The Power of Journaling

Let’s discuss a topic near and dear to many yogis’ hearts-Journaling.  Being a yoga instructor, I continually hear how my students love to journal, I take yoga trainings and they make me journal, and I constantly read how journaling is great for the soul.
 
Let’s be frank, I’m not the journaling type but I definitely can see the benefits and I’m working on being more consistent with it.  Normally since I have a long commute to and from work, I process my daily life in my head.  However, I think journaling may be faster—you remove yourself from the situation at hand and become the witness.  

Sometimes, I get bogged down in the day-to-day activities and lose sight of what is truly important to me.  Like everyone, I can lose sight of my connection to my dharma, my true identity, etc. and journaling can help bring everything back into focus.  

Personally, when I take the time to journal it makes me less reactive towards others.  Not necessarily kinder-but less likely to rip someone’s (say…like my husband) head off.  Journaling makes me reflect on what I appreciate about others and why they are in my life (good or bad).  It also makes me realize how I judge others based on the expectations I set for myself.  Everyone is doing the best that they can and I’m learning how to be content with whatever the outcomes are…which is really hard for a control freak like me. 

I also think journaling helps me grasp how it is related to Ego and identifying with the Ego.  I’m learning to get out of the way of myself and the load of malarkey that I carry as if it were the true me.  This creates barriers and walls that I use to protect myself…which impacts my relationships with others.

I realize this by seeing it laid out bare in a journal entry.  It is very eye opening.  

Journaling helps me process the information I already have (I know this stuff! Those duh! moments) and apply it to access a deeper place.  I am a head-y person and analyzing logical information (journal entries) to gain wisdom is something I think I will always be working on. 

Ultimately, I take the wisdom gained and apply it to understand the nature of SELF—that is a leap of faith-not only in the process but in myself and my inherent nature; that connection with something greater than myself.  Journaling makes me step back and look at how my lifestyle and behaviors impact my true nature.

I hope to continue this process called journaling to make better choices.

NOW LET'S START JOURNALING:

Start easy...Keep it simple!

Journal every day for next two weeks (since i bet, you're cooped up in the house anyway!)

Starting Today:
• Write down ONE thing that disturbed your peace
• Write down WHY it disturbed your peace
• Write down HOW you reacted

After two weeks, go back and re-read your entries.  Did anything change?  Did your reactions change? Did the things that bother you change?  There is no right or wrong answer-just notice if anything shifted.  

Then keep going...don't stop...keep writing!