So why journal – For myself I like long, long writing projects with uncertain prospects of success, so it isn’t just about the meditation. But if it was….
Is SEO subverting my writings, definitely. Is putting ‘progress better’ and meditation in the same title inherently wrong, possibly.
When I am working on something I always like to think about it myself then have a look at its relation to the outside world. Turns out there is quiet a bit out there to support the value of journaling your meditations. I will be exploring all this a little further below.
Memory
This is a significant one personally. If I don’t get down some of the nuances of the meditation session, it might be might be lost forever. I want to come back to these and reflect on them at my leisure not play catch up trying to remember what happened. True experience cannot be fully represented in word but it gives you a handle.
Fine Tuning
Looking at your own mental patterns on the page can be very revealing. When you are in something, you are doing it you aren’t necessarily reflecting on your doings. Often it is impossible to have the head space to observe and do both at the same time. As an example, I was recently caught in a difficult junction jammed with traffic behind but unable to make my turning because of passing traffic. The longer I was there the more my panic was rising. At that moment I was not reflecting on other routes or something I could have done to not be in that situation. I just wanted out of the situation.
Motivation
This was a curve ball to me, never considered that it helps to keep the wheels on your meditation practice but I am inclined to agree with ‘Care Clinic‘. No they aren’t paying me. They are very into journaling monitoring personal health issues through apps. Plenty of things to explore there, but I digress. This leads to the next point.
Knowledge
Journaling can make you question your own assumptions. When you write something down you can detach in a way and think critically about it, if you want. For myself I journal and publish so I end up researching more and getting new ideas in a virtuous circle.
Like Strawberries and Cream
After having meditated and journaled for many months I can say they are very complimentary. Meditating gives insight and reflecting on that insight as you write gives more. There was a minor problem at one point when i started composing my diary entry as I was meditating.
Candidora Meditation Journal – track progress gain insight
Core Practice …why journal
I felt this was counter productive and against the core practices I was working on. Such practices involved ‘no doing’, not thinking, just being. I became very aware of this matter and after a couple of session I managing to recalibrate my practice. Sometimes because it can typically take a few hours to write up a diary entry for my site time management became an issue. My solution was to actually not journal every single meditation if I was pressed. This also helped to break up the previous issue.
Finally….
In the intro I was a little torn when using the term ‘progress better’ because it is a loaded term in the context of meditation. I will confess to you that I only put it in there because the AIOSEO plugin I was using gave me higher headline scores, so it is rather a means to an end. My main issue with it though is that in a core meditation practice like Zazen you don’t want to be looking forward you want to just be in that moment. However overall I think reflecting on your meditation in some way really does help you on this journey.
Home of the Villages Meditation Group
At ‘The Villages’ : Meditation FAQ. Meditation Glossary
