Ignite Your Life Week Two Journaling

THE YOGI LIFE JOURNAL PRACTICES WEEK 2: THE ORIGINS OF PAIN & STUCKNESS

At the top of your page, write “What Happened.” Below the headline, create two equally sized rectangular boxes side by side on you piece of paper. Label the first box “Just the Facts” and label the second box “My Interpretation/What I Made It Mean.” Pick a situation that holds a lot of emotional charge for you, one that we might consider a “drama,” for example. In the “Facts” box, you are only allowed to write things that in a courtroom would be considered 100% provable by a witness. Things like, the date and time, the name or names of who was present. The exact words that person used. Any physical movement or actions by the person. In the “Interpretation” box, you will list all the thoughts, reactions, labels, judgements, emotions, stories, what you said about the person involved, and especially what you said to yourself about yourself, in that moment. Resist the urge to re-interpret the situation from now. Write it out as it occurred for you at that time.

Exercise 2:

During Week 2 complete a minimum of six rectangles “What Happened” exercises and split apart the facts from your interpretation of them. Start to notice if certain words or phrases appear in multiple situations. Circle them. Is there any commonality between these words/phrases and your daily thoughts? What are you noticing?

Exercise 3:

Identify a false belief based on the patterns you’ve identified and write it down. Typically, this looks like this: I’m not (fill in the blank, smart, strong, capable, beautiful, rich, hard working, basically your own unique form of “good”) enough. I might be some version of “I don’t belong because (fill in the blank). I’m different because.

DAILY JOURNAL WORK

Add These Questions to Your Week 1 Practices:

Daily Check In:

• Where did I react instead of respond to people and circumstances?
• Where am I blaming external circumstances and others for the way that I feel?
• What complaints do I hear myself making both in my head and out loud repeatedly?