“Smile in your liver” ~ Ketut Leyir
From the movie Eat Pray Love ~ by Elizabeth Gilbert
I saw the movie Eat Pray Love when it first came out in 2010 and I thought it was interesting and great. At the time I was more obsessed with the travel destinations of Italy, India and Indonesia in the movie and the basic story line of how a woman left an unhappy marriage and started over. Having watched this movie again years later with some changes in my own life made me pay very close attention to Julia Roberts’ role and I was listening to the words of precious Ketut like he was sitting in my living room talking to me. He is so amazing, I wish I had my own medicine man. For the record, I am still obsessed with the travel destinations…
“You make serious face like this, you scare away good energy. To meditate, only you must smile. Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clear away dirty energy. Even smile in your liver.”
Before we try and understand what adorable Ketut is trying to say, let’s review the roles of our liver first and try to understand the meaning behind his quote; “Smile in your liver.”
The liver’s main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also has the ability to regenerate itself if injured or surgically excised. It is located on the upper right side of your body.
Maybe what Ketut is really saying is smiling in your liver essentially means going deep within yourself to be happy from the inside out. Smiling in your liver filters the negativity coming from your gut feelings and prevents these negative feelings from passing throughout the body. A smile has the ability to dissolve anger and resentment and metabolizes negative emotions while assisting in the decision making process. A smile is also known for removing blockages so that one can forgive, accept and feel kindness flowing. As it does so, a smile triggers endorphin production the “feel good” hormones that end up back in your belly making you feel at peace. Your mind is calm and the smile you wear on your beautiful face is radiant; just like your liver. If your smile is lost or cut off by someone or something, it is not lost forever and can be transformed again. A smile is always right.
You could say it’s about striking a balance in your life and maintaining your personal power. Yoga and meditation can help to slow down the monkey mind and when combined with deep breathing and smiling, your body feels more energized and peaceful. I am currently on this learning journey and yoga is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and my smiling liver. Life gets pretty busy and crazy sometimes and we run to keep up with it.
But is that the right thing we should be doing?
Should we pick up the pace a little bit and run even faster?
I don’t think so.
Personally, when life gets that overwhelmingly crazy, the best thing we can do is the opposite – slow down. Seems counterintuitive, right? Well here’s the thing. Not only does slowing down allow us to catch our breath, we can begin to see clearly and we can feel what our body is telling us ie: our gut feelings. Gut feelings never lie and we should pay more attention to them because often times they can guide us in the direction that is most right for us or even re-direct us away from something that is harmful to us. You become more mindful of what you really need. If you don’t slow down and keep running that monkey mind marathon, you will never be able to hear what your life is trying to tell you, or get your attention to pay attention. Stay grounded, slow down and silence your mind because you either control your mind or it controls you. It’s that simple and your liver will thank you for it by smiling deep within yourself. Now I just need to decide when I am going on my next trip!
SMILE IN YOUR LIVER! 🙂
Much Love,
Jennifer
Dare To Live Courageously... 