The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book on Yin Yang and Elemental Yoga.
Of all the emotions in Chinese Medicine and Philosophy anger (the emotion of the wood element) may be the most difficult to resolve for yogis. As you engage in spiritual life no doubt you have been taught that anger is “unyogic” and divisive.
It is easy to see that most other emotions have the power to unite people. We commiserate and console in times of grief, laugh together in moments of joy, reach out for comfort and support in our fear or worry.
Anger however, is seen as an almost exclusively dangerous, untameable emotion that “spiritual” people must cure or transcend. During moments of true anger, it is difficult to keep a larger perspective and conduct yourself with dignity and integrity (some of the more positive sign posts of healthy Wood).
If anger is chronic and mismanaged, it can rot someone from the inside out, twisting their mind and heart until they have forgotten the greater purpose of their life. Likewise, a burst of violent anger can ruin lives through both words and actions in an instant.
It is not surprising that it would be difficult to see any redeeming qualities in this emotion.
When used creatively and intelligently however, there are positive uses for this force.
Anger can rally an individual’s resources to leave a dysfunctional relationship or walk away from a job that is slowly corroding their soul. Bubbling anger over injustice in the world is the root of all revolutions and often the energetic catalyst needed to set plans into motion that prompt fundamental shifts. Time and time again major cultural movements have erupted when enough people got fed up with class division, racism or sexism.
Anger is not enough to bring about lasting change, but it can be a powerful tool that unites, if only temporarily, the focused effort of an individual or group towards a specific goal. While it can not be sustained for long, if anger isn’t expressed in a healthy and constructive way it can simmer for years and poison new growth.
The Importance Of Anger
If you have been taught that your anger isn’t allowed or that if you feel it you are a childish or reactive person, consider changing that story, at least as an experiment. Anger is generally difficult and uncomfortable in the body, mind and spirit, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an important role to play.
Much like anger, pain is an unpleasant feeling. We all know that physical pain feels bad, and yet pain is one way our body tells us to pay attention because something isn’t working. One of the most dangerous conditions someone can have is a congenital insensitivity to pain.
Most people from a young age have learned to avoid things that result in pain, and that conditioned response is a very important part of our survival. You can tell a young child a dozen times not to touch a hot pan because it is dangerous. However when that mischievous little person does it anyway, the painful experience is the final and firm message they receive to never do it again.
Pain is a harsh teacher but a teacher none the less. Through it one learns not to do things that are dangerous or harmful.
Anger is very similar. It is an alert from within yourself that something is wrong.
If you constantly suppress anger and don't make the space to investigate its source, you could end up much like someone that can’t feel physical pain. Gloss over the important signals that something is wrong or unjust and over time you may end up with no personal power and in a dangerous situation.
While it is true that any expression of anger has consequences, the Elemental yogi can direct that expression consciously to fuel creative projects or kickstart a new path.
In order to harness this volatile emotion in a creative and productive way here are a few suggestions that may help you.
1. Acknowledge
The next time anger starts to bubble up instead of demonizing it, suppressing it or avoiding it altogether, simply acknowledge what you are feeling. Conversely if your tendency is to let anger overrule your better judgment, name the physical or emotional qualities.
“I feel my face getting hot and a tension in my abdomen”.
2. Space is Power
Much like a mindfulness meditation, the act of observing and naming what is happening in your awareness trains you to have more space between your present experience and your reaction to it.
That space is power.
An extra few seconds of observation is often enough to give you the time to rethink whatever words were about to come flying out of your mouth and abate any destructive or thoughtless action.That space will also give you the opportunity to step away from the source of your anger for a moment, gracing you more time to take the next step with deeper awareness of future consequences.
3. Seek Wider Perspective
The antidote to anger is often perspective. While there may be countless examples of wrong doing in the world, the truth of most conflicts is nuanced. In your own life, you have no doubt been the focus of someone’s anger because the other person did not have all of the details of the situation.
While I would never suggest staying in a harmful relationship or putting yourself in danger while you try to understand someone else’s perspective, knowing that in general there is more to every story can help you direct your words and actions.
Information about the history that has brought you to this moment coupled with big picture view of the outcome you are seeking is a huge asset.
4. Is it Constructive or Destructive?
I can’t speak for everyone but when I look at moments in my life that I experience true anger there are distinct qualities it being either constructive or destructive.
In moments of constructive anger, I feel like I had snapped out of a dream. Now fully awake, I am able to articulate myself clearly and speak (or yell) from a place deep within myself that is powerful and demands its due respect. The purpose of the anger in these cases were usually larger in scope and had purpose beyond my own personal gain.
At times when I act out of anger that is destructive, my thoughts and words are muddled and I respond to my feelings with more petty words and actions. Usually the situation feels very personal and painful.
Making these distinctions for yourself is an enormous help in determining how to work with anger. Constructive anger can be the catalyst to move you forward. Destructive anger needs another outlet and may be better used to fuel a creative project like a song or work of art.
Anger is a real response to something happening that needs to be investigated and respected. More of us yogis need to face it head on, not stuffing it down or pretending it isn't there. In Chinese Medicine, no emotion is inherently bad, it all depends on how gracefully we as human beings direct our emotions and allow them to move through us and to move us forward.
What is your relationship to anger? Share with us in the comments below.
