When children grow up with experiences of trauma or deprivation, it is not uncommon for them to feel an inner emptiness. Confronted with what may be overwhelming negative emotions (sadness, hurt, fear, unworthiness,) and never having had the opportunity to learn healthy “self-soothing,” these individuals adapt by finding or developing more unhealthy coping strategies, including various forms of addiction.
Our hearts at Karuna join with all those holding the hearts of those directly impacted by the recent violence in Buffalo – and all those attempting to process the collective suffering that continues to ripple from these repeated acts of hate and aggression.
If the topic of this article has caught your attention, I’d go ahead and read it now if I were you. For most people who identify themselves as procrastinators, deciding to come back to it later is a likely set-up for never getting around to it.
While the physical practices of yoga have enjoyed increased popularity in the west over the past several decades, yoga is, in fact, an ancient philosophy and spiritual approach to being. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means “to yoke,” and is often translated as “union.”
Though so many of us fear it and judge it negatively, both in ourselves and in others, anger is a normal human emotion. It does, in fact, serve a purpose, as do all emotions. Our experience of anger tells us that something is wrong and needs our attention; it is a natural response to a perceived threat. It is there to protect us. Anger also helps motivate and provide the energy for change, both on individual and larger socio-cultural levels.
