Organic Yoga: The Liver – home of anger and frustration?
Organic Yoga – Yoga for your organs
Our organs are influencing all the (physical, emotional and spiritual) processes happening in our body. In Organic Yoga we are supporting our organs in their constant work through movement, stillness, stretch, compression, breath and mindfulness, so our body and mind can function in their best condition and our vital energy can flow effortlessly through our whole organism.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR ANGER?
I would like to start off with asking you a couple of questions you can answer for yourself. What are the main things triggering your anger? Which situations in the past have made you angry? Which people, behaviours, thoughts or circumstances can send you raging with anger and frustration?
Anger is a human emotion, which we are all familiar with and it’s not necessarily negative in my opinion. Anger can have a huge energy potential – how can we access that energy and transform it into something positive? How can we physically release anger?
Interestingly enough TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) locates anger in one very specific organ: the liver.
Generally when we talk about the liver, we tend to associate it with alcohol consumption, although this amazing organ is doing a lot more for us than just metabolizing a couple of drinks. Did you know that your liver is playing a main role in hormonal balance? Are you aware of the impact that exact balance has on your sleep, mood, shape, energy levels, hunger and many other body experiences you’re having throughout the day? I’m still in the beginning of getting the full picture, but let me share with you what I have understood about the liver so far.
ONE OF THE MAIN DETOX ORGANS
The liver, the biggest inner organ in the human body and located underneath the end of your right ribcage, is responsible for providing the perfect level of chemicals for a well working metabolism.
It works through the blood coming from the digestive tract and cleans it, collects water for further operations, separates hard toxins from the nutrition passing by and produces the gall – this is why the liver has a strong energetic connection to the gall bladder according to TCM and lies on the gall bladder meridian (meridians are energetic channels running through the body, through which our vital energy is flowing).
Together with the pancreas the liver is stabilizing the blood sugar levels: if your blood sugar is too high, your pancreas is releasing the hormone insulin, which brings the sugar to the body cells for regeneration and via the liver to the muscles for energy. If that energy isn’t used, the liver stores unused sugar as fat cells in the body and in the liver itself, which lowers its ability to work.
On the other hand if your blood sugar levels are too low, your pancreas is sending out the hormone glucagon, which tells the liver to convert the stored fat cells back into glucose (sugar) to re-establish the blood sugar level – essential for the brain, heart and muscle tissue to work properly. Now the problem is, that if the liver is busy with converting sugar to fat or fat to sugar in order to keep things going, it can’t focus on its main task: elimination.
The liver has quite an important impact when it comes to the elimination of digested food, toxins, chemicals and hormonal waste – in cooperation with the gallbladder and the large intestine.
A healthy liver is converting fat-soluble toxins/hormonal waste into water-soluble waste, so the body can excrete it via sweat, urine and bowel movements.
This converting process consists of two steps, after which the now water-soluble waste enters the gallbladder and leaves the body via the large intestine by binding with necessary fibre (this is why it’s so important to eat enough fibre!).
Problems occur, if the liver doesn’t manage to complete both steps, because then the waste is released into the blood-stream as free radicals or hormonal waste, which throws the whole endocrine system off track. For both steps to be completed the liver requires enough glutathione and B-vitamins (1. step: breaking everything down into free radicals) as well as selenium and amino acids (2. step: recombining to harmless water-soluble waste).
Another aspect of the liver-toxins-mechanism is the following: when the liver can’t work properly, it stores toxins in fat cells, which then cling to those toxins, because if they would release them into the blood-stream, they would cause a toxic environment for the organs. Therefore weight issues are often related to a not fully functioning liver.
EAT FOR YOUR LIVER
The antioxidant glutathione can for example be found in carrots, broccoli, avocado, spinach, apples and asparagus.
Selenium appears in oats and Brazil nuts.
Other foods for the liver include cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale or any other green vegetables, lemons and oranges and the herbs caraway and dill seeds.
