In the last of my festive posts, and just in case you overindulge during the festive period, I‘m going to explore how Dru Yoga can help you bring your body back into balance, and how it can help you to support your organs of elimination ie. the liver, kidneys, bowels and skin. Your pancreas might also need some extra TLC too.
Side stretches help the organs of elimination
One of the liver’s main functions is cleansing, and at this time of year we often give it a little extra work to do, so it would really appreciate any help you can give it! Have a couple of days of eating and drinking light, warm, nourishing foods if you can, and eat regularly, avoiding alcohol, caffeine, sugar and processed food which all put the liver under extra strain. Make sure you stay hydrated too. Remember, your body likes food and drinks at body temperature, so opt for warm water instead of cold. The following yoga practices are great for the liver, but also for the gallbladder and the pancreas.
Twisting poses, especially seated spinal twist and Maltese cross.
Side stretches, such as the triangle poses, sitting side stretch and beam.
Practice cobra, locust if you feel up to it, and then counter with sitting forward bend. The perfect combination for the internal organs.
Anything that improves circulation and helps you sweat will help your skin with it’s elimination job. Get out walking, do some exercise and practice vigorous rounds of sun sequence. You might feel a bit tired and jaded, but often movement will help to pep you up a bit.
The Kidneys are already not happy in the cold weather, so support them with twists, and forward and backward bending movements. Add in my triple kidney warmer routine too:
Stand with feet hip width apart. Arms by sides, elbows bent, palms facing up. Inhale, lifting on to your toes, pulling your elbows back, lifting the sternum, so you get a gentle squeeze in the kidney area. Exhale, lower the heels, soften the knees and let the arms relax so that the palms now face your tummy. Repeat as many times as you want.
Stand with hands into kidney area of your back. Bounce on your heels at least 20x, shaking the legs out if they start to feel like lead.
Do some shoulder scoops, alternate from side to side. Hold your arms as if you have an orange under the armpit, and feel the twist from side to side, keeping the space under your arms. You can be quite dynamic with this if your back is ok.
I gave you quite a few tips on looking after your digestive system in last weeks blog, so do practice those to help your bowels and your digestive system in general.
Fish is a great posture if you have a headache. You can also practice inverted postures, such as Dog, Shoulderstand or Plough, if you are feeling fine and just want to give your body a little bit of extra love, as these poses are fantastic for the elimination organs, but not so great if you are feeling hung over!
Take some time out to rest too. Do a guided relaxation, or even have a sleep if you need it. Any of the breathing practices will help your body to work efficiently too.
Wishing you all a healthy and merry Christmas and I’ll see you all in 2018. Ix