Begonias (Devin Grady photo)
Maintaining a practice journal can be a valuable tool of Self Discovery. I often don’t realize the progress I’m making until I read it in writing. OK, so progress per se is not the goal – there are NO GOALS – or should be no goals in practice; nonetheless, it is helpful to observe the ups and downs of personal practice, as recorded on a daily basis.
Eventually,I begin to determine the regularly occurring issues that I deal with in life, and in my sitting and yoga practice.My journal is also an asset of encouragement since I can see the work I’ve done on my personal path.
Sometimes I want to regroup and try a different practice, at least for a while, to help push me out of a funk in practice.
You may want to share some journal entries with a teacher, especially when feeling doubtful or insecure in a particular practice or life issue
Maintaining a journal can become a segue into creative expression. Don’t worry about rights or wrongs, goods or bads, just DO IT. Editing, if needed, can come later. Permission to spill out on the page is of paramount importance. What a wonderful hodgepodege of stuff journals become! They are sprouting seeds for who-knows-what on some later day. 
- Emerald Isle NC Oct 2008 (SPrusinski photo)
I don’t keep a meditation journal specifically, but I find that when I journal immediately following meditation I am more focused, my imagery more meaningful, and everything just flows. I believe your tips would be a valuable approach to the process, thanks for some good ideas!
A very valuable post here with lots of information especially for those what are taking the first steps in meditation. Writing is extremely useful as it prevents anything coming up from the unconscious mind being repressed again.
Very valuable tips for mediation
Glad you found them useful, Huzaifa.
Karin, It’s not necessary to keep a specific meditation journal, or even a specific practice journal, though those can be very beneficial for seeing trends and shifts in your practice.
Writing in response to the practice is really the key. Sounds as if you gain a lot from the practice. That’s the ultimate purpose of all of it, isn’t it?
Derek, I love your comment, “Writing is extremely useful as it prevents anything coming up from the unconscious mind being repressed again.” And would add that the thought is down and can be referred to again and again, without slipping into unconsciousness, i.e. forgetting.
Regarding your other comment, I have found writing to be valuable even after years of meditating. In fact, sometimes my meditation IS writing lately.
Thank you Carolyn. Yes, I feel the same way, and still find that after years of meditation, writing is a great tool to uncover so much of the endless conditioning (karma) that is locked up in the unconsious mind. In Zen, it is said that a practitioner needs to be willing to practice zazen (Zen meditation)for 1000 years, waiting patiently for enlightenment.
Writing, done mindfully is zazen. Remaining mindful of all one does during the day, is the extension of zazen into daily activity, yet there is a lot of conditioning to bring up into consciousness. It is in the last 10 years or so that I have recognized the wisdom of the “1000 years” of zazen requirement..