6 Gentle Yoga Poses for the Liver and Detoxification
6 Gentle Yoga Poses for the Liver and Detoxification
June 25, 2021 by Lesley Seto
The liver is one of our vital organs that plays a key role in detoxification. The liver filters the blood of toxins for elimination and takes part in a wide range of metabolic processes ranging from hormone regulation, nutrient metabolism, balancing blood sugars, and more. To read more about what foods and practices support the liver and detoxification, check out the post How to Detoxify your Body and Mind.
In the Chinese five-element system, spring is the season of the wood element (a dialogue of structure and growth) and the organs of spring are the liver and gallbladder.
In spring, we want to foster mental relaxation to open the mind to new perspectives and experiences, while also developing our ability to focus and make clear and aligned decisions. We want to focus on mental clarity rather than jumping from one task to the other without meaning.
Movement helps to clear and open the physical body and the psychological mind. These 6 poses will invigorate and improve qi or vital force energy moving through the liver meridian, creating space and supporting the natural detoxification of emotions, ideas, and anything you’re ready to move through.
As you practice these poses, reflect on what you need to express to make space and feel more free and whole.
I recommend holding each pose for a minimum of 15 slow deep breaths, especially the ones that are the least comfortable for you!
Bananasana
How to:
Lay down on your back and extend your arms up alongside your ears. With the left hand, grab onto the opposite elbow and make good contact.
Both shoulders should be flat on the floor. The right arm extends and rolls in towards the center (with the inside of the arm facing your center line).
Slide your legs towards the left to create a beautiful banana shape! Cross the right ankle over the left, keeping the back of the hips evenly placed on the floor.
Take the breath from the right foot to the top of the right lung and into the right hand.
Don’t forget to switch sides!
Swan and Swan Twist
How to:
Lay on your back and bend your knees. Bend the right knee and bring the outside of the right ankle onto the left thigh. If this is enough, stay here.
Alternatively, bring the legs towards you and interlace fingers around the back of the left thigh, pulling the legs towards you, keeping the shoulder blades pressing into the mat.
As you breathe deeply here, try tilting your pelvis forward. Notice how that changes the pose.
Stay here for 15 breaths.
Slowly set up for a twist by bringing the left foot down (if you’re pulling the left thigh in) and rotate from the hips towards the left until the right foot contacts the floor. Extend arms into a T shape.
Experience the sensation of the twist.
Unwind yourself and set up for the other side.
Cat and Cow
How to:
This one isn’t held for long. Instead, it flows between 2 poses to create fluidity in the whole body.
Set yourself up in a Table Pose on all fours - place wrists below the shoulders and knees beneath the hips
Inhale, belly drops down, collarbones pull apart and vision comes out in front. Exhale, curl in, and look at the belly.
Move through this for 1-2 minutes, linking breath to movement.
Dragon
How to:
From your table, step the right foot forward and lunge as deep as you can in the back leg.
Bring the front foot to a 90-degree angle, with the heel beneath the knee.
Fit the right armpit into the right knee and walk the arms out diagonally to open the collar bones. If you can’t find the fit or are hunching over, use blocks underneath the hands.
Optional: To go deeper, bring the hands on the inside of the front foot or lower forearms onto blocks or the mat.
When finished, slowly come out, shake it out before switching sides.
Shoelace
How to:
From your table position, bring the right knee to the center space between both knees and cross the left leg behind so that legs are crossed. Separate the feet as much as you can and sit back onto a block. Sit up tall with the pelvis tipping forward slightly.
If you want to go deeper, you can fold at the hips and walk your hands forward.
Happy Baby
How to:
Lay on your back with a bolster, rolled-up blanket or foam block under your sacrum (not lower back)bring the legs up with the knees bent. Grab onto the toes or outside of the foot.
Want to Learn More?
These poses will help support the liver, but there are other practices and factors that can be considered too, like adopting a healthy diet. Read our article to find out more. If you’re not sure how to safely modify these poses for your body, contact us for a private consultation.