Using Yoga to Process Grief, Anger or Anxiety: A Compassionate, Trauma-Informed Approach

“Your body remembers what your mind forgets. And your breath can speak when your words cannot.” - Nadia Renata | Audacious Evolution

We don’t always think of yoga as something we “turn to” when our hearts are heavy or our emotions are raw. But the truth is, yoga was never just about the physical poses. At its core, yoga is a practice of presence, of coming home to yourself, breath by breath, especially in the moments when everything feels unsteady.

Whether you’re carrying grief, feeling swallowed by anxiety or burning with quiet anger, know this: your emotions are valid. And they don’t need to be fixed, rushed or silenced. They need space. And yoga can offer that space, gently, without pressure and at your pace.

When emotions feel too heavy for words, when grief chokes the throat, anger tightens the chest or anxiety pulses through the limbs, yoga offers something uniquely powerful: a way to feel without forcing, to move without needing to explain and to breathe through what feels unbearable.

In moments of deep emotional overwhelm, many people instinctively withdraw from their bodies. But in trauma-informed yoga, we do the opposite, gently and respectfully reconnect. We use breath, movement and stillness as tools not to escape the feeling, but to safely hold it, observe it and slowly let it shift.

Why Yoga?

Unlike talk therapy, which starts in the mind, yoga begins in the body. And because trauma, loss, and emotional pain live in the nervous system, not just in our thoughts, movement and breath can often reach places words cannot.

You don’t have to be flexible. You don’t need to know Sanskrit. You just need to show up, as you are.

Understanding Grief, Anger and Anxiety in the Body

Heavy emotions don’t just live in the mind; They live in the body.

Grief is not just sadness. It’s numbness. It’s fatigue. It’s the ache in your shoulders when you’ve been trying to “keep it together.” Anger is not just rage. It’s clenched fists. Locked jaws. A stomach in knots. It’s energy that has nowhere to go. Anxiety isn’t just worry. It’s rapid breathing. A racing heart. The feeling that something bad is about to happen… even when you can’t explain why.

We’ve been taught to either suppress these emotions or “stay positive” but yoga offers another way: the opportunity to witness what’s there, without judgment. Through a trauma-aware yoga practice, we begin to meet these sensations with kindness, not to fix them but to acknowledge them with honesty and care.

How Yoga Helps

A trauma-informed approach to yoga recognises that healing isn’t linear and that the body remembers. It understands that you can’t force your way out of grief or stretch your way past anxiety. Instead, it offers the tools to be with what is and gradually create safety within your own skin again.

Some days that might mean lying in Child’s Pose, simply breathing. Other days, it might mean shaking out rage in Warrior II.

There is no right way. Only what feels honest in the moment.

Practices to Gently Support Emotional Release

Here’s how a carefully guided practice can support each emotional state:

For Grief:

Grief needs space. Gentle heart-openers, supported forward folds and restorative postures help create room for emotion to rise and settle without overwhelm.

Examples:

• Supported Child’s Pose with Bolster – Helps release the weight of sadness stored in the chest and shoulders.

• Seated Forward Fold – Encourages inward reflection and surrender.

• Breath Practice: Soft belly breathing to soothe the nervous system. Gentle breathwork like Sama Vritti (even inhale and exhale)

Grief often dulls the senses. These postures invite grounded presence, not to escape grief, but to sit beside it with care. They allow the heart to soften, the breath to deepen and unspoken sorrow to be met with tenderness.

For Anger:

Anger needs expression and containment. Strong standing postures, slow flow sequences and grounding techniques help release pent-up tension without losing control.

Examples:

• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) to reclaim power.

• Lions Breath (Simhasana) - Releases heat and tension through an open-mouth exhale.

• Wide-legged forward fold with clenched fists, then open palms - symbolising release

• Chair Pose with a Block Between the Thighs - Grounds excess energy and strengthens focus.

• Repetitive Movement - Flowing through strong standing poses can discharge built-up frustration.

Anger isn’t wrong; it’s a signal. Yoga helps you meet it without harming yourself or others. The goal isn’t to suppress anger, but to move through it safely.

For Anxiety:

Anxiety needs grounding and rhythm. Slow, repetitive movements paired with steady breath help calm the nervous system and restore a sense of internal stability.

Examples:

• Cat-Cow with focused breath

• Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani) - Calms the mind and soothes the heartbeat.

• Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) - Balances the nervous system and clears mental fog.

• Slow, rhythmic movement - Moving with the breath regulates the fight-or-flight response.

Anxiety thrives on the future. Yoga brings you back to the now, one breath, one pose at a time. In these practices, the body becomes a place of safety rather than chaos.

A Note on Trauma-Informed Practice

In a trauma-informed yoga space, you are never pushed. You are never corrected harshly. You are invited, gently, to notice how a pose feels rather than how it looks. You are reminded that choice is your power, to pause, to rest or to adjust as needed.

This isn’t about pushing through pain. It’s about permission, to feel, to fall apart and to be held.

What It Really Means to Heal Through Yoga

Healing through yoga isn’t about mastering a pose. It’s about creating a space, on your mat and in your body, where all of you is welcome.

That includes the sadness.

The rage.

The fear.

The tightness in your chest.

The lump in your throat.

The exhaustion in your bones.

It includes the days you show up and lie in Savasana the entire time.

The days you cry in Pigeon Pose.

The days you take one deep breath and call that enough.

Because it is.

You Don’t Have to Carry It Alone

If you’re navigating heavy emotions, you don’t have to do it in silence. Trauma-informed yoga isn’t just a practice; it’s a promise. A promise to meet your body with kindness. To honour its rhythms. To rebuild trust where it’s been lost.

Whether in group classes or private sessions, I offer space where you can show up exactly as you are, with no expectation to perform or pretend.

This isn’t about perfection.

It’s about presence.

And the quiet, powerful courage it takes to come home to yourself, one breath at a time.

Movement as Medicine

Yoga won’t erase grief. It won’t fix anger or banish anxiety overnight. But it will give you tools. It will teach you how to sit with discomfort without being swallowed by it. And over time, it can help you build a different relationship with your emotions, one grounded in presence, not panic.

So if you're moving through something heavy right now, know this: you’re not alone. And your mat can be a quiet, non-judgmental place to begin.

Each inhale becomes a soft ‘yes’ to the moment. Each exhale, a release of what no longer needs to be held so tightly.

In this way, yoga isn’t a fix; it’s a rhythm. A steady, compassionate rhythm that says: you’re safe here.

Join Me in Practice

If you feel ready to explore this space within yourself, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you're carrying grief, feeling stretched thin by anxiety or quietly wrestling with unspoken anger, my yoga classes in Trinidad and Tobago are a safe space for you to return to your breath and your body. I offer trauma-aware, inclusive sessions designed for real people, not perfect poses.

• In-person and online options available

• All bodies, all backgrounds, all emotions welcomed

Let’s breathe together, gently, honestly and one moment at a time. Contact 868-717-2602

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