A method is proposed to monitor and control Hopf bifurcations in multi-machine power systems using the information from wide area measurement systems (WAMSs). The power method (PM) is adopted to compute the pair of conjugate eigenvalues with the algebraically largest real part and the corresponding eigenvectors of the Jacobian matrix of a power system. The distance between the current equilibrium point and the Hopf bifurcation set can be monitored dynamically by computing the pair of conjugate eigenvalues. When the current equilibrium point is close to the Hopf bifurcation set, the approximate normal vector to the Hopf bifurcation set is computed and used as a direction to regulate control parameters to avoid a Hopf bifurcation in the power system described by differential algebraic equations (DAEs). The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by regulating the reactive power loads in a 14-bus power system.