OM IN THE CITY: While the year is still young I too have made some resolutions, one of them is to let go old feelings of anger. While I’ve been working on this for what seems like my entire life, I’m still not there yet, but this holiday season I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress. Reading Anger by Thich Nyat Hanh has been especially helpful and I’ve incorporated some of his ideas into a daily meditation/life practice.

Whenever I feel myself begin to feel angry or fearful I treat that anger with respect, the way I would treat an infant. Thich Nhat Hanh says that anger is like a child crying. We wouldn’t dismiss a child who was upset and yet we dismiss our own feelings when all they need is a little comfort. Try this meditation to see if you can use Hanh’s wisdom to bring you peace today.

Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Begin to inhale and exhale evenly, in breath through the nose, out breath out the mouth. Count your breaths backward from ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…

Now I’d like you to think about something that caused you to be angry, uneasy or fearful today. As you think about it, chances are your emotions from that time will return, you’ll feel your pulse quicken, your heart tighten, your shoulders begin to tense.

Now I want you to speak to your feelings as you would a crying two-year-old. “I see you there anger, don’t worry, I’m in charge here. Thank you for showing yourself but you can relax now.” Breathe through your feelings as you allow your anger to unclench itself and begin to relax.”

Each time you have this feeling come up, repeat the process until it feels more natural for you to not have the anger in your body. Remember that the only moment that matters is now as you honor the negativity and then relase it. As you continue this practice you’ll see that these emotions while needing to be heard do not need to lead our lives. As we begin to let go of tension, anger and fear, we’ll see that when we are at peace with ourselves and our emotions life feels a little more comfortable for us. Good luck and let me know if you have any interesting experiences with this one!