I was given my first journal after my boyfriend, Kevin, died when I was 18.  I remember meeting a friend of my mom at the mall.  I did not know her that well, but she had a similar experience when she was a young woman, losing her first love.  The first days, weeks, months after Kevin died, I was so full of grief and confusion, and had no idea at that time how to put the pieces back together.  The only thing that this woman offered me that helped to ease the pain was a new journal.  At first, I carried it around, not knowing what to write, or how to even express myself.  Often times, I would write a daily note, then nothing for months.  Little did I know that this was the beginning of my healing. 

I welcome you along this journey with me.  Om Namah Shivaya…

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Journaling prompts to support your yoga practice…

  • Within your yoga practice on the mat, what lessons have helped you in becoming a better person off of the mat?
  • What elements of your yoga practice have helped you to grow into a higher potential?
  • What specific poses have helped you to reach this new potential and how?
  • Why do you practice yoga?

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Yamas/Niyamas

Yamas:  the interaction between the self and world.

  1. Ahimsa:  kindness, compassion, loving***all other yamas serve ahimsa.
  2. Satya:  truthfulness, honesty.
  3. Asteya:  non-stealing.
  4. Brahmacharya:  moderation; being of divine nature.
  5. Aparigraha:  non-grasping/non-possessive.

Niyama:  our attitudes towards ourselves.

  1. Saucha:  purity.
  2. Santosha:  contentment, acceptance of what is.
  3. Tapas:  a yearning, burning desire to relate to something greater.
  4. Svadhyaya:  the study of the self.
  5. Isvara Pranidhana:  surrender to a greater essence.
  • What yamas/niyamas are more challenging to incorporate into your off the mat practice?
  • How do I practice the yamas/niyamas on the mat?

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Desire

  1. What do I want?  (Icca)  (spend time revisiting this prompt…in times when you feel free, in times when you feel bound and unable to move forward.  Are the answers the same/ do they have the same theme, bhav to them?)
  2. What is the value of this desire? (Jnana)  (Is it worth it?  Does it have greater value to the world?)
  3. What am I prepared to do about this desire?  (Kriya)

Dharma

  • What am I here to do?
  • What are my gifts?
  • How do I share these gifts?
  • How do others receive of this sharing? (Or, what gets in the way of others receiving of these gifts?)

Hugging the Midline

  • How much do you want ___________ (fill in the blank)?
  • When I embrace my center most authentically, what do I hear?
  • How do I show up when I am strong in my core self?  How do others perceive me?

Creativity

  • If I had all available resources, what would I create?
  • How would the world benefit from this creation?