The Liver Energy and Women

Welcome to this session on the liver and the Wood element. The color associated with the Wood element in Chinese medicine is green. Think of plants in spring — how nature turns vibrant and alive, growing and expanding with flexibility and strength. That’s the quality we want to cultivate within ourselves: flexibility, smooth flow, and steady growth. The mind often creates rigidity and imbalance. It wants to stay active, to keep achieving and doing. These movements help regulate the liver and bring more gentleness and smoothness into body and mind. The liver is linked to stress, tension, irritation, and frustration. If any of these feel familiar, this session is for you. Let’s begin by releasing what’s inside. Let your hands drop naturally, bending the knees slightly, and let your body bounce. Feel the release through the hips, belly, and chest. Exhale through the mouth a few times, letting go of tension. Now become still again. From here, rotate the upper body from the waist, twisting side to side. Let the hips lead the motion — one knee and hip forward, the other back. Keep the shoulders relaxed and away from the ears. This helps stimulate the vagus nerve and calm the nervous system. As you twist, your hands naturally swing and tap the sides and back of the body. The back hand lands around the lower back; the front hand reaches up to the sides of the ribs. You are stimulating the liver meridian and releasing stagnation. For women, the sides of the ribs and chest are important areas to open — they hold tension and emotional energy. Let the front hand rise to the chest, using a light, loose fist to tap gently under the collarbones. These points help release tension in the chest and create space for the breath. Then let the hands travel down again, relaxing the shoulders as you return to stillness. Next, we’ll do a simple reaching movement. Bring the feet a little closer together. Reach the arms up, opening the front of the body, lifting slightly onto your toes. Then bend the knees and bring the arms down. Repeat a few times — inhale as you reach up, exhale as you come down. Feel the stretch through the front body, then the release as you lower. Now we’ll build on this flow. Stand centered, creating space around you. Breathe in and open your arms wide. Then as you twist, let one hand move forward, as if gently throwing a small ball away — releasing what you no longer need. Return to center, inhale, open again, and exhale, letting go. Find your own rhythm. You might move slowly or a bit faster — let the breath and body guide you. This practice helps clear what causes stress or frustration. Breathe through the nose to balance Yin and Yang — inhale and exhale equally, like a soft dance. Slow down for the last two repetitions. Inhale, open, exhale, let go. Inhale again, open the space, and exhale softly. Now hold the hands as if cradling a ball of energy in front of the lower abdomen. Keep a roundness through the arms and shoulders. Breathe deeply into the ribs and belly. Feel your feet anchored into the ground, steady and rooted like a tree. Allow the knees to bend slightly and the tummy to soften. Breathe gently and stay connected to the earth beneath you. To finish, turn the palms downward. Inhale and raise your arms softly, expanding through the sides like a tree growing upward. Exhale, guiding the hands down along the center line, anchoring the energy into your roots. Repeat once more — inhale, exhale, relax the belly. Make a smaller circle, bringing the hands up to the chest. Let the fingers drop and place your palms over the lower abdomen, thumbs near the navel. Feel warmth and subtle movement beneath your hands as you breathe. When you’re ready, slowly come back. Thank you for this session, and have a wonderful day.