The following testimonials were given either written or orally. Some of the wording has been changed to fit the edited content. This editing was done with the aim of not changing the intention of the person's testimonial.

Click here to read a short letter that Diana Shimkus, a mindfulness meditation teacher of sixteen years, wrote about her experience of the posture lesson. Diana wrote this letter eleven months after attending the lesson.

Click here to read Larry Baker's letter about his experience of the posture lesson. Larry has been leading Vipassana meditation for over twenty years in San Diego. He has been meditating regularly for thirty five years.

Click here to read the e-mail that Sundaram La Pierre sent out after attending the posture lesson for sitting meditation.

Click here to read an e-mail that Jeff Calcara, a Self Realization Fellowship devotee for forty years and a kirtan leader at the Encinitas temple for thirty five years, wrote to fellow SRF devotees.

A big part of my deeper meditations is due to Phil Petachenko's posture workshop in Encinitas. He made some simple adjustments to my posture that made a huge difference in how my body relaxes during meditation. I'm no longer aware of any little aches and pains that has kept my attention on my body for all the years I've been meditating. I'm now more focused on the techniques than ever before and in sitting in the stillness after practicing devotion. 10-19 year meditator. (Excerpted from an e-mail to his friends).

My wife and I found the meditation posture lesson to be immensely beneficial in our own practice and we wish you success. Both people are 30+ meditators.

I’ve had fairly good posture all of my life owing to numerous ballet classes in my youth. After taking the lesson I can definitely say that my posture has much improved no matter what I meditate on...a cushion, a chair or a boulder in the mountains. I have a new failsafe way of quickly checking my posture and then I am gone...stone still for hours if need be. I’m a medical doctor as well as a Kriya Yogi and I enjoy Dr. Petachenko's scientific explanation. I am very, very grateful for this class. This class has advanced my ability to sit still easily and with no tension; which are key components to deeper meditations. 20-29 year meditator.

I'm ecstatic. My body is more comfortable after one hour of meditation than when I begin. I've looked for over thirty five years for what this lesson taught me. 30+ year meditator. This was written one year after taking the posture lesson.

My body is so relaxed and my posture is so good that even a three hour meditation is too short for me! It was never this way before the posture lesson. Thank you Phil. 30+ year SRF devotee.

I like that I straighten up more as I meditate. I also relax more during meditation. By the end of meditation my body is very relaxed. The posture lesson made this possible. Thank you Phil. 10-19 year meditator.

Now I know how to relax. When I first started meditating, I was trying to hold myself up with my muscles. And I’d ache all over. There was no way I could have done a longer meditation. Now I can relax during longer meditations. And once I let go of the body, I can actually meditate. 10-19 year meditator.

Yesterday I had a 6 hour meditation with 1/2 hour break in between. My back will be eternally grateful to you for the lessons you shared with us. It was my first relatively pain free meditation. After taking a few minutes to address the key points you taught us, I was fine to focus on the meditation techniques. 10-19 year meditator.

I am one hundred times more comfortable during meditation. Thank you so much! 10-19 year meditator.

Phil Petachenko knows and teaches the true, true truth about sitting posture for meditation. I can now sit with no body distraction for my weekly six hour meditation. I've been meditating twice a week for over 40 years and I've been doing a six hour meditation weekly for nearly 40 years. Before taking the posture lesson my body distracted me in every meditation. I just thought that was part of my meditation. Now the depth of meditation and the stillness in silence is so much greater. Thank you Dr. Petachenko! 30+ year meditator.

I've been able to achieve greater stillness in meditation due to my better posture. Thank you so much. 30+ year meditator.

My meditation is more comfortable; and consequently deeper by applying the points of your posture lesson. Thank you Phil. 10-19 year meditator.

It's only been one week that I'm using this new knowledge of meditation posture. Amazing!!! A big thank you again for your kindness Phil. Your attention to detail is great. You knew specially what I needed!!! Moreover, your course is so useful!!! I feel so comfortable when i meditate now ... and what I appreciate the most is the fact that I am able to correct my posture myself knowing exactly what I'm doing wrong and that makes an enormous difference for me. 0-9 year meditator.

