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Umang
India
28 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 11 2019 : 04:21:14 AM
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Hi everyone, 
I have noticed that there is some sort of power in reflecting with a journal. It somehow organizes my mind and brings some relief. The same is true about joining the forum here and communicating with you all. I reread the lesson on writing and things got clear. https://www.aypsite.org/395.html
Is there something more that is happening here? A kind of Samyama in some way? Is our attention more involved when we write? Are we able to let go better when things have been written down on paper?
Just wondering. Would appreciate your thoughts on this. |
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Blanche
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2019 : 08:44:41 AM
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Hi Umang,
You bring up again a very good question: Why is journaling such a powerful spiritual tool? As you noticed, expressing thoughts and reflecting on our experiences allow them to be completed, so we can let them go and move on. Our experiences, thoughts, and reflections find a new “home” in the journal, and we can let them “live” there. This process frees energy that was feeding them, and we feel that our load lightens.
Writing supports the rise of the witness. Further, as we reflect on our actions, eventually we recognize that we are not the doer. At a deeper level, writing as a creative process becomes a way to participate to the creation in this world. We enliven these aspects of writing as we put our attention on them. Journaling can be a way to create a self-reinforcing loop, expanding and clarifying the awareness in us and in everybody else.
Keep journaling 
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luce
France
25 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2019 : 09:00:33 AM
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Hello Umang,
Same here. I do have experienced and thought the same thing as you at different moments of my life. I use writing on a daily basis not to forget things, it then helps me to let go and have more space for something else. Writing in a diary has beneficial too, to organise a confused mind and to let go of things that were difficult to handle mentally in the moment at times. To sort out ideas, to transform emotions into words or to virtually say things to people I couldn't talk to for different reasons and it has worked well. I feel there is a certain quality of attention and concentration in the moment. I feel some relief as well and I have recently observed that this letting go is like an "informal" samyama practice too. I usually keep these diary pages for a while, read them again over a period of time and at some point I usually naturally get rid of them after some time and that part in particular had showed to be also effective in the letting go process for me as well. Then I feel in peace with whatever I got rid of, for ever.
Now, would that be the same for everybody as it is for us? I don't know. Like with the rest we are probably naturally drawn to certain types of practices.
Something tells me we sould keep on doing it
I thank you for pointing out at this, I find it really interesting, and I have never had that discussion with anyone before
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Umang
India
28 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2019 : 11:06:49 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Blanche
Hi Umang,
You bring up again a very good question: Why is journaling such a powerful spiritual tool? As you noticed, expressing thoughts and reflecting on our experiences allow them to be completed, so we can let them go and move on. Our experiences, thoughts, and reflections find a new “home” in the journal, and we can let them “live” there. This process frees energy that was feeding them, and we feel that our load lightens.
Writing supports the rise of the witness. Further, as we reflect on our actions, eventually we recognize that we are not the doer. At a deeper level, writing as a creative process becomes a way to participate to the creation in this world. We enliven these aspects of writing as we put our attention on them. Journaling can be a way to create a self-reinforcing loop, expanding and clarifying the awareness in us and in everybody else.
Keep journaling
Thank you Blanche.
Wonderfully said. Yes I am going to keep journaling. Earlier I used to journal mainly about 'What did I do today? and how can I be more productive and save more time?' Now I am shifting towards 'What is going through my head right now?' Ironically the latter saves more time and energy and feels a lot better. |
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Umang
India
28 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2019 : 11:26:25 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by luce
Hello Umang,
Same here. I do have experienced and thought the same thing as you at different moments of my life. I use writing on a daily basis not to forget things, it then helps me to let go and have more space for something else. Writing in a diary has beneficial too, to organise a confused mind and to let go of things that were difficult to handle mentally in the moment at times. To sort out ideas, to transform emotions into words or to virtually say things to people I couldn't talk to for different reasons and it has worked well. I feel there is a certain quality of attention and concentration in the moment. I feel some relief as well and I have recently observed that this letting go is like an "informal" samyama practice too. I usually keep these diary pages for a while, read them again over a period of time and at some point I usually naturally get rid of them after some time and that part in particular had showed to be also effective in the letting go process for me as well. Then I feel in peace with whatever I got rid of, for ever.
