Yoga & Journaling

Hello, I am Nera and it is so good that you are here and that you are reading this diary entry. I don´t know how old you are, what kind of character you have or what your strength and weaknesses may be, but I know that you know all that about yourself and even more. Don’t you agree that there are some corners in our mind where we usually don’t want to go or don’t have time to go to? However, very often in these corners of our mind we would find answers to the questions, that we ask ourselves every day, if we were as present as we should be in that moment. You probably have heard about, if not even owned, a diary. The notebook, in which you write your secrets, feelings and maybe also some thoughts you are too scared to share with the rest of the world. Diaries were always very important for the growth of people, sometimes even became a part of the written history. The importance and meaning of written words is bigger than we think. To sit down and let the words flow from our mind is one of the greatest forms of meditation and easiest ways to document your own growth.

In the last few years, the diary has gotten a new name – today in modern language, it is called a journal. You probably ask yourself how to start writing a journal. Well, there are many ways and it is much easier than you may think. For example, you can simply sit down and create a cosy atmosphere, either in the morning or in the evening, and then just write about your day or the plans you have. Sometimes our own mind surprises us and it pours out thoughts we don’t even know we have. Another way is asking yourself some simple questions that maybe bring up other questions and lead to the answers that you are looking for. Writing a journal may also be the key to your own personal happiness, to a change in your character or even to the solution of some problems you are dealing with in your life.

In our weekly schedule on Saturday afternoon, you will find a class called Yoga & Journaling. In this class, together, we turn on all our senses, connect with our body, mind and soul and then dive into the yoga flow to let go of all the unnecessary thoughts. When our body gets warm, we combine movement with journaling. We trigger our thoughts with different personal questions and sweet stretches for our body. To get a clearer picture of how the journaling part looks like I will guide you through one of our mind flows in the following lines.

Prepare a notebook and a pen. Find a comfortable place where you can sit and write. Close your eyes and take a few deep breathes. Be present in the moment while doing it. Now open your notebook and draw a house, nothing artistic, just a simple house. Like you used to draw as a child. This house can be big or small, it is totally up to you. Now write down inside of the lines of your house what makes your house a HOME. It can be anything, from “smell” to “atmosphere” or the presence of some people. After you have done that, observe it for a few breaths and then focus on the next blank page in your notebook. Now draw a circle, not a perfect one, but your personal circle. Big or small, opened or closed, it is your circle; it should be unique, not perfect. Now write down inside this circle what makes your body your HOME. It can be something that is a big part of your character; or maybe something that is part of your body or something that you managed to make to your own routine. After you have finished, observe your two homes and see what happens. Are you smiling? Is there something you want to change? Write down your thoughts. To conclude your journaling, finish this sentence for yourself and write it down: “Happiness is…”

After writing in your journal, close it and close your eyes. Let your breath flow. For a few minutes let your mind and soul bath in the happiness and pleasure that you have just created for yourself.

I hope I could bring journaling closer to your heart. Maybe one day we will all together pour our souls on the paper and be happy with that version of ourselves.

Until then, keep in mind, Hakuna Mattata, leave all the worries behind.

Namaste,
Nera