About the Liver and Gall Bladder:
The Liver lives in the lower right rib cage and covers its entire space from back to from, outside to inside, in fact it goes a little further than the upper inside of the rib cage it sits in the centre of the two ribs.
The gall bladder should reside at the bottom centre of the liver just under the rib but due to prolapse and slouching into the solar plexus are (between the apex of the lower ribs and navel) the gall bladder tends to slip out of place causing many digestive problems; from acid reflux to inconsistent defecation. This is the cause of 90% of ailments of the digestive system.
The liver tends to make the more alkaline substances to cleanse your body but just as the alcohol we drink it is this natural substance that also makes us feel high, the liver could be seen as your spirit. In health it allows you to feel light, clear and enthusiastic, giving you a sense of expansion and connection.
Spring: It's time to rid the dampness of winter by spring-cleaning your beautiful system - your body/temple that houses that you are.
As spring kicks in the liver and gall bladder become more active as their alkalising properties are ready to clean out the damp of the cold winter season.
When these organs are depleted you may feel dull, lethargic even depressed!! You may feel indigestion or sluggish. Once you spring these organs into action liberation, connectedness and energy are your new vibe :)
Spring’s element is wood or life; this represents the coming together of all the four elements; earth (matter our body or the planet), air (air we breath from the planet), water (salty ocean water just as our body), fire (the sun supplying all the prana to the planet keeping all of us alive). Bringing these four elements together we get the fifth - Wood (ether, where we all come from and return to), Wood may also be seen as spirit!
Eat alkalising foods: It’s always recommended to eat organic, seasonal foods and sometimes it is difficult to know what they are due to our easy access to food all over the world. Enjoy a balance of raw and lightly cooked vegetables.
Warmwater with lemon is great first thing in the morning to boost the flow of bile, please note this only has an alkalising effect first thing in the morning before you eat and with warm water. You may alternate or prefer to drink a tablespoon of mother apple cider vinegar in a cup of water.
Lots of alkalizers through the day such as sprouts, which also contain lots of protein, bitter dark green leaves in the way of sorrel and rocket and yummy celery sticks to snack on, try some baby beets and asparagus too. Snack on the more alkalizing nuts such as walnuts, brazils and almonds.
Tangy cleansing green juices such as lemon, green apple, celery, ginger and mint
Herb: St Mary's Milk Thistle is an excellent liver cleanser, avoid dairy products for full benefits and check with you practitioner to make sure this herb is for you. Also Dandelion leaf tea is lovely to sip through the day. You can pick them fresh as they are probably growing in your garden or the park as a weed. Always choose the dandelion that has one stem and one flower growing from it (not stems that are branching out from the one stem). Pick some leaves, wash of course and put in your salad or simmer for five minutes to make a lovely tea, keep the leftovers in the fridge as a cold beverage.
Asanas: practice twists to strengthen the liver and massage the organs, squeezing out the build up.
Side bends to draw the energy into the liver and open the meridians of the liver and gall bladder; they also open the organs to receive bodily fluids and energy.
Back arches help to detoxify the body and open you into renewed spring energy. Practice boat (navasana) holding onto the toes also helps to strengthen the liver. Uddiyana if practiced correctly prevents prolapse of the organs especially the gall bladder, it deeply massages the massages the liver, lifting your spirit.
Pranayama: remember to breathe long and gentle deep breaths, exhale longer than you inhale, this will keep you calm.
Inhale gently expanding the liver then exhale gently squeezing the liver.
Nadi Shodana: Close the right nostril and breathe deeply and gently through the left ensuring the belly expands on the in-breath. When comfortable with this begin to speed up the breath, exhale sharply squeezing the entire belly in and as you inhale allow the belly to expand gently and naturally. If at any time you begin to feel spasms in the belly stop and go back to a gentle breath. Then repeat on the right nostril. This practice cleanses the pranic/energetic channels. NB do not practice this if you have gastric ulcers, high blood pressure or heart problems. Your practice would be the same actions but with slow and gentle deep breathing.
