When is it used?
Our liver can get overheated when we are busy, overactive and unable to stop thinking. As a result, we may become irritable, tense or inattentive. Sometimes we may not know how to get rid of our anger, restlessness or stress. When this happens it is as though our cooling system has malfunctioned, like an overheated computer that ceases to run efficiently. Every machine has a cooling system, and human beings need one too. Placing an ice pack on our liver helps it to slow down, relaxing our thinking and putting our attention back on track.
How is it done?
This treatment could not be more simple. All you will need is an ice pack from the freezer wrapped in a cloth or paper towel. Place this ice pack on your liver - located on the righthand side of the body just below the ribcage - for 5-15 minutes. You can use it during your meditation session, but also while you are working on a computer or doing other simple tasks.
Note: Before, during and immediately after meals, an ice pack should not be used to avoid disrupting your digestion.
Why does it work?
Did you know that our liver carries out more than 500 distinct functions? One of the vital functions is storing carbohydrates and breaking them down into glucose to provide us with energy. The cells in our brain consume about twice as much energy as other cells in our body.
Modern life forces our brain into overactivity: we have so much information to process, jobs or studies that are mentally demanding, relationships, family, deadlines, and constant stimulation from our phones and the media. Whether sensible or not, our thoughts consume a lot of energy provided by our liver. All that mental activity creates heat. Placing ice on our liver allows it to cool down and function more efficiently.
In addition to achieving thoughtless awareness during our meditation, ice is extremely beneficial for our liver because it gives our liver a break from supplying glucose and thus gives it time to carry out its other vital functions such as detoxifying our body.