English Got low back pain? You’re not alone! Worldwide, back pain is the single leading cause of disability, preventing many people from engaging in work as well as other everyday activities. While low back pain can have chronic and long-term effects, Slow’s resident physiotherapist Jean-Louis Thonnard is on a mission to find a holistic cure. He’s currently conducting research on Hatha yoga for low back pain, hoping to prove that a regular Hatha yoga practice can significantly relieve—and even cure—chronic low back pain. We sat down with Jean-Louis to discuss common questions regarding Hatha yoga for low back pain. He explains how the diversity of Hatha yoga postures makes it possible to stretch and strengthen a multitude of muscles and to mobilize the spine in all its degrees of freedom. Our Q+A covers the following regarding yoga for low back pain: What to engage: Strengthen the abdominal muscles and the rotator deep muscles of the trunk. Stretch and lengthen the flexor and extensor muscles of the hip. Decompress and mobilize the facet joints of the lumbar spine. How to stretch: Stretch slowly and for a long time. This is super important—Jean-Louis explains why in the video! Bring your awareness to the […]
I recently completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Radiantly Alive in Ubud, Bali. One ancient yogic truth our witty and wise philosophy teacher Sanna taught us has been rolling around in my head ever since: “Yoga is stopping the turbulence of the mind” — Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra This one stuck with me. We’re not talking about yoga that stretches your body into the bendiest human pretzel of all time. This definition is for Yoga with a capital Y—an all-encompassing yogic way of living that extends much further than the corners of your mat. We come to our mats to practice yoga, yes. But we also practice Yoga when we get cut off in traffic and simply let it go. We practice Yoga when we choose inner peace over daily dramas. Lately for me, the ripple effect of COVID-19 in my own personal bubble has been quite turbulent, making capital Y-Yoga quite challenging and my need for calming rituals even greater than ever. Thoughts constantly loop like: What’s happening with my career? When will I see my family again? Is everyone staying safe? How long until things go back to “normal”? Why is it so hard to focus? How much […]
I just want to be really real and really honest in this situation. As a CEO and entrepreneur, how do we manage to deal with our feelings and our minds, during this lockdown? It feels a bit like the world is being forced to slow down. If you can’t go out, go inward. MASTER THE ART OF DOING NOTHING At first I collapsed. I slept and watched Netflix for a week—and I realized I really needed that. But after a week, I was bored. I didn’t want to do that anymore. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to do it all the way, without having to feel guilty about it. I also want to keep that feeling towards the future—to know that sometimes it’s time to just collapse and do absolutely nothing, master the Art of Doing Nothing. It’s like when La Casa De Papel came out, and I watched the entire season in one night, without nervously counting the “hours of sleep” I’d have until the next day of work. I just fully committed to just watching it all night, and I fully enjoyed it. I finished at 5AM, after the mosque! The next morning I woke up [...]