Why Yoga Doesn’t Always Make You Feel Better—And Why That’s OK
A personal reflection on anger, awareness & the quiet power of staying present.
There’s a story we are often told about yoga—
That it’s peaceful, that it calms us, that the moment we roll out our mat, the stress melts away.
And yes, sometimes that’s true.
But not always.
Sometimes I arrive on the mat feeling completely overwhelmed—angry, frustrated, or tightly wound, and instead of soothing me, yoga spotlights the emotion. It doesn’t soften the edges straight away, it sharpens them.
It doesn’t make me feel better—it makes me feel.
More than that, it helps me notice what’s really going on beneath the surface.
This, I’ve come to realise, is the quiet power of yoga for emotional awareness.
Yoga isn’t an escape—it’s an invitation to stay.
To breathe.
To listen.
To feel—fully and without judgment.
That kind of honesty can be confronting as we are conditioned to avoid it, to scroll past it, to bury it under to-do lists and distractions.
But the mat has no filters, no timelines, no “performance.”
Just you, your breath, your body—and everything you brought with you.
How Yoga Holds Space for Emotions Like Anger
When anger is present, it often shows up before the mind catches on:
• A clenched jaw
• A tight belly
• A short, shallow breath
• A story looping in the back of your mind
Even the smallest movements can feel like resistance, but when I don’t abandon myself in those moments—when I choose to stay—something begins to shift.
Not because I’m trying to fix it and not because I’m pushing through…
But because I’m allowing it to move through me.
That’s what makes this practice so transformative.
Yoga for emotions isn’t about calming down—It’s about showing up.
Not Just the “Feel Good” Yoga—The “Feel It” Yoga
If you’ve ever:
• Shown up to yoga angry and left still angry
• Found yourself crying in savasana and not sure why
• Wanted to scream instead of Om
You’re not doing it wrong, you’re doing it right.
This is yoga beyond the poses.
This is yoga that meets your nervous system, your inner child, your raw truth, this is trauma-informed yoga.
You’re allowing space for your whole self—not just the curated, filtered version, and that’s where the healing lives.
Try This: A Grounding Practice for Emotional Awareness
Next time you step onto your mat carrying more than just your body, try this:
• Begin by simply noticing your breath, without trying to change it
• Ask: What’s here right now? and let the answer arise without judgment
• Move slowly, with curiosity—not performance
• End with one hand on your heart, one on your belly, whisper to yourself, I see you.
Yoga doesn’t always make me feel better, but it always helps me feel more honest.
And that, more often than not, is what I needed most.
If you’re local to St Neots and looking for a space to explore yoga without pressure or perfection—somewhere you can simply show up, feel what’s there, and reconnect with yourself—this space might be for you.
I offer small, supportive classes where there’s room for the full spectrum of being human.
Curious to join us on the mat?
Explore our current class offerings here: