Negative emotions happen, but we've got way more control over our responses than we sometimes think. Here are a few tips to keep those negative emotions, like anger, at bay.

xoxo,

Sukey

In a fleeting moment, negative emotions, like anger, can steer us off our chosen course and into a murky emotional world. Thankfully, yoga helps us work through our feelings intelligently so we can acknowledge them and let them go. Is something making you mad? Start here.

Relax. Yoga exercises the relaxation response system that is usually trumped by the reactive fight-or-flight system. By initiating the relaxation response daily, we can actually train our bodies to relax and to do less. Making time each day to de-stress the body and mind improves our ability to activate our relaxation mode in stressful situations, when we need it most.

Respond. Avoid angry outbursts by practicing responding to your triggers rather than reacting to them. Try this during yoga: be cognizant of the transition from pose to pose. Control your movements so that each moment of transition is a conscious choice. Practicing body awareness helps us tune in to our emotions and life experiences as well, so we can control the initial desire to react to a stressor and choose to respond instead.

Breathe. Working with breath control helps us draw our concentration and energy inward and away from the outside world, from which anger usually stems. Take a class focused on pranayama in order to understand the principles and nuances of various breathing techniques that will give you an instant inner escape. Start now with a few equal breaths.

Letting feelings turn into emotions ties your identity to the feeling, so "I feel angry" becomes "I am angry." Avoid this mind trap by training yourself in the positive moments with this brief meditation: "I am not this. I am that I am." Then you will be able to acknowledge feelings like happiness and anger without attaching yourself to any one emotion.