I’ve just finished a yoga class where I experienced really strong feelings of anger. And it was brilliant!

When I was a little girl I was super connected to my anger. I could feel it freely and easily - and often did.

As I grew older I lost my connection with it.

I wasn’t sure how to express it when I felt it (because good girls don’t get angry), and eventually I wasn’t even sure how to recognise it.

It got jumbled up in my body with other emotions.

Until recently.

Until I felt A L L the yoga rage in a hot Hatha class with the fabulous Vinna Barber.

And it wasn’t just me. In conversation afterwards it was fascinating which poses brought up anger in different people. For me it’s standing leg extended, dragon, downward dog for more than 5 breaths. For others it was headstand, warrior three, goddess…

It was such an interesting discussion to have.

Reflecting back I can see that yoga has been super useful to:

Connect me to my anger | specifically the physical sensation that moves through my body when I feel it. The yoga rage hits me hard in certain poses! It rises up in me and I can feel it in my chest. I can feel it and name it as anger.

Enable me to take responsibility for my anger | To reframe “I’m really angry with Vinna for making me do this” to “This pose is bringing up anger for me”. It both separates it and integrates it for me.

Help me process my anger | As we stay in the pose it shifts and changes and I can (mostly) make peace with it. I can start to appreciate and acknowledge that emotions really do have a life span of around 90 seconds if you allow them.

It’s brilliant to be able to get in touch with our anger - it’s an incredibly useful emotion.

It’s a strength to be able to feel it and release it in a healthy way.

So you can notice and name it when you next feel it. And then do something purposeful with the information it gives you.

Is there a yoga pose that gives you yoga rage?

And what does it tell you about what anger feels like in your body?

Wishing you all a wonderful week,