YoGA FoR AnGeR MAnAGeMent

30 | Yoga for Anger Management
of pain. Now what one gradually
has to learn to do is to
regulate this message so that
we do not experience it again
but you gradually learn to
comfort the pain, discomfort
into the feeling of calmness,
into the feeling of tranquility. So even though the muscle is
telling you straighten up I don’t want to be pressed in this
way, you gradually train the muscle to be relaxed in that position
and in so doing the muscle sends message to the brain
that you are relaxed. So it is like a cycle. The muscle which
is being unduly strained in a particular posture sends a message
to the brain but the brain does not respond and this is
the whole essence of yoga postures, yoga āsanas, learning to
relax even when you experience discomfort. This of course not
extreme discomfort and that is why this is so important that
we practice Postures under the guidance of a Yoga Guru so
that you can get to know the important difference between the
postures in which you actually experience discomfort which
can be harmful and postures in which you actually experience
discomfort but which you are able to bear and is harmless.
Now we move on to the next set of practices which are voluntary
regulated breathing Prāṇāyāmās. There are a number of
practices which are useful in regulating breathing and in particular
three of them need to be mentioned which help people to
reduce blood pressure and probably reduce anger. Definitely
these practices reduce blood pressure. These are Alternative
Nostril Breathing called Nadishuddhi Prāṇāyāma or Anuloma-
Yoga in Education for Total Personality Development SERIES - 8