This tool comes from physiology, experience with human bodies, and common sense, and I wonder if you have ever thought of this during your teachings!
The other day, during one of our modules, I shared a video of how to work with a client with liver damage. The liver, as you know, is a large organ found on the right side of the upper abdomen. In liver damage, the liver is often enlarged, and compression of the liver is highly contraindicated.
The practices in the video showed gentle stretches and breathing practices where we avoided compression of the right side of the abdomen, creating space with opening stretches only on the right side (for the enlarged organ), and some restorative lying down in such way that the right side would be allowed to breathe freely.
During Q&A, one of our students asked why we did not follow the principle of balance and symmetry, and why we wouldn’t work with equal stretches on both sides. Wouldn’t we want to do the same on both sides?
Indeed, this is what many of us have been taught in yoga: stretch the right side, then the left side. Do a forward fold, then a backbend. Twist to the right, then to the left, ideally within the same range of motion. Correct?
Not quite.
The reality is, whether it is an enlarged liver, a sprained ankle, a painful hip, a compressed nerve, or simply the way we are born and developed—no human being is symmetric. Sometimes I need to stretch a very tight muscle on the right side and not do much on the left side, because the left side is already long enough.
In cases of scoliosis, herniated discs, surgeries, or injuries, we may need to do a deeper twist on one side, and do a more moderate, supported twist on the other side.
This work is asymmetric, for an asymmetric world.
In fact, if we work equally on both sides, we may actually accentuate the asymmetry even more.
Knowing when and how we need to apply the principles of asymmetric work can be complex and requires further training. However, I’d like to share with you a simple approach to asymmetry that you can apply straight away in your own practice and your teachings:
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Begin by sitting comfortably on a chair (so that both sitting bones are equally grounded).
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Lift the right arm up and do a gentle side- stretch of the right side of the torso as you inhale.
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Pause, exhale, return to centre.
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Repeat the same on the left side.
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Pause again—notice: which side felt tighter/more limited?
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Repeat the practice, this time only on the side that felt tighter, giving it a few more breaths.
Focus on spending a little more time on the side that feels tighter. Or, repeat the practice again on that side.
By working this way, you’ve given attention to the side that needs it most, so you can restore balance through awareness, not symmetry.
Try this in your own practice: with other stretches, with Warrior pose (which side feels weaker? Stay there a little longer or repeat again), in Tree pose (which side needs more stability?). You can also guide this in group classes and private sessions.
Your students will start to understand and learn from interoception, and practice how to honour the differences in their body without frustrations.
Yoga Therapy is not about making the body look symmetrical. It is about helping each person find balance within their own reality. This way too, the practice is actually more effective, safer, and accessible.
