Writing from the body

Do you ever, while journalling, catch a small piece of yourself floating off and imagining someone else reading the words as you scribe them?

Even though journalling is an act of writing to and for ourselves, we tend to write with others in mind. We are often acutely aware of grammar, structure and spelling when journalling. Form is important. Why? Because perhaps, deep down we imagine after we have dropped our bodies and left this earth, someone will discover our journals and publish them for the world to read. Our desire to be famous transcending this mortal life. 

Journalling is often about our thoughts. A writing practice driven by the mind. For a lot of people journalling is about thoughtfully reflecting on external factors. Writing about what we think happened during the day, what we think about what happened, and what we think we feel about what happened. That's a lot of thinking.

Do you feel it is possible to journal without thinking? Have you ever wondered what could happen if you wrote from another place inside of you? 

Journalling does not have to be caught in the narrow corridors of our mind, there is beauty to be discovered when we write what our bones know. When we write from the spaces within our body.

Somatic journalling is writing from the body. It is a beautiful practice drawing from your intuition. Writing from your subconscious (which resides in our bodies, stored and moving through our fascia) rather than writing from your analytical brain. Like somatic meditation, this practice is led from the body. And because it is from the body, it is an invitation to write organically, where grammar, structure, spelling and form does not matter. Not one bit at all. There is no rigidity here. It is an invitation to be fluid and free. To write without rules or restrictions. To simply write out what you have waiting inside of you.

When we journal it is an opportunity to witness our experience, to perhaps see patterns repeating. To provide clarity so we can cultivate a change to foster peace and harmony in our lives. Many people find journalling to be a calming practice or a great source for manifestation.

Somatic journalling is all this and more. It gives a voice to your body, allowing you the opportunity to tap into a deeper wisdom within you, a place of deep understanding. 

Through somatic journalling we begin a dialogue with our body, this can be incredibly healing by giving voice to our emotions, a voice to our pain, our joy or other sensations in our body. It can also be the beginning of a connection to our bodies. Somatic journalling isn't caught up in the stories we tell ourselves, instead it awakens a remembering of the old ways of relating to the world, unlocking our cellular memory. Unlocking our ancestral wisdom. Gently unfurling our soul and our connection to nature. Inviting us to write from the very nature of ourselves. Tapping into the concentric circles of wisdom, which imprint upon us and are passed down from generation to generation.

There are lots of beautiful and soulful techniques for somatic journalling. They all involve honouring and cultivating a connection with your body.

 If you would like to explore this delightful practice, I would be honoured to share my wisdom.

2 comments

Excited to share I am holding space at Lennox Yoga on 19 April to share a Somatic Journalling session. All welcome to write with flow from the body. Bookings via https://lennoxyoga.com.au/somatic-journalling-with-kristina-garla/

Kristina Garla April 08, 2023

Hello lovely Kristina,

I would love to know more about this practice. I do not include journaling into my daily routine but think now is the best time to start. This type of journaling sounds like exactly the way to go about it. I

Melissa March 06, 2023

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