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Yoga For Liver: The Best Poses

Written by GHBY Team on Tue, 01 August 2023 — Fact checked by Dr. Jatin Bhide

Key Highlights

  • Various liver-related diseases have emerged due to unhealthy eating habits and an urban lifestyle.
  • Yoga can prevent these diseases and help the liver stay healthy and perform its role in the human body.
  • Yoga poses can prevent the accumulation of gall stones in the gall bladder.
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The liver is an extremely important organ in the body. It is the largest internal organ in the body. It produces and secretes bile juice which is important for digestion. It plays a vital role in the homeostasis and healthy functioning of the body.

Symptoms of liver disease can vary, but they often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, changes in the color of your stool and urine, jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes.

The poor functioning of the liver is due to changes in lifestyle, wrong dietary habits, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, drugs, etc. Also, liver disorders like Jaundice, Cirrhosis, and Hepatitis, can bring change in the albumin and globulin levels.

One of the best ways to keep the body healthy is through the practice of Yoga, which soothes both the mind and body.

In this article, we will explore yoga for liver in detail.

Yoga for liver

Yoga therapy is a method, where the treatment is done through Yogic practices. It is considered one of many types of complementary and integrative medicine approaches.

It brings together physical and mental disciplines that may help you achieve peacefulness of body and mind. This can help you relax and manage stress and anxiety.

Yoga has many styles, forms, and intensities. The core components of general yoga are:

  • Poses: Also called postures, or asanas, yoga poses are a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility. In a simple posture, you might lie on the floor while completely relaxed. A difficult posture may have you stretching your physical limits.
  • Breathing: Controlling your breathing is an important part of yoga. Yoga teaches that controlling your breathing can help you control your body and quiet your mind.
  • Meditation or relaxation: In yoga, you may incorporate meditation or relaxation. Meditation may help you learn to be more mindful and aware of the present moment without judgment.

Yoga to detox the liver

Yoga can play an important role in keeping the liver healthy and running efficiently.

Specific yoga postures are known to stimulate your liver: these are Locust Pose, Frog Pose, Downward Dog, Garland Pose, etc.

yoga postures

By practicing these postures and combining exercise with a healthy lifestyle, you can bring health and vitality to this vital organ of your system.

Practice these 5 poses regularly to stay healthy and keep your liver functioning smoothly.

Shalabasana (Locust Pose)

  • Lie down flat on your stomach with your palms placed under your thighs.
  • Inhale completely (Purak), hold your breath (Kumbakh) and then lift your legs together.
  • Ensure that your knees remain straight and your feet are together.
  • Place your chin or forehead on the ground.

Hold the posture for 10 seconds, slowly bringing your legs down, and then exhale breath (Rechak) – This breathing technique is therapeutic.

Adomukhi Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

  • Start on your fours, ensuring palms are under the shoulders and knees below the hips.
  • Lift the hips up, straighten the knees and elbows, and form an inverted ‘V’ shape.
  • Now keep the hand's shoulders width apart, with fingers pointed ahead.
  • Put pressure on your palms and open your shoulder blades.
  • Try to push your heels to the floor.
  • Keep your eye focused on your big toes.
  • Hold for 8-10 breaths.

Naukasana (Boat Pose)

  • Lie down on your back
  • Lift your upper and lower body to balance your sitting bones.
  • Your toes must be aligned with your eyes
  • Keep your knees and back straight
  • Keep your arms parallel to the ground and pointing forward
  • Tighten your abdominal muscles
  • Straighten your back
  • Inhale and exhale normally

Malasana (Garland Pose)

  • Begin by standing straight with your arms by the sides of your body.
  • Bend your knees, lower your pelvis and place it over your heels.
  • Ensure that your feet remain flat on the floor.
  • You may either place your palms on the floor beside your feet or join them in front of your chest in a gesture of prayer.
  • Spine remains erect.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

  • Lie down flat on your stomach with palms placed under your shoulders.
  • Keep your feet together, with toes on the ground.
  • Inhale completely (Purak), hold your breath (Kumbakh) and then lift your head, shoulders, and torso up at a 30-degree angle.
  • Ensure that your navel remains on the floor, your shoulders are broad, and your head is slightly raised upwards.
  • Pressure on your toes– This activates the Sun (Right) and Moon (Left) channels which are connected to your lower back.
  • Hold the posture for 10 seconds.
  • Slowly bring your torso down and then exhale breath (Rechak) – This breathing technique is therapeutic.

