Ardha Matsyendrasana
Is your liver feeling heavy and sluggish? Have you been indulging in too many fried, greasy, or processed foods, and now the cells in your liver are filled with fat?
When this happens, liver cells can no longer function properly. One of their main duties — the production and secretion of bile — becomes impaired. In Ayurveda, bile is considered one of the key expressions of the fire element (Agni) in the body.
When the liver becomes fatty, bile production (which is responsible for digesting fats) decreases. The bile that is produced becomes thick, heavy, and impure — and over time, it can lead to gallstones.
What to do?
The main home of the fire element is around the navel area — the cavity that houses the small intestine, liver, spleen, pancreas, and stomach. When you engage the muscles around this area (as in abdominal exercises or twists), those organs are gently compressed and released — which activates the digestive fire (Agni), boosts bile secretion, and stimulates detoxification.
By practicing Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) — and other similar twists like Bharadvajasana or Marichyasana — the muscles of the abdomen are activated, the liver becomes stimulated, and the body’s inner fire increases.
What else to do?
* Eliminate solid fats, hydrogenated oils, and margarine from your diet. Avoid fried foods, fast foods, and heavy restaurant meals.
* Instead, use easily digestible oils like coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, or avocado oil.
* Avoid cold drinks or iced beverages — they extinguish your digestive fire. Always choose warm or room-temperature water.
* Refrain from alcohol, caffeine (coffee, tea, etc.), marijuana, and smoking, as they aggravate liver imbalance.
* Minimize these foods: pickles (vinegar-based), sour fruits (like plums, sour cherries, green apples), sweets and sugary desserts, refined flour products (white bread, pasta), cheese, cream, yogurt, cold buttermilk, salty and heavy foods, beef, liver, egg yolk, chips, and processed snacks.
For more home remedies, and to learn about cleansing diets and foods beneficial for fatty liver, click on the word Fatty Liver.
Be filled with health and vitality.
Written by: Setareh Kiumarsi
Please make sure to mention the author, “Setareh Kiumarsi,” if you share or republish this article, which was written with hope for everyone’s health and love.
