Liver and Eyes

​What does the liver have to do with the eyes?, you may ask. Well, these are two of the hot organs in the body, so they are greatly affected by hot weather this time of year. As part of our “Yoga and Ayurveda Summer Series,” the fourth installment so far, we’re enquiring into the nature of these hot organs.

Ayurveda classifies the hot season as Pitta dominant with qualities hot, wet, sharp, mobile, oily and smelly. This same heat and humidity exists inside of our body too, primarily in the digestive organs and body temperature, as well as our ability to think and comprehend. When we get overly hot in the summer we can have challenging symptoms like sunburns, rashes, bug bites, acid indigestion, diarrhea, frustration and anger. 

Certain organs of the body are especially susceptible to the fluctuations of pitta dosha, such as the liver and the eyes. 

The liver is situated on the right side of the body just under the diaphragm. In the Yoga tradition the liver is the physical and energetic location of anger in the body. Here are a couple of ways to take care of your liver this summer:

1) Drink a cup of water—warm or room temperature—with the juice of ¼ - ½ fresh lemon juice first thing in the morning. Yes, before you drink anything else. This special drink jump starts the whole digestive tract preparing it for a day of healthy eating and assimilation of nutrients. And the lemon is especially helpful for detoxifying the liver.

2) Practice twisting poses standing, sitting or lying down. In a twist we take our upper body and lower body in opposite directions, turning from the navel. All of the digestive organs are affected, but we can really address the liver by twisting the upper body to the right side.

The eyes are also a pitta dominant organ. When we have a pitta-oriented disease, the eyes often show it first through inflammation, dryness or weariness. The hot summer sun can be especially hard on the eyes. Here are a couple of ways to take care of your eyes this summer:

1) Refresh the eyes with rosewater. Look for organic, edible rosewater, the type that is used for cooking. Saturate two cotton rounds with the rosewater and place one round over each eye. Lie down and rest for 10-15 minutes. It’s better than eye drops!

2) Look at the sun early in the morning. This is the only time of the day when the sun emits red rays. Significant research has been done on how our body utilizes the red rays of the early morning sun. Not only do these rays have a healing effect on the body, but they also reset our circadian rhythm making it possible for us to sleep better at night. Gazing at the sun is only safe right after sunrise. Never look at the sun as it gets higher in the sky as this can severely injure the eyes. Instead, wear a pair of sunglasses with 100% UV-A and UV-B protection. 

If you like, join me tomorrow morning, drinking some lemon water and gazing at the rising sun. Your liver and your eyes with thank you.