Journals are excellent tools for contemplation. Typically used for jotting down one’s thoughts or keeping track of life events, these little books filled with blank pages can also be used for yoga.
Keeping a yoga journal is a helpful way to explore and develop your personal practice. Yoga is meant to be a practice of self-exploration and one of the aims of yoga is to “know thyself.” As such, keeping a journal in tandem with your daily sadhana makes perfect sense. (What’s my sadhana (practice)?)
Yoga journals are used to keep track of the practice you may have just finished, allowing a place for you to take the time to integrate the results of the practice. They can be used to jot down current asanas you’re working, your goals for the future, new yoga styles you’d like to explore, and anything else that might have come up for you during your practice. (Why do I get emotional during yoga class?)
Your yoga journal is the perfect way to stay accountable to your short and long-term goals. It provides a space for your yogi mind to run free – while also helping you stay motivated.
Since meditation plays a primary role in yoga, you can also use your yoga journal as a form of writing meditation. (Why do we journal our thoughts that arise during meditation?) Journaling is a contemplative practice and any contemplation tool will help you evolve on the path of Spirit.
If you practice at a local yoga studio, consider taking your journal to class. After savasana, jot down any “ah-ha” moments you’ve had. Personal insights often arise while you lie quietly in savasana and it’s a good idea to get those revelations on paper as soon as they make themselves known. (Why do we end yoga classes in savasana?)
The more you journal your practice, the more insights and sell-knowledge you will gain. Let your yoga journal inform you and inspire you as you get more and more comfortable incorporating it into your spiritual practice.