Introducing Journaling
Author Bruce Black once said “Your journal, like your mat, is your refuge, a place where you can let your guard down, discover who you really are, and celebrate that discovery.” This article will share with you some of my easy tips to introducing journaling into your daily lives.
One of the yoga sutras or 8 limbs of yoga is svadyaya or self study. A traditional yoga class gives us just a short window into the world of self study, but a retreat gives us often 3-7 days of full on discovery. In a retreat we study what makes you tick, take time away from responsibilites and dig deeper into how we can improve our lives. Writing down things is a great way to learn about yourself.
I find myself looking behind, looking ahead or thinking about what I need to get done in the next five minutes. This is the occupational hazard of our time. Distraction. And it keeps us from truly accessing our authentic selves and finding the peace that keeps us centered and focused.
Introducing Journaling as a Daily Habit
Make journaling a regular practice, just like yoga, it helps focus our daily needs and emotions. To really be present, we have to be intentional about not just one, but many habits throughout our day. Too many things keep us from connecting with ourselves and others, and then anxiety, stress and depression set in.
This article will make introducing journaling into your life easy by offering several ideas on how to start discovering more about yourself and to help you find presence in your day!
Firstly, start simple. Journaling gives you the tools to be more self-aware and target subconscious thought patterns and emotions. As you become increasingly familiar with these, you will be more able to catch yourself throughout the day when your mind slips into a state of anxiety or worry.
Secondly, one of the easiest way to make a habit, same time of day.
Lastly, write down whatever you want! It doesn’t have to be profound or poetic. Think of your journal as a prop like a belt, blacket, or block for you to use in your yoga practice. Things I have journaled about personally…
Introducing Journaling: Ideas to help you get started
-Kairos is a magical moment in which time stands still. Journal these moments throughout your day.
-Gratefulness journal. Jot down 3-5 things each day that you are grateful for.
-Begin by spending 5 min a day meditating and write about what the quiet reveals. Take time later to look back at your journal to find clues as to where you might be stuck and from here you will see the growth over time.
-Journal about a yoga class you take and reflect in your journal after on some of these things.
1. Maybe the instructor gave a Class intention or Sankalpa (affirmation resolution). Record it and reflect on whether the class helped you achieve that intention. Whether it be balance, focus, peace, or deeper breathing.
2. Mental awareness – what thoughts were going through your mind? How did you arrive into the practice? Did you dump your day down on the mat? Did you have any recurring thoughts of worry or distraction? Or were you able to calm your mind and create positive thoughts? Just notice, don’t judge.
3. Emotional awareness – how did you feel walking into the class, during the class, and afterwards? Yoga doesn’t always make us feel better immediately. It’s not a magic pill! But we need to value the opportunity it gives us to express emotions through our bodies. Even if it doesn’t feel good at the time.
4. Alignment awareness – did any alignment cues ‘speak to you’? Did you gain any subtle insights that allowed you to go deeper into an asana? Such as, grounding the outside edge of a foot, dropping the pelvis down for example.
5. Muscular skeletal awareness – Did you notice a stronger (or weaker) standing leg in balance postures? Perhaps you felt your core really switching on in plank or a subtle opening through your left hip in half pigeon?
6. Breath awareness – was your breathing deep or shallow? Did you accentuate the inhale or exhale, was it even? Did you notice moments when breath helped you through movement or calmed agitation?
7. Challenging asanas – did you find certain poses challenging? Perhaps you have a particular posture that always presents a challenge. Maybe you can reflect on subtle changes – remember no judgement.
8. Breakthroughs – whether it be the right combination of breath with movement in a certain asana, a firm locking of a standing leg to help balance, or a greater sense of stillness in Savasana. It’s ok to celebrate these little insights.
The power of journaling is that it both helps you go deeper into your practice as you go along. Plus it allows you to reflect more fully with the passage of time on how far you’ve come in yoga and life.
Check out my upcoming virtual events and retreats here. If the retreats or classes don’t match your schedule you can find a plethora of yoga therapy on demand classes here. Or schedule your own custom intimate retreat here.
