Hi awesome readers! Hope you are all doing well and that your summer has been restful and happy so far (or if not restful, at least a little bit fun, for you summer intensive-attending folks). I’ve been gone from this blog a long time (what’s new haha) but it’s been for good reason. Audition season, graduating, traveling, and burnout (which has been REAL) have all taken my focus away a little bit from the intentions I set here. When things get busy this side project becomes a bit of a last priority. Hope everyone can forgive me :):).
That being said, I want to make sure that I can deliver all of the content that I promised and planned previously! Even if nobody cares, I want to honor the commitment to myself.
Which is why, for the rest of summer, I’m delivering all of the blog posts I didn’t get around to last year, as well as a few originals :). After all, I had them all planned and mostly written already!
One of these posts was a little list of journal prompts that I came up with in response to some of the lessons and theories that I learned as part of my yoga teacher training. Since we are approaching the anniversary of my certification, I think now is as good a time as ever to return to some of these principals for me. A lot of things I learned during training really resonated with me, but it’s crazy how the human mind tends to revert back to its old habits and patterns when thrust back into the routine of daily living. If you choose to use some of these prompts, know that I will be using them in the coming months as well, so you are not alone on this adventure.
That being said, even if I haven’t been using this prompts specifically, journaling has been so helpful to me in dealing with my mental health this past year, and I’ve taken it up in earnest. It’s so healing for me, especially in bouts of anxiety and overthinking, just to take five minutes and get everything down on the page, even if it makes no sense whatsoever. My goal in creating these prompts was to inspire reflection on the real-life application of different yogic principles – taming the ego, slowing down, the yamas and the niyamas, balancing the chakras, etc. However, you don’t need to be a studied yogi to engage with these ideas in their simplest forms. I invite you not to think too hard about them – just set a timer, free write, and see what happens. It doesn’t matter, it’s all for you, and I think it’s absolutely fascinating to see where the brain goes! I hope that they can provide you with some healing and reflection :). Thank you for being here, and enjoy!
15 Yoga-Centered Journaling Prompts
- In what ways have I seen my ego come into play this week? How can I focus more on myself and what is good for my own health and my body, without worrying about the other bodies in the room?
- List five small, “every day” things you saw this week that struck you as beautiful, or even magical. Take time to appreciate every little detail, every little puzzle piece and moment that made each thing what it was.
- What am I grateful for and where can I find more space for gratitude this week?
- What can I do/what have I done this week to lesson the harm afflicted on others? What can I do/what have I done this week to lesson the harm afflicted on myself?
- How can I practice clear seeing and calm abiding for myself this week? Is there a hard truth that I am reasoning around or refusing to acknowledge? Write it here, see it, and move on with forgiveness.
- Is there anything in excess in my life right now? Are there any pleasures that I’m running to for distraction instead of acceptance? Take note of any instances. Is there a pattern/common denominator in these instances?
- Is there anything I can let go of going into this new week?
- Take a moment and write down the highlights of each day this week. Look how wonderful life is! How can I include more moments like these in my life?
- What goals do you feel passionate about (can be for your life, your year, your month, or even your week). What is one small thing that you can do today to align yourself more with your goals?
- List five words that are a part of daily living in your dream life. How can these words apply to your daily living now?
- What makes me feel grounded and safe? How can I continue to find this sense of grounding in my life? Identify which of these words resonate with you at this point in time (can be more than one in more than one category): secure, strong (balanced) or insecure, fearful, unfocused, and wandering (imbalanced). What might be the reason for any imbalance? (This question is to examine your relationship with Muladhara: root chakra)
- What makes me feel creative/flexible/free? What makes me feel sexual/sensual? Identify words you resonate with at this point in life: sensual, graceful, and adaptable (balanced) or obsessive, impotent, frigid, lost in fantasy, indulgent, and numb (imbalanced). What might be the reason for any imbalance? (Svadhisthana: Sacral Chakra)
- What makes me feel confident and full of life? How can I maintain this baseline level of confidence? What words do I identify more with at this point in my life: vital, self-confident, mastery (balanced) or manipulative, controlling, insecure, aggressive, weak, passive, and ineffective (imbalanced). What might be the reason for any imbalance? (Manipura: Naval Chakra)
- How/when do I experience love/compassion/empathy for ALL things? How can I further open my heart to this big love? What words do I identify more with at this point in my life: balanced relationships, emotional clarity, generosity, and joy (balanced) or emotional neediness, codependency, fear of intimacy, judgment, and isolation (imbalanced). What might be the reasons for any imbalance? (Anahata: Heart Chakra)
- Where can I use my voice and speak my truth in ways that I might not have considered? What is something that I wish I could communicate more clearly? What is something that I may regret having communicated? Do I regret it because it wasn’t true, or because I didn’t like the reaction?
That’s all for today! As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions. I am always here for ya, even if I’m not actively posting. Have a great week, and happy journaling!
— Olivia ❤
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