Tracking your yoga practices and meditations with a meditation journal is a simple way to learn your trends, track your progress, and discover more about yourself. I welcome you to join me as I explain exactly how to keep a meditation journal and included prompts.
What Is A Meditation Journal?
A meditation journal is a place to record your practice to get a better understanding of your trends, likes, dislikes, and more. Essentially, it can be anything you want it to be — it’s your journal and practice.
You can keep your journal in any way that you choose. It can be a quick note on your phone, a notebook lying around, or a fancy journal from your favorite boutique store.
Who Should Keep A Meditation Journal?
Meditation journals aren’t for everyone. It’s okay if you’d rather do a five minute meditation and go about your day. Your preferences are always the best guide to how your practice should go.
If you’re curious if you should create a meditation journal, here are some signs that it could benefit you and your practice:
- You want to show progress overtime. Maybe you notice you could only do a five-minute meditation six months ago, and now you can do twenty. This can motivate you to keep going.
- You want to notice specific trends. You could notice that you only meditate in the mornings or when you’re having a good day beforehand. This can show you how your daily life affects your practice, and if you want to work around these changes.
- You want to go deeper into your practice. Keeping a journal highlights the natural progression of your meditation. This is important to know so you can understand what works, and what doesn’t, so you can reach your meditative state faster and more effectively.
- You already have a love for journaling. This is a simple but easy way to know if this is a good idea for you. If you hate journaling, then there’s no issue with skipping it. If you love it, this would probably be a good fit for your practice.
- You want to keep notes for outside therapy or support. If you’re meditating as part of a trauma healing journey, keeping a meditation journal might be a good fit. I welcome you to speak with your support team to see if this would be a beneficial practice for you. Personally, I’ve noticed I use certain phrases while meditating to release tension from my body. This has translated into being directly used as positive affirmations when I’m having a difficult healing day.
- You’re curious and open to the idea of journaling. There’s nothing wrong with giving something a chance. If it doesn’t go well, then that’s okay. But, if you like it, then that’s a great addition to your practice. Finding your best practice is all about trial and error.
The Exact Prompts: How To Keep A Meditation Journal
Below is a quick before and after prompt you can use for your meditation journal. I welcome you to include or exclude as much as you choose to cater this to your goals and preferences. There are no wrong answers when it comes to your journaling practice.
I also want to mention that these are trauma-informed yoga prompts, which cater to the lived experiences of trauma survivors. If you wish to explore more information on trauma-informed yoga, I welcome you to read this blog post.
Before Meditation Prompts
Date:
Time:
Duration:
Questions to Explore:
- I welcome you to write about your current state to your level of comfort. You could write solely about how you feel physically, or go deeper into your emotions.
- Physical sensations: How does your body feel today? If you’re comfortable, how is your emotional state today?
- Goals: What are your goals for this practice?
- Affirmation/Mantra/Chanting: I welcome you to list your meditation’s affirmation, mantra, or chant if you have one. Here are 49 healing chakra affirmations for inspiration.
After Meditation Prompts
- What stood out the most to you during this practice?
- Did you notice any shifts in your physical or emotional state? I welcome you to revisit the “before” question and re-answer, or jot down if there were any differences.
- Were you able to meet the goals you set before your practice?
- Were there any distractions that happened during practice? Could you come back to the practice after?
- How did you talk to yourself during practice? Did you send kind words to yourself, or did you notice you became irritated, annoyed, or frustrated? (It’s normal for irritation to happen, so I welcome you to send yourself compassion—this happens to everyone.)
- What other thoughts would you like to include for today’s practice? (If any)
Overview
Your meditation practice can be as simple or in-depth as you choose, and learning how to keep a meditation journal is the doorway to a more profound, detailed experience. You could even ask yourself these questions quietly before you begin instead of journaling as a quick grounded check in before practice and to switch gears from busy life to your meditation. I wish you well on your meditation journey and thank you for reading.
Take care.
