Meditation Journal – How to Get Started + 20 Prompts!

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Looking to start a meditation journal? This ultimate guide will show you exactly how to get started plus provide you with helpful examples and ideas. You can also sign up to receive a free Meditation Journal PDF with 20 prompts, so you can start journaling right away! Let’s get writing!

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If you’ve been curious about meditation journaling but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place!

So what is a meditation journal? It’s simply a personal space for you to record and reflect on your meditation experiences. It helps bring more clarity and intention to your practice.

There are many benefits to keeping a meditation journal. Here are some of the top ones:

It helps you keep track of your practice
It helps you maintain consistency
It helps you reflect on your practice
It helps you deepen your practice
It helps you learn more from your practice

This is the ultimate guide to starting a meditation journal with step-by-step instructions, helpful examples, and creative ideas. It also has a free 30+ page Meditation Journal PDF with 20 journal prompts, so you’ll never run out of writing inspiration.

Grab the free Meditation Journal PDF by filling out the form below. You can use this to get started quickly and on the right foot.

We’ll deliver your free Meditation Journal PDF straight to your inbox! You’ll also be subscribed to our email newsletter with free guided meditations and helpful tips.

Let’s get started!

Got 60 seconds? Try this relaxing One Minute Meditation!

Step 1: Choose Your Meditation Journal

First, you get to choose your meditation journal. This is the fun part!

There are several kinds that you can choose from. They each have their own unique pros and cons, which are listed below.

Use a blank journal or notebook

Any blank journal or notebook can be used as a meditation journal. You can choose one with a pretty cover or simply use a notebook you have on hand.

This type of journal or notebook will simply have lined or blank pages, so you can write and format it any way you want.

Pros: easy, more creative freedom

Cons: no guidance on what to write, requires that you come up with your own prompts, questions, and ideas

Here are some of my favorite blank journals from Amazon:
Paperage Journal
Tree of Life Journal
Celestial Journal
Unlined Notebook w/ Pen Holder
Wire-o Notebook
Hanging Flowers Journal
Taupe Meditation Journal
Soar Quote Journal

Use a guided meditation journal

A guided meditation journal contains pre-written prompts and questions. This makes it super easy to get started, but allows for less creative freedom in what you choose to write about.

Pros: super easy for beginners (prompts are already written out for you)

Cons: less creative freedom, less personalized

Here are some of the best guided meditation journals on Amazon:
The Meditation Sidekick Journal
Meditation: A Day and Night Reflection Journal
A Year of Mindfulness Journal
Present, Not Perfect Journal

Use a Meditation Journal PDF

A super easy way to start a meditation journal is to download our free PDF! It allows you to get started right away, while giving you both creative freedom and guidance.

You can follow the prompts in the Meditation Journal PDF and also add extra blank pages to write whatever you want. It’s the best of both worlds!

Another advantage to using our free Meditation Journal PDF is that you have the choice to print out the pages or fill them out on your computer/phone/tablet. This makes it even easier to take your journal on-the-go!

Pros: free, easy, convenient, can be printed or used on your device, creative freedom, guidance

Cons: none!

Download your free Meditation Journal PDF (30+ pages!) by filling out the form below. We’ll deliver it straight to your inbox, so you can get started right away!

Step 2: Decide How Often You Want to Write

Now that you have your meditation journal all picked out and ready to go, it’s time to decide how often you want to write in it.

This is a super personal decision and completely up to you! The awesome thing about starting a meditation journal is that there aren’t any hard and fast rules to follow. Do what feels good to you!

Here are some options:

Daily

If you meditate everyday, you may want to consider a daily meditation journal. As the name implies, you would plan to write in it daily.

This is a great way to bring more clarity and focus to your practice, but it is a bigger commitment. If you choose to keep a daily meditation journal, just remember that writing in it everyday is a goal, not a requirement. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day!

Weekly

Another option is to keep a weekly meditation journal. This is less of a time commitment, but will still help you maintain consistency.

Whenever You Feel Like It

There is always the option to just wing it and write in your meditation journal whenever you feel like it! This choice allows for more freedom, but less consistency.

Here are some things to consider when deciding how often to write:

How frequently you meditate
How much time you have
How consistent you want to be
How much you enjoy writing
Whether you want to make it a daily or weekly habit
How long it takes you to write

Step 3: Decide What to Write

Here comes the fun part! You get to decide what you want to write in your meditation journal. There are lots of different options for this, so feel free to get creative here!

