It’s a physiological fact that as humans we are built to suppress or repress emotions which are unpleasant or deemed unattractive by our peers, family or societal norms. Anger is a perfect example of a characteristic which is normally discouraged and often deemed unattractive or unacceptable under any circumstances. A show of anger is often seen as indicative of weakness of character.

Being encouraged to ‘count to ten’ and in the extreme forbidden to display something as natural and powerful as anger can lead to significant dysfunction in the form of explosive episodes when we least expect or need them. Overreaction to everyday events is experienced as our body looks for ‘safety valve’ opportunities to eject the store of unwanted emotional energy. Being a slave to one’s emotions is clearly a less than productive state of affairs.

The fact that anger can be positive and has a part to play in terms of communicating to others what is and is not acceptable, is becoming more acknowledged. Nowadays however, a lot of us are still following guidelines that were established in our childhoods and almost certainly have no relevance to our adults life.

Time for a re-think !

By working with your breath you will be able to access emotional material such as repressed/suppressed anger and release it quickly and easily. As your body and your being recalibrates accordingly there are often subsequent cognitive changes which allow us to reframe our beliefs and behaviours enabling us to find a functional place for such emotions in our lives.