Breathwork and working with your anger.

Anger is not a dirty word.

Anger is a powerful emotion that often gets a bad rap. But as with all emotions, when they show up, they get our attention. When we feel anger, there is often a message that our values or boundaries have been crossed or we may feel a sense of injustice, either personally or globally. We are often taught that is wrong to feel our anger, but if we repress it, the anger can show up in reactive and destructive ways.

So, how do we tap into this powerful emotion? The answer lies in the breath.

The message behind anger:

When we feel angry its our bodies telling us that something is not right.

• Have your boundaries or values been crossed? When you feel anger, it is helpful to ask yourself - What is the anger telling me? Where am I feeling disrespected, dismissed or violated?

• Who is the anger directed at? Is it someone else or are you angry at yourself for not respecting your own boundaries or values?

• What is beneath your anger? Anger is powerful and can give us the courage and motivation to stand up for ourselves.

• Is an old wound or hurt showing up? Our bodies communicate with us in many ways and feeling angry is one of them.

• Anger can be a secondary emotion that shows up when feeling unsafe or vulnerable. Are you feeling threatened or unsafe in any area of your life? Unconsciously, anger can be used to mask these feelings, so bringing awareness to the feeling of not being safe can be life-altering.

Using the breath to transform your anger - a practice to use at home:

Use this simple practice to work through any anger in a safe, uplifting way:

• Find a quiet space where you are free from interruptions and distractions.

• Use the conscious connected breathing technique, or simply breathe deeper, with a continuous flow as you breathe in and out. Allow the breath to be slow and deep, gently pushing the belly out as you breath in, allowing the jaw to be loose and open and you breathe out.

• Take your awareness into your body and say to yourself - “I am angry”. It is important to acknowledge how you feel. Anger is a useful and valid emotion but most of us fear our anger due to societal messages.

• Keep breathing and ask yourself - What is behind my anger? What values of mine have been threatened? Have any of my boundaries been crossed?

• Continue breathing until you feel a change in your physiology, as your body releases the tension from your muscles, promoting a sense of calm and peace.

• From this centered space, you can choose what aligned action to take. How can you honour your value system and express yourself in a way that creates the positive change you are seeking?

Use your anger for good:

If we allow ourselves to meet our anger with curiosity through using Breathwork and self-awareness, it can become a powerful tool for transformation. Anger does not need to be an emotion that controls, but a message that can help us to transform.

So when anger shows up -

• Let it be there, don’t resist. When we resist a feeling, it anchors it into our bodies.

• Breathe! And if it feels too much to breathe on your own, book in a session.

• However you chose to breathe, allow the clarity to show you what action to take.

• And most importantly, be kind to yourself.

Blessings,

Shanie 💜