If you want to write about a topic that’s not on the list, go for it. It’s your journal, so do what works for you!

If you choose to download the free 30+ page Meditation Journal PDF, you’ll find that it contains a variety of pages that showcase all these different ideas. Feel free to mix and match them anyway you choose!

Write about your practice

One of the most common meditation journal topics is simply writing about your practice. You can check out the free Meditation Journal PDF for a template on how to do this.

In general, you would format it something like this:

- - Date
  - Type of meditation (i.e. body scan, lovingkindness, etc)
  - How you felt before the meditation
  - How you felt after the meditation
  - Other observations

Follow a prompt

Meditation journal prompts are an easy way to get creative with your writing. They usually consist of unique questions or reflections that will help you delve deeper into your practice.

The free Meditation Journal PDF contains 20 prompts you can follow for easy and inspired writing.

Write whatever you’re feeling

In addition to writing about your practice and following journal prompts, you can also just write about whatever you’re feeling that day. The free Meditation Journal PDF contains extra blank “Inspiration” pages, so you can write about whatever you want!

You can choose to mix and match the writing ideas above to create a journal that’s uniquely you!

Meditation Journal Examples + Ideas

Sometimes it’s helpful to look at meditation journal examples and ideas, so you can find inspiration for your own!

One of my favorite places to find inspiration is Pinterest. It’s super common for users to post photos of their personal meditation journals, which can you help you figure out which direction you want to go in for yours!

You can search “Meditation Journal”, “Meditation Journal Examples”, or “Meditation Journal Ideas” on Pinterest to find inspiration. There’s a lot to sort through there, so if you need a little extra help, you can follow me on Pinterest! I’m always pinning new ideas and inspiration.

I also really like this post here, where the author gives you a peek inside her personal journal with helpful pictures.

Meditation Journal FAQs

Here are some common questions that I often get from readers about starting a meditation journal.

If you have a question that’s not answered here, feel free to ask in my free meditation community group and I’ll get right back to you! You can join here.

How do I journal my thoughts?

Journaling is simply writing down how you feel in the moment. It’s important not to judge yourself during this process. Just write down what comes to mind. Don’t worry about how it sounds or looks. Your only goal is to get your thoughts down on paper, so they’re no longer circling your mind and you can reflect on them objectively.

Is it better to journal in the morning or at night?

Either one is fine! This is a completely personal choice and can change based on the day. When do you find your mind to be the most busy? This is generally the best time to write!

You could even write in your journal in the morning and at night if you feel inspired. Don’t overthink it! Whatever you choose to do on that day will be right for you.

Should I keep my old journal if I’m starting a new one?

Absolutely! If you have an old journal that isn’t meditation focused, you could choose to start a new one just for your practice or continue to write in the old one. Oftentimes, it is helpful to start a new one just for organizational purposes, but it’s really up to you!

If your old journal is full, it’s generally still good to keep it, so you can reflect back on previous experiences.

Should you meditate before or after journaling?

Many people choose to meditate before they journal, so they can write about their experiences. However, I’ve found that it can be really helpful to journal before and after your practice to experience the most significant benefit.

I like to write down how I’m feeling before the meditation and then again after the meditation. This helps me to better understand how my practice affects my emotional and physical state. The free Meditation Journal PDF walks you through exactly how to do this.

Bonus: Free Meditation Journal PDF + How to Use It

Ready to start your meditation journal? The free Meditation Journal PDF is a great way to get started right away! Just fill out the form below and we’ll send your free journal straight to your inbox.

The free Meditation Journal PDF is over 30 pages long and contains all you need to start a successful journal. You’ll receive:

20 unique “Prompt” pages with a different meditation prompt on each one
5 guided “Meditation Reflection” pages where you can write about your practice (you can download/print as many of these as you need)
5 blank “Inspiration” pages where you can write anything you want (you can download/print as many of these as you need)
A super helpful “How to Use this Journal” page

It’s the only meditation journal you’ll ever need and it’s completely free!

Just fill out the form below and we’ll deliver your free Meditation Journal PDF straight to your inbox! You will also be subscribed to our email newsletter with free guided meditations and helpful tips.

I hope you enjoyed this step-by-step guide on how to start your very own meditation journal. Thanks for reading and good luck! ❤️

P.S. Remember I’m always here to help in my free meditation community group, Ladies Who Meditate! This is where I share guided meditations and exclusive content you can’t find anywhere else.

It’s also a great place to ask questions and get feedback on your practice. I personally read every post and respond to all questions. Join here!