A note on stabilizing blood sugar levels: personally I can recommend avoiding any kind of and especially refined sugar as well as refined carbohydrates. Choose whole carbs and in moderation. My number one trick: eating healthy fats with every meal, such as all seeds and nuts (which I recommend soaking), avocado, raw cacao products, coconut products.
ENERGETIC CONNECTIONS
Apart from the gall bladder, the liver is also connected to the eyes and the tissue of the tendons and ligaments.
If the liver and liver energy are in harmony, it supports creativity, self-respect, willpower and the ability to make the right decisions. It is however irritated if we are unable to express our feelings in relationships, work or other situations, if we can’t follow our own will or things in our life aren’t flowing, which then leads to feelings of frustration and anger. The relations between the physical organ and the stored emotions are influencing each other in both ways: an unbalanced liver can lead to anger or chronically unexpressed anger can lead to an unbalanced liver.
Stored anger disconnects us from ourselves and other people, but on the contrary nurtures the ego.
YOGA FOR YOUR LIVER
The most important thing, when practicing yoga for your liver, is consciously exhaling into the organ to squeeze all the stale blood out of it and therefore make space for fresh blood to enter.
Start by locating your liver: slide your fingertips along the lower edge of your right ribcage, maybe you can even slide your fingertips underneath the lowest ribs. This can be painful, if your liver is under a lot of stress and tension.
The following poses are just examples. Awareness and cleansing of the liver can be practiced in any posture by using the breath mindfully.
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog: Don't worry if you can't touch your heels to the ground, stretch your legs and arms or even open your shoulders that far. Just take a moment to experience the reversing of gravity and what a relief that is for your organs. Can you locate your liver and exhale deeply into it? Do you feel how it brings your ribs back together and activates your abdominals?
Anahatasana/Uttana Shishosana - Extended Puppy Pose: Yes, this one does look super weird, but as in Downward Facing Dog all your internal organs will love the slight inversion and release of tension! And again, there's no need to go as deeply into the pose, you can rest your forehead on the floor and find a variation of arms and hands which works for you. Can you feel your heart opening? Best is to slide right into Child's Pose from there ;)
Parivrtta Baddha Parsvakonasana - Revolved Side Angle Pose: Any twist you pop yourself into is detoxifying and relaxing for your organs and I find it especially efficient to work with my liver through twists. Wring that old blood out of your liver with your exhalation! It's literally as easy as that and you will feel how it will actually bring you further into the rotation of your spine. Also in this pose there exist many variations of arms, find what works for your body.
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana - One-Legged Royal Pigeon Pose: So this is just a very simple version of pigeon pose, but accessible for most and an easy way to experience a small backbend. Instead of pulling your foot close towards your pelvis and stretching out your quadriceps (upper thigh muscle), experiment with pushing your back-foot into your hand, but actively resisting the motion with your chest. Breathe into the space opening up there! Tip: if you can't grab your ankle, use a strap or towel to wrap around.
Sidebending: Sit to one side of your heels, cross the arm of the other side over and hold on to the knee of the side you're sitting on. Reach the other arm up and point the fingertips straight up, relax your head. The crossing arm should be helping you to stay in one plane with your upper body. If you're sitting on your right side, you're making space for your liver, if your sitting on your left side, you're compressing the liver.
Supta Baddha Konasana - Reclining Bound Angle Pose: Just as in other shoulder opening poses try to exhale into your liver to close the ribs and feel a deeper opening in the shoulders + activation of the stomach muscles. This pose is extremely calming and I find it an interesting feeling to be all connected within my body, to feel so whole. Other arm options: simply rest them on your sides, on your thighs or even rest your hands on your stomach.
Finish your session by spreading legs and arms on the floor and relaxing in Savasana – Dead Body Pose, try to find complete stillness for 10 minutes or longer. This is the moment, when your heart can pump the blood effortlessly through the body and all the postures done before are having their effects.