Now, would that be the same for everybody as it is for us? I don't know. Like with the rest we are probably naturally drawn to certain types of practices.
Something tells me we sould keep on doing it
I thank you for pointing out at this, I find it really interesting, and I have never had that discussion with anyone before
Hi luce,
I had an intuitive understanding of the 'journaling pracess' but had never tried that way before. Writing down thoughts and emotions appears to be a tedious job. But recently I observed that it is worth doing.
As blanche pointed it out ' Journaling can be a way to create a self-reinforcing loop, expanding and clarifying the awareness in us and in everybody else.' That looks like samyama to me. She also wrote 'At a deeper level, writing as a creative process becomes a way to participate to the creation in this world.' Samyanma is also a creative process.
Maybe journaling is not as powerful as many self-help teachers describe it. It is described much further in AYP. But with core AYP practices going on, it can be a great tool. I think it also has an advantage about 'pinpointing specific obstructions' in the nervous system in the form of issues regarding a particular area that a person may have. So it may be very useful for people like me who had specific issues in the past. Core AYP practices are and have been definitely very helpful in my case. But they have 'global' effect and do not target any particular issue.
Would love to hear what you and other experienced practitioners have to say. |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2019 : 03:37:17 AM
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Hi ,
Quote Umang,
quote:
Maybe journaling is not as powerful as many self-help teachers describe it. It is described much further in AYP. But with core AYP practices going on, it can be a great tool.
To write on a deeper level we need abiding inner silence (witness). Like you noticed, at some point there was a shift from daily notes to self-inquire.
Journaling has been to me a powerful spiritual tool in this journey. A tool to release the emotional blockages. It gave me the insights needed to see on a deeper level how and why we act and react the way we do. If that is recognized and realized it becomes much easier to let go in silence.
Journaling became' inner guru speaking to me' in automatic writing. It was a way to integrate visions and cosmic insights.
The writing on this forum was an important tool to integrate experiences. Thank you all for being here.
PS Welcome luce |
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luce
France
25 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2019 : 6:34:02 PM
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Hi Umang
Journaling is certainly a fantastic tool. On its own too but combined with AYP it takes on a deeper dimension. What I meant is that some people like kechari, others like YMK, some others journaling. And some like the 3 of them. Some people don't like to write. The best is probably to try and to see how we feel about it. Personnally I love it even though I don't do it as often as I would like to, but everytime I have used it, it has turned up to be very efficient to release emotional and mental stress with specific issues or in other situations to grow tickling creative seeds
It could have the same effect as talking to someone or even better. But sometimes we don't feel like talking to someone or we do not want to bother someone else with our issues, or we just can't talk when we are in the need to. And talking to someone implies receiving feedbacks which can lead to solutions or to more non-relational self-inquiry, more emotions, more thoughts etc.... When we are talking we are very active, it is stimulating.
Journaling is about letting go. When I am writing, I feel rooted in silence. Depending on where we are on the path, what feels like an informal samyama practice at first shifts to relational self-inquiry as we become ripe as Charliedog mentioned.
Then there is this creative dimension as well. Words have a taste, made of a combination of sounds and meanings creating feelings, and they are to the mind and heart what food is to the palate and the stomach. We can feel love and ecstasy whilst reading and writing when words and combinations of words taste delicious.
I think you should definitely keep on doing it if you feel a call for it. You can try different things, different ways of doing it and see how it goes. What matters is what it means to you and how it feels for you.
I am glad to share that with you guys
PS:Thank you Charliedog ;)
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Umang
India
28 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2019 : 7:39:13 PM
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Hello everyone,
Thanks Luce and Charliedog.
Amazing conversations are happening here. Very happy. |
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