You’ve heard it before: Choosing healthy foods and exercising can help boost your health and extend your lifespan. Studies say those who exercise may live longer, with one study pointing to an increase in lifespan of up to 6.9 years. But did you know exercise can also help treat your metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)?
As a form of exercise, yoga has been around for more than 5,000 years. Today, classes can be found at gyms, dedicated studios, schools, libraries, parks, and online, with about 36 million Americans doing some form of yoga practice.
The word yoga means “to yoke” or “to unite,” which is apt since the practice focuses on bringing together body, mind, and breath. While there are many types of yoga, they have similarities. For instance, all yoga practices include asanas, physical poses designed to improve flexibility while improving strength and balance.
“What we’ve found is that almost any yoga done reliably, responsibly, and regularly is going to increase your energy and make you less fatigued. And you get some benefits immediately, like improvement of your mood and posture,” says Loren Fishman, MD, the author of Healing Yoga and past president of the New York Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Can Yoga Help Improve Liver Health?
Exercise reduces liver inflammation and fat buildup and helps with fibrosis or scarring of the liver even if you don’t lose a single pound. Part of these benefits comes from increased blood flow to the liver. The best part? You don’t need to lift heavy weights or spend hours on a cardio machine. Yoga, a low-impact practice that uses physical poses, breathing exercises, and meditation, can also help you improve your liver health.
“Yoga can help indirectly [with MASLD] because it affects your digestion and affects the way your liver works,” says Fishman, who studies the use of yoga as treatment for medical conditions. “Yoga stimulates a chemical in your body called PGC-1 Alpha, which is the strongest known stimulant for your mitochondria and that includes [in] the liver.”
Yoga’s benefits
Improved blood flow to the liver. Exercise increases blood flow and opens up the blood vessels (vasodilation). Blood flow triggers regeneration, the process of rebuilding. A study of the liver and its blood vessels showed that blood flow and vasodilation trigger organ growth.
Better digestion. Some yoga poses compress and massage the abdomen and organs. This process has been studied and found to improve functioning of the digestive system.
Less gas and bloating. Poses that twist and compress the abdomen push gas out of the body much like the process of wringing out a sponge. One small study found that people with chronic indigestion who did yoga five days a week saw a reduction in bloating and vomiting and had fewer bowel movements.
Better sleep. Researchers say doing Kundalini yoga (which uses patterns of movements with chants and singing) increases time asleep, improves sleep efficiency, and reduces bouts of insomnia.
Less anxiety and stress. Frequent yoga practice leads to a big drop in stress as well as an improvement in overall well-being. There have been dozens of studies that came to this conclusion using brain wave measurement and quality of life scoring. “Yoga poses are good for anxiety because they calm the nervous system,” Fishman agrees.
Lowered blood pressure. Yoga has a “modest but significant effect” on high blood pressure for people who incorporate asanas, breathing, and meditation. Since having high blood pressure and MASLD at the same time increases the risk of fibrosis (scarring) significantly, it’s worth trying to lower blood pressure whenever possible.
What Are the Best Yoga Poses For Liver Health?
Some poses (asanas) target specific conditions or systems within the body. Check out these asanas that can help you focus on managing your MASLD:
Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
Liver benefit: A pose for better digestion
Description. Bridge pose is a gentle backbend done lying down on your back.
How it helps. It engages the back, core, glutes, and thighs, which gets your heart pumping. It opens chest and shoulders, improving posture and countering rolled shoulders (which can lead to shallow breathing). The pose also massages the abdominal organs, and this boosts digestion.
How to do it. Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet planted hip-distance apart. Try to move your feet as close to your hips as is comfortable. Stretch your arms out long at your sides with your palms placed on the floor. Inhale deeply while pressing down through your feet and lifting your hips up towards the ceiling. Focus on lifting your pubic bone rather than your navel. Press your hands down into the floor while rolling your shoulders back and down, keeping your neck neutral. Breathe naturally in the pose. When you are ready to come out of the pose, take a deep breath in and exhale while slowly rolling your hips back down to the floor. Once you are comfortable in the pose, you can deepen it by clasping your hands together under your hips to open your shoulders even wider and lift your hips higher.
