Ten Percent Happier
July 6, 2022

#470. An Episode About Anger | Jacoby Ballard

In this episode, social justice educator and activist Jacoby Ballard talks about a universal, or near universal, issue: anger. And, he offers us two mental skills that can help channel anger into something even more powerful and effective. Those skills are forgiveness and equanimity. 

Ballard is a meditation and yoga teacher and the author of a new book called, A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation


Content Warnings: There are some brief references to sensitive topics, including trauma and suicide. 

In this episode we talk about: 

  • How he went from an activist largely fueled by anger to a dharma teacher with a very different approach
  • The sometimes useful role of anger in activism and the danger of being stuck in anger mode
  • The subtle but powerful move of getting in touch with what is beneath our anger
  • Using annoyance as a jumping off point for inner investigation
  • Ways to work with anger and learning to discharge the energy in our body 
  • Forgiveness, including forgiving ourselves
  • Getting over our need to be right
  • Equanimity, or as Jacoby calls it, his “tussle with equanimity”

Where to find Jacoby Ballard online: 

Website: jacobyballard.net

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