Meditation On Anger

Anger is a living energy that exists within us that can be quite intoxicating, and overwhelming. If we aren’t able to manage it in our inner worlds it can have detrimental effects in our external relationships. Here we come into our center, digest, nurture and transform anger into connection.

Transcript

And whatever you're choosing,

Either to sit up nice and tall,

Nice long spine or to lie your body down in a way that you take up some space.

So if you're lying down arms away from the body,

Maybe legs separated,

You can even turn the light down on your screen and really allow yourself to feel heavy.

So seated or lying down,

Just feel grounded into the earth,

Into your chair,

Into your cushion,

Whatever you're sitting on.

And I encourage you to really relax fully the entire body.

So just as you were stating,

Your anger lives in the chest,

Around the throat,

In the head.

Sometimes when we are angry,

We bottle things up,

We begin to tense our muscles.

So in this moment,

Just be conscious to expand and lengthen musculaturely.

Just if you are visualizing the muscles wrapping around the bone,

Allow the fists to relax,

Allow the jaw to relax,

Allow the brow to relax.

And anger is this sacred fuel.

Anger can be seen as fire and fire is purifying and transformative.

So whatever is here for you tonight,

Just let it be here.

There's a feeling of anger within you.

Do our best to not run from it or avoid it.

But just being present with whatever it is inside of you.

We acknowledge it.

Allow your breath to deepen as it moves in and out of the nostrils.

Allow the eyelids to be soft and closed.

And allow the lips to be slightly parted here.

It might even feel nice for a moment just to touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue.

Slight pressure as you push upwards,

Allowing the spine to be a little bit more erect and lengthened.

And then replacing the tongue as it sits in the mouth.

And we can see anger sometimes as something that is a distracting reaction to a softer emotion.

So a softer emotion that we might be missing because this feeling of frustration is masking it.

So really tune in here to where your anger stems from when it does come.

Is there anger to not be with your family?

Anger of not being heard?

Anger of others' actions?

And as this comes to mind,

Think instead of the needs beneath the anger.

What means are not being met?

Is there a need of connection?

Is there a need of acknowledgement?

Is there a need of peace,

Stillness,

And silence?

And a curious thing occurs when you really open up your arms and lovingly welcome in an emotion that otherwise tends to go undesired.

It begins to soften and we have an opportunity to learn from it.

So the idea of inviting your anger in for tea.

Just acknowledging that most times when we have anger or frustration or irritation,

These undesirable emotions,

That there is a need.

There is a part of ourselves that is looking for acknowledgement and peace.

And if we can soften and embrace,

We can begin to transmute the anger.

Transmuting it in a way to taking care of our own needs and seeing them coming sooner and sooner.

And as you set into your anger and where it stems from,

The needs beneath it,

Also acknowledge that many times when we have anger,

This is a coping mechanism or a survival strategy.

Many times our anger is protecting us and managing our experience.

So instead of being angry with your anger and curious of why it's here,

Why it makes life difficult,

Notice and acknowledge the goodness that your anger brings.

Maybe you're angry because you want fairness for others.

Maybe you're angry because you wish for the safety of all.

Maybe you're angry because you wish to be understood by your family or acknowledged.

And just noticing that these strong emotional impulses to act out in anger or rage or resentment or irritation,

They tend to stem from very childlike,

Innocent parts of us that are just trying to survive and cope with situations.

So just deep breaths here in and out of the nostrils,

Listening for that ocean-like sound.

And how can we more freely embrace our anger?

How can we get to the root of the need?

How can we embrace that inner child that's just looking for connection or safety?

And how can we bring that adult state of mind back into the forefront so that that very childlike sense is not able to react and take the will?

And in this moment,

Make sure that the mind isn't beginning to wander or fantasize,

But really staying here in your body.

And even if you're not angry now and it might not feel relevant to your current state of mind,

Maybe a moment comes to mind that there was anger,

That you felt anger.

And again,

Noticing where that anger travels in the physical body and acknowledging that now if the anger lives there or in the future when the anger is there,

That we can take pause no matter where we're at.

We can shut the eyes down for just a moment,

Take a deep breath in,

A deep breath out,

And sending that exhale,

That soothing energy to that part of our body that holds our pain.

Beginning to shift our physiology,

Beginning to connect deeply with our ability to be malleable and transformative.

Just because habitually our pain,

Our anger lives in certain places in the body does not mean that we must live with that tension,

That stress exclusively.

Bringing into mind now a phrase.

I'll offer a minute of silence after this and just see what comes to mind.

So finish this sentence in your mind.

It can be once or many times over,

Same word or words changing.

When I am angry,

What I need is and I desire to feel.

What I need when I'm angry is and what I desire to feel.

Just letting that come to mind,

Needs,

Desires behind the frustration,

The anger.

Again,

Just bringing yourself into a self-soothing state of mind as we sit in more silence here.

Every exhale landing you deeper in your body,

Feeling more heavily grounded towards the earth beneath you.

