Stomp the stress out like a gorilla
Where do you feel stress in your body? It might be a locked jaw, tight shoulders, a knot between the shoulder blades or clenched stomach. When stress lodges in the body like this, resting or relaxing usually is not enough to get rid of it. The body needs to move it. In a situation like that, we can look to a gorilla.
Watch one when it needs to release big energy. It does not sit with the feeling; it stands up, it thumps its chest, it slaps the ground, it stomps, it makes noise. The whole body says out. And then, when the display is over, the gorilla goes back to eating leaves. The energy was released; it is no longer stuck inside.
This is what this fire practice is for. Fire is the element of active discharge — of shaking, stomping, exhaling with force.
About the practice
This ten-minute practice moves through three phases that follow the shape of a fire — kindled, blazing, then coals.
The first phase is physical discharge: stomping in place, thumping the chest with soft fists, throwing a pillow against the ground, shaking out the arms and legs. Each movement is paired with a sound of release to carry out what the body has been holding.
The second phase is bhastrika, bellows breath, short forceful breathing driven by the belly, like a blacksmith’s bellows fanning the fire. This is the moment that kindles the internal heat and completes the discharge cycle.
The third phase is a short seated pranayama with Brahma mudra that includes a short visualization. It invites you to melt away the tension you have been carrying.
A note of caution: Bhastrika is a heating, activating breath. Skip it and breathe comfortably if you have high blood pressure, a heart condition, are pregnant, or already feel wired, jittery, or overstimulated today. This practice is for the days when you feel stuck and heavy — not for the days when the system is already burning too hot.
Channel your inner gorilla and see how it feels!
