When we head out for our yoga classes, we pack our mats, our bags and even blocks, but we often forget to pack our journals.   The practice of journaling your yoga experience can really help you to embody the practice of yoga.  There is a lot that happens during a yoga session, and regardless of the type or style of yoga you are engaging it is important to catalog and dialogue with our practice.

Yoga is also much more than what happens on the mat, and being able to harness the power of our practice to move through our “off-mat” lives helps us to be unified with our actions, intentions and emotions.

I have always found journaling to be a powerful tool for assessing and dealing with emotions that come up.   Having a journal is like having a trusted friend that is there to listen, to help us process, and to help us connect to something below the surface.   If you are not currently keeping a journal I would really encourage starting one.  I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of what type of journal you should carry with you, but I personally prefer hand writing out my journals.  If you are going to be using your journal in your yoga class, I would encourage a paper journal and then you can transfer to your e-device.

Here are some things to consider including in your yoga journal:

• What postures challenge you?
• What external challenges are reflected to you by the posture?
• What postures feel really good?  (This one is especially good if you are feeling deep release or relax from a posture being able to re-create that out of class will be important.)
• What intention are you bringing into your practice?
• What is yoga doing for you during this session?
• Are there things in your life that yoga helps you move through?  How?
• What emotions are you feeling during the class?   Which postures evoke those emotions?
• Are you currently using a mantra?  What have the effects of that mantra been on your life?
• What is the hardest part about yoga for you?
• What is the easiest?

These are just a few questions, and I’ll dissect some of these as blog posts in the future.  You can also just write a list of gratitude, or doodle, draw, etc there really is not a right or wrong way to journal… the idea is to get energy moving and to capture your progress on all levels.  One of the things that I love about my older journals is being able to see my growth, to see what yoga helped me work through.

Mantras are also powerful magical tools.   Choosing to engage and stick with a mantra practice, and then seeing what effect that mantra is having on your life will let you capture those experiences for reflection.

You can also write quotes, intentions and ideas that you want to take into your practice with you.  You can also dedicate the energy of your practice to individuals, places and things in the world that might need a little extra push of energy.  Writing those down helps us to solidify the dedication of energy, and then as we carry our journals with us we also carry those we care for.

What is your favorite type of journal?

What is your journaling process?

Do you have resistance to journaling?  Can you identify the resistance?

What do you journal about?

Feel free to share int the comments below!

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com