How long and how often. Try to hold the pose for five breaths, working up to 10. Do the pose at least twice during each practice.
Safety suggestions. Avoid wearing socks, as they can increase the risk of slipping. Keep your head in a neutral position with your chin closer to your chest. Don’t turn your head while in the pose. Use your breath to take you up and down in the pose, and always stop if you feel any pain. If you’re nervous, ask a friend to spot you as you roll up and down.
Common mistakes to avoid. Don’t hyperextend your lower back or allow your knees to rotate out.
Modifications. If this pose is hard to do, place a block or folded blanket under your lower back for support.
Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani)
Liver benefit: A pose for improving blood flow
Description. This passive pose is an inversion done by lying on your back with your head, arms, and torso on the floor and your legs extended up the wall.
How it helps. The veins in your legs send blood back to your heart while working against gravity. By putting your legs up, you let blood flow more easily back to the heart. This pose can also reduce swelling and pain by helping with lymphatic drainage.
How to do it. Start off sitting on the floor facing a stationary wall. Lie on either side, placing your shoulder and head on the floor. Roll onto your back and move your legs onto the wall. Using your hands to move forward, try to get your tailbone as close as possible to the wall. Don’t stress if you can’t make your bottom touch the wall. Once you’re comfortable, settle your arms by your side with your palms facing up. Take a deep breath in and relax into the pose. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll onto your side. Push up slowly to a seated position, taking time to breathe.
How long and how often. This is a pose you can do many times each day. You can start by staying in the pose for two or three minutes, working your way up to 10 minutes.
Safety suggestions. The biggest issue for some is putting strain on your lower back. You can use a pillow under your bottom to avoid this. Also, don’t tense up. This is a supported inversion, so let the wall do all the work. You should also be very careful when standing up after coming out of the pose, especially if you are prone to dizziness.
Modifications. If this is hard for you or you have trouble getting or keeping your legs vertical, you can use a sturdy chair or couch in place of the wall, laying the backs of your lower legs into the seat of the chair.
Wind-relieving pose (Pawanmuktasana)
Liver benefit: A pose to get rid of gas
Description. This asana is done lying on your back and alternating pulling your knees into your chest. The motion and pressure help move gas out of your digestive tract.
How it helps. Gas is a common problem for those who have liver disease, as the condition can impair the secretion of digestive juices. This pose can help get rid of gas by compressing the abdomen with the knees. The crunching motion can help with indigestion, bloating, and constipation and reduces tension in your lower back, hips, and butt, too.
How to do it. Lie on your back on a solid surface with your head on the mat and arms and legs stretched out. Slowly bring one knee towards your chest, grasp behind your thigh to bring your knee closer to the body. Working with your own flexibility, move your hands down your leg to your knee or shin. If you feel comfortable, you can slowly tuck your chin to your chest and raise your head and shoulders towards your knees. Hold the pose for five breaths and release slowly. Repeat on the other side. You can also do the pose with both knees into the chest. If you’re doing both at the same time, keep your knees and legs together.
How long and how often. Do this on both sides, taking care to breathe deeply. You can start out doing the pose once on both sides or once with both knees tucked in, and work your way up to doing it five times.
Safety suggestions. This pose is very gentle but, like any exercise, stop doing it if you feel any pain. Also, never pull on your knee joint or knee caps. You want to reach under your knees or put your hands on your shins.
Modifications. If this pose is hard to do, use a strap or towel to bring your knee into your chest. If you feel too much of a stretch in the extended leg, you can bend your leg and place your foot on the floor. This will take pressure off your hamstring and lower back.
Seated forward fold (Paschimottanasana)
Liver benefit: A pose to relieve fatigue
Description. This is a seated pose that has you fold your torso over your extended legs.
