It's that day of the week where we encourage you to take some time to journal so grab your laptop or notebook and start a fresh page.

This week we're thinking about balance: On the mat we're looking at physical balance and the balance between effort and ease. In our journaling, we'll be looking at balance in the way we spend our days.

If we can find more balance in life we feel more fulfilled, content and happier. These inner feelings affect our interactions both with ourselves and with others, helping us to lead lives in a more peaceful way and practice the yogic principle of ahimsa (non-harm).

Do you feel like your life is currently in balance (work - play -activity - rest - time with family & friends - time for self)?

If you do not feel like life is in balance, what is most unbalanced? What do you spend the most time & energy on, and what gets neglected the most?

(If you feel like you have a healthy balance of rest/work/time with family/time for reflection, consider if there are any other areas of your life where finding balance could be beneficial.)

What would balance look like to you at the moment? Describe how finding balance in work/life/play/rest etc would look and feel.

What small steps can you take to begin to bring more balance into your life?

Our journal questions this week are focused on the practice of gratitude and compassion. Practice ahimsa by finding a few quiet moments in your day for reflection and connection to your inner wisdom. Don't edit as you answer the questions but rather write freely without judgment.

What does being compassionate in your daily life mean to you? How can you be more compassionate towards yourself? Are there any people or situations that you could approach with more compassion?

Write about a time when your day has been improved by compassionate or kind behavior either by you to someone else, or when someone was kind and compassionate to you.

How do you show compassion and understanding to your friends?
How many of those compassionate acts could you practice to yourself?

Write a list of the day’s accomplishments and victories, no matter how small. Celebrate each one individually.

This week we're exploring the idea of ahimsa (non violence) in our actions, both on and off the mat.

There are many ways we can be violent on a daily basis whether it's pushing our bodies too hard on the yoga mat, not taking care of ourselves physically, driving aggressively, purchasing items from sources that do not align with our values, and in our interactions with people around us.

Do not to be disappointed in yourself or give yourself a hard time for actions of the past or errors made. We have the opportunity to learn from mistakes and recommit to our practice every day, doing the best we can from there.

Remember most importantly both on and off the mat, your best is enough!

Grab your journal and find a quiet spot with a cup of tea and write about the following:

Freewrite about ways in which you have an affect on the world around you in your daily life. Consider interactions with other people, products you consume etc. Are there any areas in which you could practice ahimsa? What steps will you take this week to encourage more peaceful interactions and choices.

Are there any parts of your physical yoga practice (asana) in which you could practice ahimsa? Are there any poses that you force? Do you have any injuries that you should protect and modify for? (If you do not practice yoga poses, consider this question in relation to your daily actions/workouts etc).

Below are this week's journal questions for exploring asteya/non-stealing of time and energy:

As always you do not need to share your journal responses with anyone; grab a notebook or laptop and write freely and honestly without filtering yourself.

In what ways do you steal time from yourself and from others? What changes can you make to reduce how often this happens?

This week's journal questions are based upon the second yama or yogic principle of satya/truth.

Find a few minutes to contemplate these questions and journal freely about them. Don't edit yourself - let the words flow (honestly!) on to your page or keyboard.

What inspires you to be honest?

What is the most common reason for you to be dishonest, what are your motivations when you choose to embellish, change or hide the truth?
Is it ever ok to lie?

What untruths do you repeat to yourself on a daily or weekly basis?

This week as we explore the external practice of Saucha/cleanliness our journal reflections encourage you to explore how the state of the space around you affects your inner state. Make a cup of tea (or something similarly delicious) and take some time to journal and contemplate the following questions:

Our journal questions this week are on being present and our attention. Pick one or all of them (there are quite a few this week) to write about freely without self-editing. Grab your pen or laptop and dig in!

What distracts you the most in life? How? Do you notice or is it subconscious? Write about some of the ways and times you get distracted.