Journaling for a More Positive Outlook: A Path to Finding More Peace and Balance Through the Doshas

In our modern busy lives where overwhelm and anxiety often creep in, the practice of journaling can be a powerful tool to help us overcome our negative emotions and find more balance in life. Journaling provides the perfect opportunity to step away from our screens and get creative, to reflect, rant, release and even make exciting plans for the future. 

It's perfect for grounding and balancing our energies (our ‘doshas’) to help us find harmony within our mind, body, and spirit. Keep reading to learn more about the doshas and the benefits of a regular journaling practice.

What is journaling?

Journaling is simply putting pen to paper and writing down (or drawing) your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. You can type your thoughts in your phone or laptop, but we much prefer to sit in a peaceful place with a beautiful notebook and pen.

Journaling is usually completed at the beginning of the day as part of a morning routine, but it can be done at any point in the day, especially at the end of the day, to capture your reflections and gratitudes.

The act of free-flow writing (also called Morning Pages) comes from ‘The Artist's Way’ by Julia Cameron. She strongly advocates for a daily journaling practice and encourages readers to write three pages of unedited text each morning as a form of self-expression, self-discovery and positive thinking. We highly recommend her book.

“We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.” – Julia Cameron

Journaling benefits for each dosha

In the ancient healing system of Ayurveda, balance is everything, and it's achieved by harmonising the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Everyone has a unique combination of these doshas. You can learn more about the three doshas here. 

Journaling helps you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your dosha type to help you support your overall health and wellbeing.

Take our quiz to find your dominant dosha and then complete one of the following journaling exercises to help you find more calm and balance.

Balancing Vata Dosha

Vata is associated with qualities like creativity, movement and change. If you have a dominant Vata dosha, you tend to be imaginative but you can also experience anxiety, fatigue and restlessness. The benefits of journaling for Vata types:

• Grounding: Writing provides a sense of stability which is essential for balancing Vata's erratic and changeable mind.
• Self-reflection: Journaling helps Vata individuals better understand their emotions, which can be scattered and fleeting.
• Stress release: Regular journaling helps reduce stress and tension and allows individuals to express their worries and concerns.
• Creative self-expression: journaling acts as an outlet to explore creative visions, ideas and dreams.

Exercise: Journal for 10-20 minutes each day to calm an erratic mind and bring it back to the present moment. We recommend journaling first thing in the morning, lighting a candle to stay focused and finish by setting a clear intention for the day.

Vata Prompts: 

What brings me joy and tranquillity?

What are my worries and fears, and how can I face them with courage?

What are some grounding activities that I enjoy?

Balancing Pitta Dosha

Pitta dosha embodies characteristics such as intelligence, precision, and competitiveness. Pitta dominant types are prone to emotions like anger, frustration, and perfectionism. Journaling offers an array of benefits:

• Release frustration: Writing can be a healthy way to process and release any anger, frustration or irritability.
• Organisation: journaling can create more structure and help prioritise tasks, helping to channel their intelligence and ambitions more effectively.
• Self-awareness: journaling can help Pitta’s recognise their tendencies towards perfectionism and criticism.
• Problem Solving: journaling can be useful for helping Pitta’s analyse issues and find solutions so they can think more clearly.

Exercise: Spend 10-20 minutes journaling about your gratitudes, positive reflections and any negative emotions that need to be acknowledged and let go. 

Pitta Prompts: 

What helps me relax and release stress?

What can I do to let go of perfectionism and enjoy the process?

What can I do to express more of my creativity?

Balancing Kapha Dosha

Kapha types are associated with stability, empathy and endurance, but this can also lead to low energy and feelings of attachment. Journaling can benefit Kapha in several ways:

• Motivation: Writing can help Kapha work towards their goals and overcome procrastination
• Self-expression: Journaling helps Kapha to express their suppressed emotions and prevent emotional stagnation.
• Letting go: Kapha tends to hold onto the things so journaling can be a tool for processing and releasing feelings and attachments.
• Self-love: recognise and address what you like and love about yourself.  Kaphas can often put others first so practicing self-love is important for their own healing.

Exercise: Spend 10-20 minutes journaling in the morning focusing on the positive aspects of life, gratitude and self-love.

Kapha Prompts:

What makes me feel more energetic and motivated?

How can I connect with my creativity and passions?

How can I let go of negative attachments and embrace the positive aspects of my life?

For all dosha types, visualise the positive energies flowing through you and grounding you. Breathe deeply and let go of stress and anxiety as you write. 

Tips on how to start a daily journaling practice 

• Find a quiet, peaceful space where you can focus and feel relaxed
• Be consistent, prepare your writing station ahead of time to make it a regular habit 
• Set the same time to journal each day, this can be first thing in the morning, before bed, or at another time in the day
• Start your journaling exercise with a prompt to help you get in to the flow
• Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, nobody is watching you or reading your journal, only you.
• Choose a journal and pen that you enjoy using and makes the experience more beautiful and pleasurable

When we practise the simple yet healing art of journaling, we free ourselves from mental and emotional stress and can maintain the mind-body-spirit balance at the heart of Ayurveda. 

Mauli Rituals Products to enhance your daily journaling practice

• Sleep Dharma Calm Balm - a faithful support to deepen your daily journaling practice and relax an overactive mind.
  
  

• Gratitude Journal - a limited-edition, artisan made journal crafted to be filled with your hopes, dreams and desires.

• Sundaram & Silence Essential Oil Candle - Light your aromatherapy candle to bring a greater sense of pleasure and wellbeing to your journaling practice.
  
  
• Surrender Vata Body Oil - Cocoon skin in a soothing blend of chamomile, frankincense and ylang ylang and then journal for 20 minutes while you let the nourishing oils soak in before finishing with a warm bath.