Along with these yoga poses for liver detox, you can also add Kapalbhati Pranayama to your daily routine.

Kapalbhati is a powerful breathing exercise that not only cleanses the liver but helps you achieve perfect balance within the body. Sit cross-legged, keep your spine erect and inhale deeply, breathing out forcefully through the nostrils. It is recommended to do this breathing technique every day for 15 minutes for fortifying liver health. You can start by practicing for 3-5 minutes and gradually increase the duration.

Many people claim to practice yoga for liver and its health benefits. Yoga focuses on physical exercises consisting of various postures and breathing techniques. A growing body of research evidence supports the belief that certain yoga techniques may improve physical and mental health.

Yoga and gall stones in liver cirrhosis

Do you know what gallstones are? It is the hardened stone formation made of bile that grows in your gall bladder.

The function of a gallbladder is to store bile, which is the digestive juice in your body. The liver is responsible for bile secretion and it breaks the soluble and insoluble fats for better absorption.

gallbladder

When bile gets stored in your gallbladder for some time, cholesterol starts producing there. Due to more cholesterol, there is a risk of stone formation in varying sizes.

In some cases, gallstones are not painful. They might stay in the gallbladder for a long time without causing any pain. Pain can trigger if the gallbladder tries to push the stones out of the gallbladder through the bile duct. Many home remedies can help in getting rid of this pain.

Yoga is an excellent way to enhance digestion and manage gallstones.

Read on to find out the steps and benefits of yoga for liver cirrhosis and gall stones.

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana or bow pose can help in improving your gallbladder and many other different organ functions as it gives a therapeutic massage internally.

This asana helps in strengthening your back and abdominal muscles while providing a good stretch.

  • Lie down on your stomach and bend your legs with the support of your knees.
  • You have to touch your back and hold the heels using your arms and hands.
  • Instead of lifting your body, you can let your ankles go backward like you are stretching your shoulders as much as you can, also allowing your chest to come off the floor.
  • You have to hold this asana along with your breath to gently move the body back and forth in a to and fro movement.

Spinal Twists

Spinal twists help in enhancing your gallbladder function, further softening the gallstone for easy flushing out process, and can also help prevent this condition.

  • Lie down straight and keep your right foot flat on the floor outside the left knee and then the left leg to the right.
  • Then, keep your left ankle on the opposite side of the right buttock.
  • Keep your left arm outside the right leg along with the left hand and hold this position.
  • Turn your body to the right side with your arm behind the back.
  • Turn your back and the neck as much as possible without too much strain. Repeat this with the other leg as well.

Narayan Pose

Narayan pose is beneficial in improving organ function and alleviating the pain caused by gallstones.

  • Lie down on your left side of the body with the arms stretched and behind the end.
  • You can even raise your head with your hand's help and support. Till then, your right foot should stay on the left foot.
  • You have to hold this pose for at least 10-15 minutes.

Along with these yoga poses, one should also avoid fried foods, dairy products such as yogurt and cheese, and different fatty foods, especially animal fat and saturated fats.

Conclusion

To conclude, this article postulates that mind-body exercise such as yoga and breathing exercises not only benefits the physical health of an individual but also improves focus and mental strength of the individual.

It also triggers neurohormonal mechanisms that bring about health benefits. Thus, it reduces stress and anxiety and improves brain functioning. It also improves the physical health of cancer patients. Yoga has many health benefits which include the prevention of many liver disorders.

It is therefore highly recommended for individuals to perform yoga from an early age to avoid life-threatening disorders caused due to poor condition of the liver.

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GHBY Team

GHBY Team comprises content writers and content editors who specialise in health and lifestyle writing. Always on the lookout for new trends in the health and lifestyle space, Team GHBY follows an audience-first approach. This ensures they bring the latest in the health space to your fingertips, so you can stay ahead in your wellness game. 
 

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  1. A STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON LIVER FUNCTIONS
  2. Effect of yoga and naturopathy on liver
  3. Liver: Anatomy and Functions
  4. Effects of Physical Exercise on Fatty Liver Disease
  5. Acalovschi M. Gallstones in patients with liver cirrhosis: incidence, etiology, clinical and therapeutical aspects. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Jun 21;20(23):7277-85

Our team of experts frequently monitors developments in the health and wellness field, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Aug, 01 2023

Written By

GHBY Team

Fact checked By

Dr. Jatin Bhide