Visualisation: Picture your liver and gall bladder in perfect health (you better believe it as you feel it then it will work).
The idea is to feel energy spiralling upward through the body as you expel the winter damp and allow a new flow of energy.
Meditation: Sit with the spine as straight as possible, close your eyes, allow yourself to breathe naturally, allow your body and mind to relax. The essential emotion for the liver is calmness. Fold your middle finger and ring finger into the palm of your hand and wrap your thumb over these two fingers. The pinkie and pointer fingers are straight.
Think of or visualise the colour green, embody all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine and cool air, new animal and plant life, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming. As you sit with yourself consider what you would like for yourself to spring into action; see it, feel it and imagine you are in it, create a new pattern for yourself.
When you feel you have nailed that visualisation think about what pattern you need to dissolve all that may be blocking your new pattern. Start making the sound shu, you can sound it out loud or silently depending on how you are feeling and where you are. When you feel you have dissolved it stop.
Try to practice this meditation for 15 minutes or longer but 5 minutes are also fine. Keep your new intention in mind, especially at meal times and day dreaming times.
Massage: place your hand on the outside lower left ribcage and massage in circular movements all the way across to the outside of lower right ribcage, change hands move back to the left rib cage. Practice up to 36 rounds; this is especially beneficial if you are awake between the hours of 11pm-3am.
Lifestyle: eat natural foods, chew properly – to mush; the less you chew the more acid the spleen releases to break food down, which ends up burning the digestive system. The liver has to counteract this acid; if it has to over work it becomes sluggish.
Get into clean ocean or forest air as city air is very acidic and most of all remain calm and stay away from stressful situations. All of this reduces the release of acid into the system.
When there is too much acid the nerves become fried inhibiting the flow of prana along through the body, too much acid also it burns the digestive system, especially the small and large intestines. Too much acid creates stress.
So take 5 minutes here and there through the day to keep calm, breathe deep and smile to keep the liver healthy.
If you feel sluggish, lethargic or depressed or angry and shouty all of the above will greatly help.
“Most of all let go of resentment and move into acceptance”.
The Liver lives in the lower right rib cage and covers its entire space from back to from, outside to inside, in fact it goes a little further than the upper inside of the rib cage it sits in the centre of the two ribs.
The gall bladder should reside at the bottom centre of the liver just under the rib but due to prolapse and slouching into the solar plexus are (between the apex of the lower ribs and navel) the gall bladder tends to slip out of place causing many digestive problems; from acid reflux to inconsistent defecation. This is the cause of 90% of ailments of the digestive system.
The liver tends to make the more alkaline substances to cleanse your body but just as the alcohol we drink it is this natural substance that also makes us feel high, the liver could be seen as your spirit. In health it allows you to feel light, clear and enthusiastic, giving you a sense of expansion and connection.
Spring: It's time to rid the dampness of winter by spring-cleaning your beautiful system - your body/temple that houses that you are.
As spring kicks in the liver and gall bladder become more active as their alkalising properties are ready to clean out the damp of the cold winter season.
When these organs are depleted you may feel dull, lethargic even depressed!! You may feel indigestion or sluggish. Once you spring these organs into action liberation, connectedness and energy are your new vibe :)
Spring’s element is wood or life; this represents the coming together of all the four elements; earth (matter our body or the planet), air (air we breath from the planet), water (salty ocean water just as our body), fire (the sun supplying all the prana to the planet keeping all of us alive). Bringing these four elements together we get the fifth - Wood (ether, where we all come from and return to), Wood may also be seen as spirit!
Eat alkalising foods: It’s always recommended to eat organic, seasonal foods and sometimes it is difficult to know what they are due to our easy access to food all over the world. Enjoy a balance of raw and lightly cooked vegetables.
Warmwater with lemon is great first thing in the morning to boost the flow of bile, please note this only has an alkalising effect first thing in the morning before you eat and with warm water. You may alternate or prefer to drink a tablespoon of mother apple cider vinegar in a cup of water.
