Wanderlust + YOGANONYMOUS Present: The Joy of Journaling

Letter From the Editor

When I was a young child my family lived in Yorkshire, England. I’m sure I heard this story first from my mother—it’s one of those family tales that lives more as memory than moment. We were in Switzerland, and had taken a cable car to a mountaintop observation deck. I remember how soft my yellow coat was; how cold the glass window was against which my nose was pressed. At the top there were patches of snow and ice, little purple and yellow flowers, and an Alpine-style visitor’s center. I saw a lone elderly woman sitting on a red bench; I imagine her wearing a green coat and a silk head scarf. I remember thinking that she looked sad, and I remember sitting next to her on the bench and giving her one of the little yellow flowers. The very small notebook that she gave to me, which

she probably bought in that mountaintop souvenir shop, was black with red triangles on the corners of the cover. I wrote my first story in it on the plane ride back to England. It was my very first journal. I’ve finished 23 journals in the 28 years that have passed between now and then. • It’s somewhat ironic that this hazy, fractured, stuff-of-legend memory was the catalyst for my desire to journal. Journaling is to concretely catalog, to preserve; to log memory and to be remembered. Far from being an attachment that doesn’t serve us, however, or that binds us unhealthily to our past, journaling can be an integral component of an intentional internal life. Taking these moments of routine self-reflection helps us to stay mindful and grounded in the present. • I’m a word person, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t believe in a certain degree of magic in writing—but that doesn’t mean that words are the best form of self-reflection, or

journaling, for everyone. For some people, this meditation on self and time may come in the form of taking photographs or examining horoscopes. For others, journaling may be a journey toward health or understanding dreams. However you do it, these moments of self- reflection allow little pieces of ourselves to live on, through both promotion of a better understanding of self, and—like a Hansel & Gretel trail to our past—by providing tangible reminders of memories that would otherwise have been erased from the pages of time. As we settle into 2016, set the intention to take some time for self-reflection through journaling, whatever you see it to be. This collection of articles will help you get started. Everyone has a story to tell. Give yourself the space to share yours.

In love & light,
Lisette Cheresson
Managing Editor

Make Journaling Non-Negotiable in 2016

by Tatum Fjerstad on Wanderlust

If your best friend approached you and said, “I’m going to start a daily journaling practice,” would you respond with, “Oh, jeez. Are you sure? Do you really have that kind of time?”

Journal Prompts to Encourage Creativity

by Amanda Kohr on YOGANONYMOUS

Journal writing is a fantastic way to ignite your imagination—but a blank page can be a bit intimidating. That’s why I love writing prompts; they give you just enough of a framework to spur inspiration while allowing the imagination to go wild.

Written in the Stars: Journaling My Weekly Horoscope

by Emily Perper on Wanderlust

I’d kept a diary on-and-off for years, but post-college, journaling took on a new significance. My commonplace book became a kind of tether: cheap therapy, assisting my failing memory, retaining passwords and quotations and endless lists.

Journal Your Way to Confidence, Courage, and Kicking Ass

by Brett Larkin on YOGANONYMOUS

If your last journal entry was in crayon and something along the lines of “Dear Diary,” don’t panic. The kind of journaling I’m talking about here has nothing to do with recounting how your day was. Use of gel pens and stickers is optional.

Strip It Down: Photo Booths as Journaling

by Cameron Cler on Wanderlust

Journaling has always provided a medium for me to reflect on my life, travels, relationships, and hopes for the future. Reading old entries, I bring myself back to those moments—the journals help me recall memories that I could’ve otherwise forgotten.

Channel Your Chakras Through Journaling

by Silvia Mordini on YOGANONYMOUS

The chakras are an inner and outer map of transformation. Everything we see, taste, touch, feel, and do can be interpreted through the gateway of the chakras. We will learn how to tap into these sacred energies through journaling in order to gain insight into healing our psyche, emotions, and well-being.

Why You Should Journal Your Dreams

by Emma Mildon on Wanderlust

Let’s get under the covers and snuggle into the deeper meaning of all things twinkle-twinkle, lullaby, and shut-eye. Let’s talk about dreams. Though odd they may seem, there are some things to be learned from these subconscious moments.

The Importance of Journaling Your Diet

by Deborah Charnes on YOGANONYMOUS

In Ayurveda, each person is unique. Furthermore, what might be appropriate for you to eat when you’re 8 years old, isn’t necessarily what you should be eating when you’re 80. A journal can help you identify what culprits are in your pantry, and what is making you lethargic, cranky—or worse.

Mama’s Diary Dilemma

by Valerie Reiss on Wanderlust

I’m a writer. But I can’t believe how little I have written down about the growings, happenings, and overall everythings of my two-year-old. I know those glorious moments are going to flash by and some near day I will only recall a fuzzy, nostalgic blur of cheeks, eyes, and mischief. This is terrifying.

7 Benefits of Creating a Gratitude Journal

by Exavier Pope on YOGANONYMOUS

A gratitude journal is what we make of it. I started my gratitude journal during a 21-day meditation experience guided by spiritual guru Deepak Chopra and positive lifestyle icon Oprah Winfrey. Two years later and my gratitude journal has become part of my life.

Say Yes to Life: The Power of Words

by Silvia Mordini on Wanderlust

A daily journaling ritual where one spends 10 minutes in reflection is potent. This provides time to listen, recalibrate, remember, and honor yourself. It offers a deep source of nourishment and an opportunity to bring greater depth to your life practice.

Visual Journaling With Crystal Grids

by Maggie Peikon on YOGANONYMOUS

I’m very much a visual person, so my journals were full of words that took form in many shapes—a heart for a lovesick poem, triangles, spirals, and stickers strewn across the page, endless doodles. I liked the organized chaos of it all. I felt it mirrored the sort of chaos of thoughts in my head.

How Journaling Helps Us Grow

by Niki Saccareccia on Wanderlust

Long before I knew what meditation was, puberty and its wellspring of emotional surplus would bring me to my first journal entries. Since the seventh grade, journaling has been my main meditation, and the autobiographical library I have of my burgeoning adult life has given me unyielding insight.

Letter From the Editor

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