As human beings, we feel lots of emotions throughout our day—happy, sad, content, angry, worried, frustrated, embarrassed, joyful, and more. Emotions are our brains giving us feedback about what makes us feel good, what doesn’t, and how we can best take care of ourselves. There are no bad or wrong emotions, but some emotions are harder to deal with because they feel uncomfortable, and we know what happens in our brains when a thought makes us feel uncomfortable, right? (If you forgot, look back at my post on grounding).
That’s why we need to learn and practice how to manage our emotions. When we manage our emotions, we can allow ourselves to feel them without our brain automatically switching into bodyguard mode. When we can feel our emotions without automatically trying to fight, freeze, or escape in some way, then we can make a CHOICE about what to do with that feeling. Maybe we notice that we are feeling angry, so we run up and down the stairs a few times to burn off some steam. Maybe we notice that we are feeling sad, so we go to a quiet place and cry for a bit (yes, you are allowed to cry whenever you want). Maybe we notice we are full of joy so we tell someone about it or write about it in our journal.
It is really important that we DO something with the emotions that we feel. Otherwise, they get stuck deep down inside us and could come exploding out at the wrong time or place like an emotional volcano. Before we can do something with our emotions, however, we must notice they are there. This yoga practice will help you notice feelings in your body when you are calm so that it becomes easier to do when you are NOT feeling calm.