Yoga Information and Tips- How Yoga Poses Can Help with Difficult Emotions- Personal Growth Advice

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5 Yoga Poses That Can Help You Move Through Stuck or
Difficult Emotions
By Amy Phillips-Gary

Have you ever felt so angry that you just don't know what to do? Maybe you feel fearful, closed off and small inside. Perhaps, instead, you seem unable to think clearly-- it's as if your head is in the clouds...

We've all been there.

Whether it's feeling mad, sad, afraid or even spacey, sometimes it seems as if we are stuck in particular emotions or a certain mood and we just can't figure out a
way to move through it and release.

Have you ever tried yoga in cases like this?

Yoga's Health Benefits
You might already be aware of the wonderful health benefits of yoga. Yoga is a fabulous way to increase your flexibility and strengthen core muscles in your body.

A regular yoga practice can also help you be more relaxed which usually means your blood pressure will stay in a healthy zone. You could also experience a greater mental clarity and ability to focus as other positive side-effects of yoga.

Each yoga pose, or asana, targets particular areas of the body. For example, certain asanas help support the healthy functioning of the central nervous system while others hone in on the digestive system or particular major organs.

When it comes to your emotions, the asanas act in much the same way.

5 Yoga Poses to Ease Specific Emotions:
Please research and learn more about each of these yoga asanas before attempting them. Yoga can fit just about anyone's fitness capabilities, but it is important that you be informed about the poses.

Take a beginning yoga class or check out a yoga dvd from your local library to get started. You might also check out some introduction to yoga websites on the internet.

The asana descriptions I provide below are meant to be more descriptive than instructional.

If you notice yourself feeling out of sorts but you're not sure why, take a few moments to tune in to yourself and get clearer about what it is you are feeling. Try to pay most attention to the emotions you are experiencing and less on any stories you might be associating with the emotions.

Set up a comfortable space in your home where you can be undisturbed by others. You might play some gentle, relaxing music if you choose to. Lay out a yoga mat on a flat surface-- preferably an un-carpeted floor.

Remember to breathe...
Bring your awareness deeper into yourself and your body by breathing from your abdomen.

Inhale slowly through your nose and allow your abdomen to move out away from your spine. Now exhale slowly and let your abdomen move back toward your spine to it's more usual position.

As you breathe in and out a few times, think about your breath expanding through your entire body. Sometimes-- especially when we are out of balance emotionally- our breath stops at a certain point.

When I'm stressed out, for instance, I find myself breathing mostly in my chest and in a constricted way. I don't breathe all the way up into my head or all the way
down into my feet.

Yoga Pose #1: Mountain (*Tadasana)
Mountain pose is a deceptively simple asana. You basically stand up tall on the floor or your yoga mat. Your feet are hip-width apart and your hands are loose at
your sides. You breathe and feel yourself connect with the Earth as you hold this pose.

As you might expect, Mountain pose can help you ground yourself when you feel flighty, scattered or as if you just can't focus.

When you direct your attention on your feet as they connect with the floor and symbolically the Earth that supports you, you can more easily come back to the
present moment and find yourself clearer too.

Yoga Pose #2: Warrior (Virabhadrasana)
There are several variations on the Warrior pose. You stand to the side with your legs and feet apart. Front foot faces the front and the back foot is perpendicular to
the front.

Depending on the version of Warrior you go into, your arms will be out and parallel to the floor or up over your head pointed toward the sky. You can shift your weight toward the front and slightly bend the knee.

If you are feeling fearful, weak, or ineffectual, try Warrior pose. As you stand in this courage-enhancing asana, you can feel into your own power that might before
have seemed hidden.

Yoga Pose #3: Triangle (Trikonasana)
Triangle is considered one of the most essential and core poses there are in most yoga traditions. It is similar to Warrior and can be practiced in conjunction with it. Again, there are variations to Triangle.

Your feet are the same as in the Warrior pose. Your arms are out and parallel to the floor. This time, your legs stay straight as you bend from the side to reach your front arm toward your front foot on the floor as your other arm raises up behind you.

Triangle is the quintessential balancing pose. It can be extremely helpful if you are feeling stuck or stubborn about some belief or position you are holding.

You might be having a really difficult time seeing another's person's point of view. Or it could be that you feel like you have "no options" in a situation.

If so, see if holding the triangle pose helps you loosen up and open up.

Yoga Pose #4: Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Downward Facing Dog pose is another favorite among those who practice yoga.

You start out on your hands and knees and then slowly place your feet on the floor behind you, arms on the floor in front of you and your eyes comfortably
looking down at the floor or your stomach. Your body forms a triangle shape.

Downward Facing Dog is a wonderful pose and stretch. And when you feel angry, constriction often results.

Go into Downward Facing Dog when you are irritated or mad. The symbolic submission to the situation can help you release your anger and, perhaps, take a different, more expansive view of whatever is going on.

Yoga Pose #5: Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana)
The Handstand pose can be difficult or seem scary to beginners, but it can also be easily worked up to.

Find a wall with plenty of space around and behind you. Start out facing the wall and then go into Downward Facing Dog with your hands and head near the wall.

Next, gently kick up into a handstand and allow your feet to land against the wall for support. Hold it as long as you are able to.

There are certainly times when you are aware that you've created a situation that seems totally opposed to what you intended or wanted. You might feel frustrated or distressed about where you are and simply not know how to turn yourself around to point where you want to go.

Inverted asanas such as Handstand can help you literally turn a situation on its head! You might not be able to hold this pose for more than a few seconds at first, but the shifting benefits can still be felt.

When you are feeling out of sorts and stuck in a mood, don't just sit there...do some yoga!
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Amy Phillips-Gary is a freelance writer, homeschool mom
and personal growth adventurer.

*I have listed the Sanskrit name for each of the poses for
your information. In a yoga class or other resource, these
asanas might be referred to in the Sanskrit.

*Visit this website for fuller descriptions and graphics of the asanas
described in this article.

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