Most people swing between slouching (A)
and over-correcting (B) their whole lives —
never discovering there's a natural middle way (C)
that fixes what's hurting.
Who knew that natural skeletal alignment lies at the heart of so many people's pain?
You've tried everything: massage, acupuncture, myofascial therapy, yoga, strength training. And yes, you feel better—for a while.
But the pain always comes back.
Here's why:
You're managing symptoms, not addressing the cause —
skeletal misalignment.
Think of it this way:
The discomfort you feel in a tight muscle or a painful nerve
often exists because the bones assigned to support your body are "out of whack."
Try building a house . . .
with the structural framing not aligned along the vertical axis.
If a house could feel pain, then doors, windows, and walls
— even plumbing and electrical systems —would all be complaining!
Why doesn't everyone already know this?
It's a head scratcher, to be sure. It's likely we assume we already know all there is to know about the skeleton, down to the tiniest detail.
It's common knowledge that the skeleton provides support for the body, but we've failed to understand how all 206 bones function together as one complete, integrated architectural structure, as essential to our wellbeing as aligned framing is to a house—or a skyscraper!
Hence, when these muscles complain loudly or are easily injured when we exert ourselves, it's usually because misaligned bones to which they are connected are unable to provide the aligned support they need. Distortion of our bones also affects how well organs of respiration, circulation, and the nervous system are able to function when they are distorted, as well.
Imagine what a game-changer it would be if doctors were taught the essentials of skeletal alignment in medical school, if all physical therapists and fitness trainers understood how crucial natural alignment is to maintaining natural elasticity in muscles, and if parents, teachers, and sports coaches understood that poor postural habits developed at a young age can have a devastating effect on one well into adulthood and old age.
Your body already knows how to do this!
There's a simple path you can follow to re-establish
the lost alignment you discovered as a baby.
It's not hard to learn this! It can be fun and enlightening to get to know your body at a bone-deep level. You simply learn a handful of simple steps to follow, and almost immediately, as you apply them to yourself, you'll notice meaningful changes taking place as progress on this path builds upon itself. There's no finite destination to be reached, just a here-and-now path to keep traveling along that will serve you for the rest of your life!
It's wise to not wait until you're quite far along in years, as it can be more challenging to get the results you want—although it's never too late to enjoy some improvement in how you feel.
I've been traveling this path
—practicing and teaching these principles—
for the past 32 years.
34 years old
SAD DOG PHASE
A sad dog tucks its tail and rounds its back.
I'm not sure by what age I had lost my natural alignment, but it was well underway when I was in my teens. By the time I was in my early thirties, (pictured here), I was a busy mom with chronic TMJ syndrome, who often needed neck and back massages, just to feel good enough to carry on until the next massage. I could count on bouts of back pain after lifting something heavy or after a long day of gardening, but what I remember most vividly was feeling tight and stiff much of the time. I first began a yoga practice with Lilias Folan, who taught on PBS, and recall always feeling much better after stretching tight muscles, the way she encouraged me to do. I also attended aerobics classes, which I loved, yet ongoing stiffness still plagued me
43 years old
TENSE DOG PHASE
A tense dog lifts its chest and holds itself up with tension.
A decade later, I had become certified to teach yoga, and was also a massage therapist. Massage school opened my eyes to the intricate anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. I hadn't yet figured out that I was addicted to stretching on a regular basis. If I didn't stretch almost every day, I could count on the same old stiffness returning quickly. Yoga, itself, was not the problem but HOW I was doing it! Yet, during my extensive training, focus was always on my muscles, not my bones. It came as a shock later to discover that aligning my bones and giving up all stretching, led me to being far more naturally flexible than when I stretched. True story!
79 years old
HAPPY DOG PHASE
A happy dog wags its tail because its spine is straight and relaxed.
My life changed forever in 1994 when I met Jean Couch, who channeled the work of the late Noelle Perez of Paris, who first described principles of natural alignment. I made many treks to California from my home on the Big Island to study with Jean, and once my children were out on their own, I traveled solo for a year, seeking out people who carried heavy loads on their heads without effort and others who aged with unexpected ease into their 80s, 90s, and beyond! I've written books and taught classes and workshops all these years, and I've created an online course that has reached many people all over the world!
If learning this at age 47 worked so well for me,
imagine what's possible for you!
I'll be turning 80 on my next birthday! 🥳 😱
Had I not been so fotunate to learn basic principles of natural alignment, I have no doubt that I would not be enjoying the benefits of mechanical strength, easy mobility, and a good supply of vitality I enjoy today.
So far, I don't struggle with getting up and down off the ground, and I believe this and my ability to squat so easily comes from the way I bend to put on my shoes, lift a heavy box, reach for a book on a high shelf — in other words: all the ways I inhabit my body that reinforce our innate human design.
Aging would look and feel very different for me today
if I had not learned how to transform myself from structural collapse, and then from being overly tense, to finally, having a simple roadmap for how to align my bones in the course of my daily life. This path continuously reinforces natural elasticity in my muscles, so I can enjoy freedom from unnecessary tension and dysfunctional movement.
Turn up volume to hear the soundtrack and Click above to replay video
"Kathleen's work, to me, has been personally transformative.
I am a family physician treating my share of patients with back and neck pain, osteoporosis, and dysfunctional labor . . .
Kathleen Porter's observation of peoples around the world who retain their natural alignment, relaxation, and movement is a clear window into
the healing of the chronic pain syndromes of our culture."
Leah Morton, M.D.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
It's not hard to learn how to BE a happy, healthy skeleton
(rather than just having one),
— a skeleton that serves you well for a whole lifetime!
Pain-Free Living w/ Natural Posture
is a richly illustrated, step-by-step video course that guides you along the path of rediscovery that reveals the forgotten blueprint for solidly strong, easily flexible, pain-free living that resides within you. You'll learn how to sit, stand, bend, walk, lift, carry, reach, lie down to rest or sleep . . . and then apply these basics to how you play sports, hike up a mountain, lift a child, sit at a computer, rake leaves — anything and everything you do all day long.
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Repositioning my bones gives me an immediate feeling of relief and relaxation.
Now whenever I notice I'm stressed or in some unpleasant mood state, I check out my alignment. As a shrink, I ask myself if some of the symptoms my patients experience could be caused by the constant muscle tension of living in an unaligned body.
Daniela Gitlin, M.D.
Plattsburg, NY
Taking Kathleen’s Alignment Basics course changed my life.
At 67, I was experiencing neck, shoulder, and knee pain that worsened with age and seemed chronic. The pain melted away, along with what felt like a life- time’s worth of stored tension. I began performing life’s daily activities—bending, squatting, climbing stairs, reading in bed —in total comfort again.
Martha Raglund
Portland, OR
I cried when I realized that I could feel better.
After two back surgeries, I was still in almost constant pain. I thought I was fated to be this way forever. I didn’t see much point in doing this because nothing else I had tried did much good, but my husband insisted after he met Kathleen.
Kathleen showed me I could straighten my spine and take pressure off areas of pain.
Tracy Maddox
Portland, OR
