Do Twisting Yoga Poses Really Improve Organ Function?

Let's put this claim to the test

Rose began last week’s yoga class, as she always does, with a few informational tidbits. She speaks from the front of class through the professional sound system so we can all hear her, loud and clear. She said, “Today we’ll be doing a lot of twisting poses because,” she had read, “this will improve our organ function.” (Here she gestured toward her torso, apparently referring to internal organs.)

These are the kind of statements that get my attention, as an exercise scientist and physiologist with a PhD. Hmm, will twisting “Improve our organ function?” Let’s take a think about this.

I don’t discount this statement right away because Rose is a very experienced instructor and seems to know what she is doing leading our class. But what are the organs to which she refers? Well, let’s take a look at the contenders.

Discounting the heart and lungs which are confined to the chest cavity and held pretty steady by the rib cage, we have the stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, ureters, appendix, bladder, rectum and urethra (Also gender-specific sex organs and blood vessels, not shown). Now the question is: will a twisting of the body improve the function of these organs?

This may sound like a possibility if you think of each of these organs as working like a wet rag: when you ring it, its “contents” are expressed. There are at least two problems with that analogy.

1) The twisting in yoga begins at the midline and works its way out from center. If this were operating on our organs, it would twist them from their center toward their periphery, in two or perhaps multiple directions. This would not serve us well, especially the intestines which already have a specialized mechanism called peristalsis which preferentially moves colon contents in one direction. Blood vessels, too, definitely require unidirectional flow.

2) Organs and glands perform their functions in response to stimuli, not mechanical pressure. The twisting analogy supposes they will work better if we ring them out. Need more liver enzymes, just squeeze! Need pancreatic hormones, just compress! Well, unless our bodies are squished flat by, say, a steamroller or a safe falling from an upper story window (channeling my Road Runner cartoons here) or we experience trauma from something like a car collision, our organs don’t express their contents by pressure. Each organ’s function is carefully regulated to produce and/or release measured quantities of their products in controlled response to the body’s needs.

It may be tempting to invoke enhanced blood flow as facilitator of improved organ performance after twisting your torso. And this may be where we need to backtrack to make sure we stay with the science. While blood flow to an organ is essential to its function, increasing blood flow to a healthy organ won’t increase its production or performance.

So, will whole-body twisting help our organ performance? No, we’re not designed that way. Don’t expect your gallbladder problems to go away or your liver enzymes to improve as a result of yoga. See your doctor if you have concerns about how your body is functioning, and please don’t let the internet be your doctor.

There are a lotta folks out there who have “studied up” or who have “read somewhere that…” and they are happy to share, often via microphone or the online equivalent. Don’t be quick to accept what they say or buy what they offer and please don’t pass it along as factual until you’ve tested the claims they make.

Let’s take care of ourselves, friends, and please let’s take care of each other.

In Good Health,

Wendy