Stimulating your liver meridian can considerably improve your sleep quality.
Sleep is one of the key points in the Body Time Clock.
There is a time to sleep and a time to wake up.
Chinese perspective of the liver
Sound: Shuuu
Element: Wood
Color: Forest green
Planet: Jupiter
Direction: East
Season : Spring
Harmful emotion: anger
Positive emotion: kindness
Anger weakens the liver and causes the Qi to rise. Rising Qi leads to muscular tension and other ailments, including headaches, eyestrain, haemorrhoids, mood swings and irregular periods.
When the liver is weak it cannot performing its function of spreading the Qi and harmonising its flow.
To induce sounder sleep, try these Qigong lifestyle practices
- Shake your body
- Scan your body after your qigong practice and compare how it is feeling now to how it felt before you did your practice. The more you are aware of the contrast between what it felt like before and after, the easier it is to change habits.
- Always do a second body scan as you take a deep breath in placing your hands on Dan Tian (your lower abdomen) and take a few minutes to focus on your quiet, still breathing.
- Count your breaths as you are falling asleep. As your breathing deepens and slows down, your mind relaxes and you drift easily into a deep sleep.
- Stop overworking and pushing your body. As you shift out of overdrive into your bodies natural rhythm, your sleep becomes more restful and refreshing.
Why activate your liver meridian?
You activate it
- because your liver is one of the internal reservoir organs that store Qi
- because your liver also controls the flow of Qi
- because your liver represents the largest internal organ in your body.
Easy exercise to heal your liver
- Sit in a comfortable position.
- Relax and breath deeply as you visualise your liver (where it is located and its size and shape).
- Breathe in fresh, clean, green Qi through the nose.
- Exhale toxins from the liver through your mouth, as you quietly chant the word “Shuuu” (the sound is similar to the “Sh” sound you make in saying “Hush, be quiet”).
- Repeat three times.
Digestive tip
Sour foods, like lemons, apples, grapes, pears, strawberries, tomatoes and fermented vegetables, are associated with wood and help the liver.
Other pages of interest:
“Tea generates fluids, stops thirst, clears heat, eliminates toxins, dispels dampness, promotes urination, aids digestion, stops diarrhoea, clears heart fire and raises the spirit”
Dr Ma Shouchan