Shoulders slowly relax,

Jaw releases tension,

Brow relaxes,

And continue to be present.

Feel,

Breathe,

And just acknowledge that in this moment or in those moments of anger that each moment that something upsets you is an opportunity.

That you're being presented with a choice of how you want to react.

Just pause and breathe and really acknowledge if this is something worth your energy and time to react to.

Or if there's another way for your body to respond.

When we get angry,

Many times it comes from the mind,

Not the heart.

So our mind begins to tell story.

They should have,

They could have.

Why didn't they?

Why didn't I?

What I encourage you to do here,

You can do that in this moment or in the future,

Is to place one hand on the heart,

One hand on the head.

And just visualizing shifting energy from the mind down through the head towards the heart.

And feeling the pulsation here of the heartbeat in the chest.

And allowing yourself to remove the story,

Remove the narrative,

Come back to the needs.

And come back to the zero step,

Which is at the heart.

That step of self-compassion and empathy to other.

And when we get lost in our narrative again,

Just one hand to the head,

One hand to the heart.

Shifting that energy,

Even if we feel like we might look a little silly.

Finding a physical way to touch into our body in an intimate way.

To really tune into the heart.

How do we come back to the heart?

How do we create more space here to react from?

Whenever it feels right,

You can always replace the hands back onto the knees.

Knowing that at any time when you feel anxious,

Or even in a panic attack,

Or stress,

Or just deep anger,

You can always again just embrace the heart,

Embrace the mind.

Tune the world out,

Tune into yourself.

And know that you can lean into whatever is now and whatever this feeling is.

When anger or burbles in the body,

It's not a time to suppress and push it away.

For it can get trapped in the physical body as we all have spoken to in our chest,

In our throat,

Our shoulders,

Our neck.

And just know in that moment when our anger comes up,

Especially if it is with other,

So anything outside of ourselves,

That we have the full capability of bringing things back within,

Shutting the eyes,

Coming into breath.

If it's connection that we seek,

If it's acknowledgement,

If it's kindness,

We let go of our expectation of other and we give ourselves kindness.

We give ourselves acknowledgement.

We give ourselves connection.

You can place a hand on the heart if it feels good to have that somatic experience with yourself.

One hand just lightly on the chest,

Feeling the heartbeat here.

And so a big part of managing our anger is actually becoming closer friends with it,

Creating an intimate bond,

Knowing the needs beneath it,

And then translating them into gratitude.

So if we're angry because we want connection or kindness or love,

We can bring it back into ourselves and just bring in gratitude.

I am grateful that I can be patient.

I am grateful to give of myself.

I am grateful to be alive.

I am grateful to be in community.

I am grateful for me.

It might be one of the hardest practices that we do in a moment of rage and fire and anger to put our hands on our heart and just repeat,

I am grateful.

I am grateful.

I am grateful.

But in a very chaotic and seemingly lost world,

It's time that we tune back in to our internal experiences,

Our internal worlds,

And we begin to befriend the parts of us that society pushes aside,

Those exiles in the darkness.

Hands resting on the knees,

Just taking one more minute here.

Stillness and silence to be exactly where you are.

You don't need to be anything less,

Anything more.

All emotion and experience that exists within you are welcome and are waiting for your love,

Your acknowledgement,

Your empathy.

And what are you grateful for?

Maybe you even say it out loud over and over here for a moment.

None of us will hear.

I am grateful for shared reality.

I am grateful for conscious community.

I am grateful for platforms that bring us together instead of push us apart.

I am grateful for self-love and deep connection.

I am grateful for forgiveness.

I am grateful for kindness.

I am grateful.

I am grateful.

I am grateful.

Take a deep breath and deep sigh out of the mouth.

Let some sound out.

Once more,

Let it out.

Bring hands together at heart center,

Bowing head to heart.

And no matter how we're feeling in our meditation today,

Each day is different.

Some days our spirit is wavering.

Some days it is strong and powerful.

Some days it is tender and raw.

Know that wherever you're at,

Whatever you feel is accepted.

And even if it's not accepted externally,

That right here,

This sacred space that you create with yourself,

That you can acknowledge and love and connect and really see this part of yourself and use this fuel,

This power that exists within you to transform the way that you treat yourself.

So tune more into the body,

Into the heart.

And just observe.

Stay curious,

Not pushing any parts of yourself away.

All of the parts of me,

The accepted and the suppressed,

Honor and acknowledge and love all the parts of you,

The celebrated and the hidden.

Namaste.

Reviews

Perfect combination of empowering and compassionate and authentic

Thank you for holding the space with such kindness and precision 🤍

Echo, this is just what I needed. I’m so grateful to have discovered you. Your spirit exudes compassion whether it’s in your guided meditations or your yoga sessions. Thank you for always helping me gain better perspective and compassion for myself. Grace and blessings to you! 💗

Wonderful meditation! What’s the sound in the background? It really resonates with me.