I'm in a crowded yoga studio with 30 other people, but we're not doing Sun Salutes, Tree pose, or Child's pose. In fact, we aren't doing much of anything. We're instructed to stand still and breathe loudly through our noses -- for 10 minutes. It takes every ounce of concentration and a healthy dose of physical exertion to stick with it for the entire time. But when we finally finish, I feel an electric current running through my body. The colors in the room seem brighter, my chest feels light and open. I'm completely energized.

Our instructor, renowned yoga teacher Max Strom, cofounder of Sacred Movement yoga studio (now Exhale Center for Sacred Movement) in Venice, California, tells us this is perfectly normal. In fact, he says, it's not at all uncommon for a breathing exercise to call up a range of emotions, from tears to exhilaration. "The body is the storehouse of emotions -- the lungs in particular store grief and inspiration," he explains. When you breathe more deeply, he says, you loosen the knots you're carrying around, particularly in your belly and chest. This can flush the body of old, unprocessed emotions and leave you feeling renewed and refreshed.

Although Strom uses the following exercises to help target and release specific emotions, they can also change the way you respond to events. "You can learn to use your breath to become less reactive to stressful situations as they're happening," he says. If you think that sounds good, consider this ripple effect: "As you become less reactive and your behavior changes, so will the nature of your relationships. You may even find people responding to you in a kinder way."

Of course, breathwork alone won't magically resolve your issues. But it can bring you into greater awareness of your emotions before they sabotage your mood or behavior. And that alone may be worth it.