Since taking the lesson, I’ve sat many times for over two hours and my old companion of pain has not shown up. There has been some discomfort, but these discomforts are now transitory. 30+ year meditator.

I recently went to a six hour meditation. It was really easy to sit the entire six hours. I knew what to check. Your lesson was very, very clear. It made so much sense to me what my body was asking me to do when pain would come up. Now I can follow my root instructions and not have pain. 10-19 year meditator.

Your posture lesson completely changed the way energy flows through my body. Your posture lesson allowed for its freedom therein and I am SO appreciative to you and your work. I feel great energy flowing through my body throughout the day long after my morning meditation. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift of a posture that allows for flow of energy rather than restriction of it. 10-19 year meditator.

I love that by the end of meditation it feels like I have a skyhook that is pulling me up. 10-19 year meditator.

Finding exactly the right position for my spine, head, and neck has been extremely surprising in my meditation. When I find that position, which seemed to me appropriate to call "the sweet spot," I am almost immediately transported to what seems like a different level of physicality, with little awareness of anything other than a sensation of floating. It is remarkable. I find that I need to readjust myself to that spot occasionally but in general it holds for some time. My experiences in meditation recently have been "off the chart." Thank you Phil. 0-9 year meditator.

I’m not being distracted by pain the way I used to be. This helps my attention go inward. I’m so grateful. Thank you. 30+ year meditator.

I was surprised to find that the class went so quickly. It was fascinating to learn much better something I've been doing my whole life. Even during the class I could feel my relationship to my low back and sitting changing, become less painful and less effortful. Sitting is a play of awareness and balance; coming back to the center again and again if needed. Thanks Phil for making it fun. 20+ year meditator, yoga instructor and massage therapist.

The lesson is phenomenal. Last year I did an eight hour meditation with my group and I was in such pain that I thought of going directly to the emergency room instead of going home. I told my husband to take me home and then we’ll decide whether I need to go to the hospital. At the end of the eight hour meditation this year, I wanted to stay longer. I felt wonderful. This change was made possible because of the posture lesson. Thank you so much! 0-9 year meditator.

I am finding that my posture is changing, not only in sitting, but also throughout the day.  What you offer is a great service to us all. Thank you. 30+ year meditator.

The posture lesson has helped me enormously. I just returned from a four day retreat. This was the fourth time that I've done this retreat. We sit for many hours each day. This time my body was extraordinarily relaxed. The flow of energy was so much greater than ever before. This was the least painful and the most wonderful retreat that I’ve had. I’m going to tell all of my friends about this lesson. I really want the word to get out. Thank you so very much. 20-29 year meditator.

I am seeing that even though this is just the start, my overall posture is really improving and in meditation it's dramatically changed for the better. Meditations themselves are improving as the posture improves. No wonder Patanjali put this as the third rung of the yoga ladder. The only challenge is that he never said how to do it. I am really grateful to you for your help in breaking this down into manageable steps. 30+ year meditator.

I took the lesson over a year ago. Before taking the lesson I would have trouble keeping my spine upright. I also had pain in my back regularly after sitting for forty minutes. I meditate daily. Often I sit for two hours at a time. Now I'm surprised when I have pain. I have to ask: What is that? I'm comfortable throughout my meditations and my spine is now naturally staying upright. 30+ year meditator.

At first I was skeptical to accept instructions on sitting from someone other than my teacher, or to go outside my lineage for any advice. But curiosity got the better of me, and I'm so glad it did. Dr. Petachenko's posture lesson did not contradict any of the root instructions for posture that I've received. In fact, it helped me to understand the instructions better, and to put them into practice in a more meaningful way, with increased mindfulness and understanding of my body. Before attending this posture lesson, I had relegated myself to the category of 'bad sitter.' Click here to read the rest of the testimonial. 0-9 year meditator.

