“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
>”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}”>Download the app.
I have cried during Savasana more times than I can count. I have daydreamed. I have played out difficult conversations. I have had aha moments. I have been lulled by the stillness and quietness (and almost fallen asleep). And I have made promises to myself, some of which I have kept.
Have you ever experienced a similar nudge from your subconscious as you lie in stillness? A moment of clarity even though your eyes are closed? If so, how often have you acted on or responded to these inner knowings? Do you carry them with you after practice or do you forget them by the time you walk out the door? What if Savasana’s clarity didn’t end the second you rolled up your mat? What if you could extend it and expand upon it?
You can. By putting pen to paper after your practice through journal prompts.
Journaling After Yoga Can Extend Your Practice
The time after Savasana can be highly potent for self-reflection. The transition out of your final rest creates an opening for you to keep stretching your mind long after stretching your body.
I’ve found that journaling after yoga can feel like unburdening, like letting go of a weight sitting heavy on your shoulders or uncoiling tightness in your chest. By expressing what you may have been holding in, it can even make it a little easier to breathe.
Research seems to agree, indicating that both expressive writing and practicing Savasana can reduce stress and anxiety. Much like Savasana, journaling can help you relax and decode your emotions. By exploring the insights you experienced on the mat, you can further integrate your yoga practice into your everyday life.
Of course, Savasana doesn’t always result in an epiphany. Sometimes the pose simply offers the subtle sweetness of not moving. Sometimes it’s the only quiet moment in your day that allows you to both lose and find yourself. Even then, you can benefit from turning to a journal to explore what you need or, at the very least, savor a bit more quiet.
It can also be incredibly liberating to loosen the strings, the expectations, the worries, the thoughts, the what-ifs, and the related feelings you’ve been holding and cede them to a blank page. Journaling can feel like disconnecting from them and realizing they’re something you experience and not something you are.
When (And How) To Use Journal Prompts After Yoga
There is no “right way” to journal after yoga, just as there is no “right way” to practice a specific yoga pose. But there are a few methods I like to use that you can try too, depending on what’s accessible for you on that day and at that moment.
Journal on Your Commute
If you’re taking a train, bus, or Uber back to your home or office, consider bringing a journal with you to jot down your thoughts. If you’re walking, perhaps you find a park bench to sit on or slip inside a coffee shop. Headphones can block out noise or add a soothing backdrop. If you’re driving to your destination, see if you can lengthen your me-time by five to 10 minutes and sit in the driveway or parking lot.
Journal at Home
If you’re headed home after class and can snatch a few more moments of calm, do it. I especially love this method in the evenings, when there’s usually more grace to recreate the bliss of Savasana. Make yourself comfortable—blankets and pillows are highly encouraged. Put on mood lighting and mood music. Light a candle or some incense. Let your journaling environment feel as restorative as your Savasana.
Journal on the Go
If you’re strapped for time and just making it to class was a tight squeeze, rest easy. In the changing room or even on your way out the door, pull out your phone, go into your Notes, and jot a few things down. You can use a prompt (maybe save them in your Notes for easy access) or let whatever is slipping from your mind spill out in stream-of-consciousness fashion. Let these in-between moments, however few, be enough.
Attend a Yoga and Journaling Workshop
When I hold these events, I invite students to prolong the calm by turning to a blank page immediately following turning over from the fetal position. It may not be practical after your typical class, but it can help you formulate prompts that you can return to again and again.
Journal Prompts for After Yoga
What should you write about, exactly? Below is a collection of journal prompts for you to explore, play with, and expand on. Just as not all Savasanas look or feel the same, your post-Savasana journaling practice doesn’t have to look or feel the same each time, either. Save the journal prompts below and pursue one that calls to you. Or, if that feels too imposing, just write what you feel.
1. When Your Body is Trying to Tell You Something
What is your physical self trying to tell you? What would you do the rest of the day or even tomorrow if you were to listen?
2. When You Had a Major Realization or Something Clicked
What has become apparent that wasn’t before? What will you do next with that knowledge?
3. When You Feel at Your Max and Want to Create Space
Where do you feel a sense of heaviness or frustration? What would lessen the strain? Write a permission slip to let it go. Sign and date it.
4. When You Feel a Little Out of Balance
Where have you been losing your balance lately? What would help you rediscover your center?
5. When You Need a Dose of Self-Encouragement
What does your heart need to hear today? Write a personal mantra that you can repeat whenever you need.
6. When You Want to Explore Your Strengths
What yoga poses make you feel strongest? Where does that strength come from and where do you want to channel that strength?
7. When You’re Really Dang Grateful for Yoga
How does yoga make you feel? Write a love letter to your practice.