How it helps. This pose releases tension in your legs and back while calming the nervous system and relaxing the body. It helps massage the abdominal cavity, including the liver, improving digestion and speeding blood flow to the organs.
How to do it. Sit with your legs extended straight in front of you with your feet flexed. Sit tall, lifting the crown of your head to the ceiling, lengthening your spine. As you exhale, hinge forward at your hips, keeping your spine long while reaching your hands towards your feet. Move forward until you feel a comfortable stretch in your hamstrings. Rest your hands on your legs or the floor. Every time you take a breath, think about your head reaching up and then moving forward. Come out of the pose by using your hands to slowly walk yourself back into a seated position.
How long and how often. Hold the pose for 15 seconds to start, working your way up to one minute.
Safety suggestions. Don’t push yourself if you feel any pain. Keep feet flexed to protect your knees.
Modifications. If you have limited flexibility, use blocks, straps, or blankets to help you create a more comfortable sitting position and slowly deepen the stretch.
Sphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
Liver benefit: A pose to lower anxiety
Description. Called “the gentlest of backbends,” sphinx pose is a supported backbend done lying on your stomach with your legs behind you and your hands and elbows supporting your weight.
How it helps. Anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight response leading to rapid, shallow breathing. By stretching the front of your body and opening your chest and back, you reduce stress and allow yourself to take deeper breaths, which helps fight anxiety. The pose also massages the liver, promoting digestion.
How to do it. Lie face down with your legs extended behind you, toes reaching towards the opposite wall. Tilt your pubic bone down, lengthening your tail toward your heels. Place your elbows under your shoulders with your fingers spread and hands and forearms pressing into the floor. Engage your lower back, butt, and thigh muscles. Slowly press your hands and forearms into the floor, lifting your head and upper torso. Keep your gaze forward, and concentrate on elongating your spine and neck.
How long and how often. Focus on your breaths while holding the pose. Start with five deep breaths before lowering your head down and turning your head to one side. Repeat once or twice, working up to holding the pose for 10 breaths.
Safety suggestions. Don’t overarch your lower back. Focus on pulling your stomach muscles in. Shoulders should be relaxed and away from your ears. Pull them down and back if they start creeping up.
Modifications. If this pose is hard, consider putting a flat pillow or folded blanket under your hips to support your lower back. If you feel any pain in your back, you can also widen your elbows or simply keep your chest closer to the floor. You can also do this pose supported with a small bolster or pillow to help hold your chest up.
Child’s pose (Balasana)
Liver benefit: A pose for better sleep
Description. This pose is often done at the start and the end of a yoga class. It helps bring awareness to the body and breath while opening the hips and lower back.
How it helps. Child’s pose can help lower blood pressure and heart rate and calm the mind, preparing your body for sleep.
How to do it. Kneel on the floor with your big toes together, separating your knees so they are as wide as your hips. Take a deep breath in and fold forward while sitting back onto your heels. Your chest and torso will be lying on the front of your thighs, and your forehead will rest on the floor. Focus on lengthening your hips back towards the wall. You can rest your arms next to your body with your palms up or down.
How long and how often. Since this is a resting pose, you can stay in the pose for 10 seconds to a few minutes depending on your comfort. To come out of the pose, roll up using your hands to assist you if needed.
Safety suggestions. Use pads or a mat to protect your knees.
Modifications. If this pose is hard to do on the floor, you can use pillows to prop yourself up lying on top of them. You can also do this pose in bed or on a couch to better cushion your knees and head.
Can Yoga Help Reverse Fatty Liver?
Yoga can play a significant part in reversing MASLD. It addresses contributing factors of the disease, such as fat buildup, inflammation, and impaired circulation. Its effects are even more profound when combined with eating a healthy diet, doing moderate aerobic exercise, and getting enough sleep.
Yoga also has the added benefit of being a low-impact exercise that offers quick, visible benefits, making it accessible to anyone with MASLD, even if they have limited mobility. Fishman adds, “Yoga is dose related. The more you do, the more you get out of it.”