Exploring a healthy meditation posture is very important to me. Upon meeting Phil, I was instantly struck by his unique, engaging, and hospitable personality which remained present throughout the workshop. I found the workshop to extremely beneficial. The workshop explored all areas of posture. He explained how each part of the body influenced the other parts. I definitely recommend this workshop to anyone who meditates. 0-9 year meditator.

Your workshop was extremely helpful. Getting into a good meditation posture really makes a difference in my meditation. Thank you for your workshop. 10-19 year meditator.

Thank you for that great posture workshop. I really appreciate your wealth of knowledge, your clear instructions and patience with us! It was perfect. I went and sat at my tree at SRF with my new awareness this afternoon. Much better! 10-19 year meditator.

If you told me you’d give me $10,000 to go back to what I knew before I took this posture lesson, I wouldn’t take the $10,000. My time during meditation is the most important part of my day. My body used to give me pain after sitting for fifteen minutes. Now I can sit for two hours with no pain. 20-29 year meditator.

Dr. Petachenko answered all of our questions. I felt very well taken care of during the lesson. His integrity in teaching this lesson is superb. My meditation posture has improved as a result of taking the lesson. And the pain in my body has become much less; almost no pain. This is truly amazing. I highly recommend this lesson for every person who meditates. 20-29 year meditator.

Prior to taking Phil Petachenko’s posture lesson for sitting meditation, the problem that I had every meditation was that my body would lean forward and then I would develop pain across the top of my shoulders and in my neck. Now my body never leans forward, and pain in my neck and shoulders seldom give me a problem. My attention is not being dragged outward to my body as much and my meditations have become deeper since taking the posture lesson. Every person who is serious about their meditation practice should take this lesson. 30+ meditator.

I know that you can help many people with what is, or what will be, the most important part of their lives. What you are doing is very important at this time, for it is a time when "sitting there" in meditation is not enough. To change themselves and by that help change the world, people need direct experience in meditation, and proper posture is foundational to that happening. Thank you for improving my posture. My meditations have been deeper as a result of applying what I learned in the lesson. 30+ year meditator.

For over thirty years I've been meditating while sitting in a chair. Every time I meditated, my hands would slide down my thighs. My upper body would lean forward when this occurred. This repeatedly distracted my attention. Now I have much less of a problem with my hands sliding down my thighs. There was more than one bad posture habit that made this happen. And I could never figure it out on my own! Thank you for solving this decades old dilemma. 30+ year meditator.

One of the most significant and vital impacts on my meditations has occurred by the virtue of Dr. Petachenko's meditation posture lesson. I have been plagued by poor posture most of my life, and finally, I am getting over it!  I no longer have to keep worrying if my spine is straight during meditation...which it never was, in the past.  With the tips he has given me, I know instantly whether I am in proper posture or not. I meditate several hours each day and his work has significantly improved my results, my attitude, my physical well-being and comfort. I very sincerely and fully encourage you to attend Dr. Petachenko's meditation posture lesson. 30+ year meditator.

Growing up with parents who meditated daily, I've been meditating for as long as I can remember. However, I consistently had back problems due to my posture. I found that although I would sit upright at the beginning, by the end of the meditation I would be hunched over. After 20+ years of this pattern, it seemed ingrained in me and I accepted it as part of my body's "condition."  Phil's meditation posture lesson was such a break through because it gave me the insight and experience necessary to retrain my body. I would definitely recommend this to any serious meditator as you will find your meditations deepening with ease and grace once your body is aligned correctly. 20-29 year meditator.

The posture lesson has certainly helped me to start in a better posture and to feel good. I have an ongoing physical problem that limits me. I have to stand up once in a while. When I sit down again, the lesson helps me get set up better. I’m more confident about getting back to sitting again. The lesson has helped me to have more longer deeper periods of meditation than before. 0-9 year meditator.

Click here to go to the main page about the about the posture lesson for sitting meditation.