Yoga for Grief: Anger
“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Recap From Yoga For Grief: Anger
Often, anger is the first—or at least the most predominant—emotion we recognize during the grieving process. It’s sharp. Immediate. Loud. You may not open conversations with the rage you keep bottled in, but the anger remains a dominating presence either way. You may be angry at God for letting “it” happen. Or angry at someone else for leaving. Perhaps you’re mad about a situation you never asked to be in. Or you’re just angry that your life now looks different from what it did before.
Underneath all that, there’s usually something deeper, which is where your grief yoga practice comes in. Since grief isn’t linear, you may be stuck in denial about what’s happening, bargaining with the universe in hopes it changes, depressed over your situation, or even working toward a better place of acceptance.
The anger practice in the grief series taps into that rage on the mat and helps “lash out” the feelings you’re going through. You move through punches and kicks, incorporated into your yoga poses, to tap into the rage you’re feeling, then settle back into the experience as you return to the poses and postures.
Throughout the practice, the breathwork focuses on the “Breath of Fire.” This breath builds heat, increases energy, and helps move stagnant emotion through the body. It’s a rhythmic pattern of quick, active exhales and passive inhales through your nose, driven by your diaphragm. If you’re exploring breathwork off the mat, you can also try Kapalabhati. While similar, it places more emphasis on strong, intentional exhales with softer, passive inhales. Both can help bring awareness inward and support emotional regulation when practiced mindfully.
Today, you were meant to feel your anger.
Look, I get it, this can be the hardest thing to do. Anger in grief can feel like too much. It’s intense, it’s reactive, and it feels like it takes over your entire body. You might feel it in your chest, your jaw, your fists. Sometimes, it feels like you’ve swallowed a sword that’s sat in a fire for a few hours. It might come in waves, or it might sit just under the surface, waiting for something small to set it off.
As uncomfortable as it is, it’s not meant to be suppressed. In fact, the more you try to push anger away, the more it tends to build.
This practice is about giving that energy somewhere to go.
If you’re seeking a journal entry, write about where in your body you feel your anger.
We don’t always think about where in our bodies we feel emotions. Whenever I ask people where they feel certain emotions, it’s always interesting to see the different answers they give. Some feel sadness in their shoulders, joy in their stomach, and anger in their chest. We actually carry a lot more emotions and trauma in our hips than we give ourselves credit for, which is why hip-opening postures can bring up so many emotions.
For a journaling activity today, write about where you feel your anger and what it feels like in your body. Describe how it shows up and how it changes over time. If you feel so inclined or comfortable, explore the other emotions underneath.
Remember, anger is not something to “fix,” but rather something to move through. When you give it the space to do so, it often softens on its own.
Whatever you’re carrying, you don’t have to do it alone.
The practice will be here when you’re ready.
