When we are presented with times of anger,
It's helpful to have some techniques on hand to practice.
If not tended to,
And observed properly,
Anger can overcome us and affect those we know and love.
So get into a very comfortable position and allow your breath to become the focus of your attention.
Notice the qualities of breathing in and out,
Such as the expansion of your lungs and the fall of your belly.
You can even notice the feeling of the air coming through your nose and out of your mouth.
Breathing in,
Expanding,
And breathing out,
Contracting.
Call the breath and notice how it's keeping you alive.
Now quiet the focus of your breath and close your eyes.
Find a stillness where you can tune in to the beating of your heart.
Notice the gentle rhythm of the pumping and the rhythm of your heartbeat.
Now become aware of the sounds around you,
Such as my voice and the music in this recording.
Allow each sound to take you even deeper into a state of nice,
Calm relaxation.
Effortlessly letting the outside world fade away,
Focus on the sound of my soothing voice,
Guiding you along into the relaxation that you deserve today.
Anger is something that is distracting,
But is covering up a softer emotion that you could be missing because the feeling of frustration is masking it.
Know that what consumes your mind is what ends up controlling your life.
Is being angry about something worth the time and energy it takes out of your life?
In order to set the tone for your day,
Start each day with gratitude,
Taking just three minutes when you rise from sleep to concentrate your focus on things you are grateful for.
Let's practice this technique right now.
Bring your mind something that you were grateful for.
Perhaps someone came into your mind,
A person,
Or even an animal you deeply love.
Maybe an object surfaced for you,
Your house or car,
Or a favorite item like a musical instrument or a nice couch to lay on.
Maybe you're grateful for your health and vitality,
Or even your career or activities you participate in.
Allow your mind to be consumed right now with anything you are grateful for.
You are changing your state of mind right now by practicing active gratitude.
Now begin to imagine a time where you were angry,
Or something that makes you angry,
And ask yourself,
If you were to die tomorrow,
Was it worth it to be wasting your time being angry?
You can choose how you want to be emotionally,
Just how you can choose not to react with anger.
Each moment that something upsets you is an opportunity.
You're being presented with a choice of how you want to react.
So just pause and breathe.
See if this is something worth your energy and time to be upset over.
If you live your life with anger or hate in your heart,
You hurt yourself more than those you're upset at.
Anger is something that should be watched with a gentle perspective.
When you feel anger begin to rise in you,
Say to yourself,
I notice that I'm becoming angry.
This is a very important step in taking on anger while respecting yourself.
Begin to notice as soon as you're becoming upset and speak out loud.
I notice that I am angry.
Taking deep and passionate breaths as soon as you're aware of unhealthy anger,
Breathe in and out five times,
Counting each breath as you go,
All the way up to 10 if you need to.
So let's practice this technique now.
One breathe in and out.
Two inhale and exhale.
Three just breathe.
And four breathing in and out.
And five inhale and exhale.
Good.
Notice how you're feeling right now.
One last powerful suggestion in overcoming anger is letting go of expectations.
If you expect someone to be a way that they're not,
Then this opens a doorway for you to judge the situation and then apply anger to it.
Fully let go of the need to change others into what you think they should be.
Other people have their individual life path and must find out their truths in their life on their own.
Even though they may do something that directly can cause you a chance to choose to become angry,
Instead choose to remain at peace within your body to treat yourself with respect as well as the other person.
Anger may hurt others,
But it is you who is the most affected by it.
Instead,
Choose peace,
Choose to breathe,
And choose to let others live.
Express yourself in a calm and collected manner in a way that you find is respectful to what is true for you and how you can respect the other person's life experience.
And don't forget to breathe.
Your breath is always there for you to use as a tool,
A tool to calm your mood whenever you need to break the habit of reacting with anger.
Now gently begin returning your awareness to the present,
Bringing back with you new tools to use when you feel anger rise in your awareness,
Breathing in new fresh energy,
Opening your eyes whenever you're ready.
Good.
Namaste.