Lots of alkalizers through the day such as sprouts, which also contain lots of protein, bitter dark green leaves in the way of sorrel and rocket and yummy celery sticks to snack on, try some baby beets and asparagus too. Snack on the more alkalizing nuts such as walnuts, brazils and almonds.
Tangy cleansing green juices such as lemon, green apple, celery, ginger and mint
Herb: St Mary's Milk Thistle is an excellent liver cleanser, avoid dairy products for full benefits and check with you practitioner to make sure this herb is for you. Also Dandelion leaf tea is lovely to sip through the day. You can pick them fresh as they are probably growing in your garden or the park as a weed. Always choose the dandelion that has one stem and one flower growing from it (not stems that are branching out from the one stem). Pick some leaves, wash of course and put in your salad or simmer for five minutes to make a lovely tea, keep the leftovers in the fridge as a cold beverage.
Asanas: practice twists to strengthen the liver and massage the organs, squeezing out the build up.
Side bends to draw the energy into the liver and open the meridians of the liver and gall bladder; they also open the organs to receive bodily fluids and energy.
Back arches help to detoxify the body and open you into renewed spring energy. Practice boat (navasana) holding onto the toes also helps to strengthen the liver. Uddiyana if practiced correctly prevents prolapse of the organs especially the gall bladder, it deeply massages the massages the liver, lifting your spirit.
Pranayama: remember to breathe long and gentle deep breaths, exhale longer than you inhale, this will keep you calm.
Inhale gently expanding the liver then exhale gently squeezing the liver.
Nadi Shodana: Close the right nostril and breathe deeply and gently through the left ensuring the belly expands on the in-breath. When comfortable with this begin to speed up the breath, exhale sharply squeezing the entire belly in and as you inhale allow the belly to expand gently and naturally. If at any time you begin to feel spasms in the belly stop and go back to a gentle breath. Then repeat on the right nostril. This practice cleanses the pranic/energetic channels. NB do not practice this if you have gastric ulcers, high blood pressure or heart problems. Your practice would be the same actions but with slow and gentle deep breathing.
Visualisation: Picture your liver and gall bladder in perfect health (you better believe it as you feel it then it will work).
The idea is to feel energy spiralling upward through the body as you expel the winter damp and allow a new flow of energy.
Meditation: Sit with the spine as straight as possible, close your eyes, allow yourself to breathe naturally, allow your body and mind to relax. The essential emotion for the liver is calmness. Fold your middle finger and ring finger into the palm of your hand and wrap your thumb over these two fingers. The pinkie and pointer fingers are straight.
Think of or visualise the colour green, embody all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine and cool air, new animal and plant life, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming. As you sit with yourself consider what you would like for yourself to spring into action; see it, feel it and imagine you are in it, create a new pattern for yourself.
When you feel you have nailed that visualisation think about what pattern you need to dissolve all that may be blocking your new pattern. Start making the sound shu, you can sound it out loud or silently depending on how you are feeling and where you are. When you feel you have dissolved it stop.
Try to practice this meditation for 15 minutes or longer but 5 minutes are also fine. Keep your new intention in mind, especially at meal times and day dreaming times.
Massage: place your hand on the outside lower left ribcage and massage in circular movements all the way across to the outside of lower right ribcage, change hands move back to the left rib cage. Practice up to 36 rounds; this is especially beneficial if you are awake between the hours of 11pm-3am.
Lifestyle: eat natural foods, chew properly – to mush; the less you chew the more acid the spleen releases to break food down, which ends up burning the digestive system. The liver has to counteract this acid; if it has to over work it becomes sluggish.
Get into clean ocean or forest air as city air is very acidic and most of all remain calm and stay away from stressful situations. All of this reduces the release of acid into the system.
When there is too much acid the nerves become fried inhibiting the flow of prana along through the body, too much acid also it burns the digestive system, especially the small and large intestines. Too much acid creates stress.
So take 5 minutes here and there through the day to keep calm, breathe deep and smile to keep the liver healthy.
If you feel sluggish, lethargic or depressed or angry and shouty all of the above will greatly help.
“Most of all let go of resentment and move into acceptance”.
