As I search for inner peace and mindfulness, one question always comes up: what is a meditation journal? This question was the beginning of a long and transformative journey for me, exploring an underrated yet powerful tool that has significantly deepened my meditation practice. Many of us struggle to navigate through the noise of our daily lives, searching for a moment of stillness. A meditation journal, I found, is more than just a diary; it’s a key to understanding our thoughts and emotions, making our meditation sessions more insightful and grounding. As we explore what a meditation journal is and how it can complement our meditation practices, I invite you to join me in uncovering its potential to bring clarity and peace into our lives.
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Types of Journals
There are so many types of journals available to you out there, it can be difficult to keep track sometimes. You have your diary type journal where we kept our most inner secrets growing up. Gratitude journals are a great way to remind us to be thankful for what we have and is a great way to start your day. You can even keep a sketch journal to simply scribble in. Journaling itself can become a form of meditation as well.
But what is a meditation journal?
There are some items you can find consistently in a meditation journal that make it more distinct. Date and time of your meditation is often recorded. This is a great way to track the consistency of your practice. You can also write down where and what type of meditation is being preformed. Feelings, insights and observations can all be shared on the pages to return to and analyze later. But it’s ultimately up to the practitioner how in depth they wish to keep and use the journal.
Benefits Of A Meditation Journal
This is just a small list of benefits that can be reaped from keeping a journal to track your meditation progress. Again, it’s really going to depend on how in depth you want to keep your journal. The more specifics you start to track now, the more information you’ll have to analyze later on.
- Help develop, grow and to keep track of your meditation practice. This was a big reason for me starting a meditation journal. I had a tendency to relax on my meditation practice. Keeping a journal gave me structure and I felt a sense of accountability when I wanted to skip out of practice. I can see it right there. Now that I’ve been keeping track, I’ve been much more consistent
- Create a process for dealing with difficult situations. I’ve never been good with talking about my feelings and emotions. Writing it down in and of itself can be a form of therapy. You can write whatever you want without facing judgment or scrutiny. It really can help you to be honest with someone, even if it’s just to yourself.
- Opportunity to reflect on experiences and feelings. I have a terrible memory. So it’s nice to be able to look back and recall learning points in my life. Even looking through old entries can give you new perspectives
- Reflect on your inner self. This can create a wonderful opportunity to open and learn more about yourself, I’m a big believer in the ability of harnessing your shadow self and journaling can be a great way to explore the different parts of what makes you who you are, good or bad.
- Keeping a journal can give you a sense of accomplishment as well. Keeping track of your meditation can show consistency and follow through on your practice. It can feel like a pat on the back when you look back and see you did it.
This list only touches the surface of what you could gain from keeping a meditation journal
How A Meditation Journal Works
One of the great things about a meditation journal is they can work for you just the way you want them to. You decide what you want to record and how you want to keep them. You can be as precise or flexible as you want.
Simply practice your meditation and write an entry covering the items you want to keep track of.
It’s all about feeling to create the life you want. It can be a chance to amplify the love and joy you feel in your life right now. Writing in your journal can also be an opportunity to put that positive energy out there to attract more of the same.
A meditation journal can also help you sort through messy feelings that you would otherwise push aside and try to forget about. But if you’re honest, it’s going to be there on the page if and when you want to come back to that situation, confront it and ideally move on.
Starting Your Own Meditation Journal
Starting a meditation journal can be as simple as keeping a notebook and pen close when practicing your meditation. Keep your journal out so you see it. Sometimes I put it open to the page for my entry at my desk before I go to bed in the evening. That way, when I wake up, I’m immediately reminded to meditate. And with the notebook right there, it’s super easy to just write an entry when I’m done.
There are also journals you can purchase to specifically use as a meditation journal, The pages are printed as a template where you enter the appropriate information in the corresponding box or section. These can be a great option if your really not sure of what to keep track of.
But you can always create a note book with templates as well.
How A Meditation Journal Can Help You
A journal can evolve and reflect the growth both gained and missed through your journey, dependent on how truthful you can be with yourself. If reflected on, it can give you great insight into you, if your open to it. I believe having this insight leads to faster growth and can lead to a more profound understanding of yourself
You may find answers to questions you haven’t even thought of yet.
Reflecting on our exploration of the meditation journal, I’m reminded of the countless ways it has enriched my own practice. By providing a structured yet flexible space to observe my thoughts and feelings, it has been a cornerstone in developing a deeper understanding of my inner world. Meditation journals, as we’ve seen, are not just about tracking progress; they’re about cultivating a relationship with oneself, fostering mindfulness, and nurturing a space for personal growth. As someone who has walked this path and witnessed the transformation firsthand, I encourage you to take on this journey with an open heart and a pen in hand. Let your meditation journal be a testament to your journey towards inner peace and self-discovery.
So what are your thoughts? What is a meditation journal to you? Would it be something you could see yourself using? What kind of info would you keep track of? And how do you think you could benefit by keeping one? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
