November's Self Care Tip: Journalling

Self care tips: Journalling for yoga both on and off the mat

Yoga doesn't just exist on the mat. Whether it's through pranayama breath-work, meditation, or asana poses, a yoga practice can sometimes feel relegated to a specific time or place. However there are many wonderful opportunities to take your practice off the mat and into life. This monthly series aims to show simple, realistic, and achievable self care tips in which to expand your practice. Starting with journalling.

Journalling has many wonderful benefits, including aiding a sense of mindfulness. It gives the brain space to think things through and identify issues that may be bothering us, as well as highlight potential solutions. It may just be a place to brain dump for busy minds, or a place to work through tough issues. Whatever you use journalling for there are plenty of benefits to reap and you may be surprised to learn that journalling directly aids your yoga practice.

The Yamas and Niyamas of it all...

Journalling closely aligns with several yamas and niyamas - two of Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga. Depending on the style of journalling you choose depends on which yama or niyama you wish to cultivate.

For the stream of consciousness journaller, where you might write every thought that pops into your head as it comes, this practices Saucha (purity) and Ahimsa (non-violence). By releasing mental clutter and negative energy into a safe space, you are protecting yourself and others from that which might stress or harm.

Many people love to keep a gratitude journal. It's a great way to position the good things in life to the forefront of your attention. Listing what brings you joy and sparks gratitude can range from the big events in life and the people you love to the small moments of everyday. A pretty sunset can absolutely spark gratitude. Journalling in this way allows you to practice the art of Santosha (contentment), helping you to appreciate the here and now.

Those of you wishing to get into the tougher aspects of self-reflection would enjoy reflective journalling, sometimes called shadow-work. This involves asking yourself questions designed to make you reflect on both your current and past self. For example: How do you respond to certain situations or feelings now and as a child? This style of journalling can be incredibly helpful in uncovering behavioural patterns and encouraging radical honesty towards yourself, ultimately helping you to become the person you want to be. This directly relates to Svadhayaya (self-study) and Satya (truthfulness).

Those that love a bullet journal, health tracker, or smart watch might enjoy daily habit tracking. This practices Tapas (discipline) which can help you develop healthy habits and behaviours. It encourages willpower and consistency in your daily life.

What does the science say?

Scientific research highlights several benefits to journalling. Namely improving mental health, regulating emotions, improving cognitive performance, and even aiding physical health too.

Reducing stress and anxiety, putting your thoughts to page can help not only organise chaotic and distressing thoughts into something manageable but also actively calm the amygdala - the part of the brain responsible for an anxiety response - as well as engage the pre-frontal cortex resulting in logic and greater mental control.

Journaling has also shown to improve cognition by off-loading overwhelming thoughts to improve focus. Daily reflection can also help boost productivity and problem solving whilst the act of handwriting forces short term memory recall into long term memory recall, improving memory.

How to get started

Perhaps reading the above sparked interest in a specific style of journaling. Everyone is drawn to something different, and what might work for one person might not work for another. If something has drawn your eye, great! Give it a go and see how it feels.

If nothing above jumped out at you, not to worry. A great place to start is by 'brain dumping', sometimes known as automatic writing. This is literally the act of writing down everything that pops into your mind. There is no judgement and no expectations. You can literally write down your stream of consciousness as it happens. Ideas may be sparked. Revelations may be made. Or perhaps you'll be surprised by how many twists and turns your brain can make in a finite amount of time.

To brain dump all you will need is a pen and some paper, or you can write on your notes app. Set a timer for five minutes and write down everything that pops into your head. The worries, the to do lists, everything. If you feel silly, write that down too! It's that simple.

Journaling can be a great way to ease busy minds and gain some mental clarity, as well as cultivate a fulfilling yoga practice off the mat. For yoga on the mat check out our classes!