Creating a blog for me felt so natural, not because I want the attention, but because I’m a writer by profession. Writing is something I genuinely enjoy, so when I learned about writing meditation, my interest was immediately piqued.
I first came across this practice during my yoga teacher training. We had a session where we were instructed to write whatever we felt like on a blank lined page. It could be one specific word, random words passing through your mind, or a mantra. The catch is, you have to write slowly and make sure that the letters would be the same height as the lines on the notebook.
I came out of that writing meditation session feeling so refreshed, while some of my classmates cried, releasing some emotional blockages and tension. If you struggle to find the right headspace to sit quietly and listen to your thoughts, or you’re feeling restless, and you don’t know why, then this practice could help you out.
4 Perks of Writing Meditation
1. It’s a great way to start meditating.
Many people find that they’re too fidgety to find comfort in traditional meditation. I’m here to tell you that it’s okay—no one masters meditation in the beginning, and for some, this is still true even after they’ve practiced for a while. But if the thought of sitting still gives you anxiety, it’ll be counterproductive.
Perhaps you can begin with writing meditation. This way, you are gently guided in a relaxed state, with your hands “busy” in the process. You’ll do the same exercise too: notice all your thoughts, and let them all go.
2. It’s laid-back and non-pressuring.
You might be wondering what makes the practice different from journaling. There are actually a lot of similarities! However, journaling is usually an emotional experience and may only later become an intuitive one. Just like in the movies, you could be urged to write in your journal after a significant event, or log a developing story that you’ve been experiencing lately. It could also be a mixture of your to-do lists, mood tracker, sleep tracker, budget tracker, and bucket list, with more room to be creative or fun if you’re inclined.
Not to say that writing meditation isn’t fun—but it focuses more on getting you relaxed. That’s the only goal, and there’s no pressure. Where the two do intersect is they can both be tools in helping us to understand ourselves better and dump some of the stress out from our lives. And that’s what we want!
3. You can use it to track your meditation progress.
For some, having a tangible record of their meditation journey can be quite rewarding. Keeping a notebook reserved for when your brain wants to find that sacred, quiet place can prove to be a treasure trove of breakthroughs and emotional releases. You can choose to date your entries or not at all, simply watching your notebook get filled up as time passes.
4. It can improve your concentration.
Writing meditation encourages you to be mindful of the whole writing process: holding your pen, drawing out your letters, your breath, your thoughts, your posture, and so on. Here, you have no other commitments but to focus on what you’re doing.
3 Ways to Practice Writing Meditation
So, how do you get started? I’m glad you asked! Below are some examples and prompts I found on the internet on how to begin your writing meditation practice. Feel free to experiment or mix it up each time. (These are three new techniques besides the one I shared at the start of the post, which you could also give a try!)
“Right Now” prompt (from HuffPost)
- Begin with inhaling and exhaling for a couple of minutes, slowing down your breathing, and preparing yourself for meditation.
- Set your timer for ten minutes, and begin writing down anything that comes to mind starting with the prompt, “Right now…”
- When the time is up, take a few breaths and read what you wrote aloud. No judgments here, as this is only something for you to read and hear.
- Notice the sensations your body will feel during this mini-speech.
- Encircle or highlight any words or phrases that evoked an emotion. There’s no right or wrong answer here—even highlighting an incomplete thought works.
- That’s it! Hopefully, you’re feeling more relaxed than you were 15 or so minutes ago. 🙂
Affirmation writing
- Have any affirmation in mind, something that holds a lot of meaning for you. It could be “I am worthy,” or “I am abundant.”
- First, repeat the mantra silently in your mind as you slow down your breathing.
- When you’re ready, start writing your chosen affirmation around 20-50 times. (Do more if it feels right.) Be slow and steady with your writing, taking an inhale and exhale to pause after every affirmation.
- If you feel any emotions bubble up, feel free to let them out.
- When you’re done, say your thanks and gently close your notebook. Take a few more breaths to bring yourself back to your room, or wherever it is you’re practicing.
Facing fear
Personal note: This is my favorite writing meditation exercise yet, and it has helped me on many occasions.
- Ground down and prepare yourself as you would in your previous sessions.
- Set your timer for ten minutes, but feel free to exceed if needed.
- Ask yourself the question: “What am I afraid of?”
- Slowly and mindfully write down your answers. Don’t hold back—you’re the only person who will read this. Often, this gets emotional, but it will feel good afterward.
- Don’t worry about getting everything in there, or writing the same things over and over. Just focus your energy on the paper.
- Once done, focus on one random fear for that session and ask yourself, “What can I do to overcome this?”
- Do some self-reflection and stay in the session until you feel empowered that you’ve faced a fear. Your solution doesn’t have to be groundbreaking here. For instance, you can say, “Today, I choose to not listen to this negative voice in my mind because it is not real.”
- Close your notebook and remind yourself that you don’t need to face every fear today—a step towards resolving one is a significant achievement already.
And there you have it! Those are just three ways to do writing meditation—and there is so much more out there. You can invent unique ways of practicing too.
Pick Up that Pen and Paper
Writing meditation, just like its traditional counterpart, is meant to be personal. No one’s here to judge or read your thoughts, so forget about being perfect or following grammatical rules. Be yourself, feel your emotions, and be at one with your mind.
Which writing meditation exercise are you going to try? 🙂
