What is one word journaling?

You pick a single word, say curious, willing or steady, and write on it for about fifteen minutes, putting down whatever comes. It is a doorway into reflection rather than a structured prompt, and it is a method Elena Brower has published and taught.

What does Elena Brower's practice involve?

She has described a settle-then-move-then-write sequence in her book Practice You: conscious breathing and mantra meditation, then a self-led yoga flow, then reflective writing. This Burst is inspired by that published approach and runs about 74 minutes.

Do I need yoga experience?

No. The flow is self-led and responsive to the body you have that day rather than a fixed sequence, and you can go shorter when you need to.

How long is the practice?

About 74 minutes: ten minutes of mantra meditation, thirty minutes of yoga and fifteen minutes of writing, plus a little time to set up and settle between them.

Your Personal Practice

Quality: Exceptional· 100%Effort: Manageable· 01h 14m

Inspired by Elena Brower

Some days need a more gentle way in.

A practice to start the day with, inspired by Elena Brower’s long-standing work with contemplative practice, movement, creativity and journaling.

The runsheet

1
Ten minutes of mantra meditation
Mantra
Elena's work begins with some conscious breathing work and then a mantra meditation. Ten minutes, sitting upright with eyes closed. Optional headphones.
10 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 12 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing mantra before yoga
This can help because breathing awareness and any calm state can enhance the meditative quality of yoga practice.
2
Yoga at your own pace
Yoga
A self-led flow, slow and aware. Elena teaches you to work with where your body is at rather than what you planned to do. Half an hour is enough; you can go shorter on harder days.
30 min activitySetup 6 min · Reset 9 min · 45 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing yoga before journaling
These go especially well together because a clearer mind can make reflection easier before the noise of the day returns.
3
One-word journaling
Journaling
Elena's journal prompts use one word as a doorway. Pick one ('curious', 'angry', 'willing') and write on it for fifteen minutes, just whatever comes to mind.
15 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 17 min all-in
Time well spent.
1h 14m spent doing something good for yourself.

The breakdown

Burst evaluation

QualityExceptional· 100%

Sequencing100%

Logistics100%

DifficultyManageable· 0

Total activity74m / 149mManageable

Physical activity30m / 59mManageable

Mental focus55m / 119mManageable

Introspection15m / 29mGentle

Creativity15m / 59mGentle

+ 3 more conditionsHow we assess →

Wellbeing focus

The relative wellbeing focus of this Burst.

HighEmotional

MedPhysical

HighSelf

LowSocial

HighIntellectual

About this Burst

Elena Brower is an American yoga and meditation teacher, author of Practice You and Art of Attention, and host of the Practice You podcast. She has taught yoga since 1999, lives in upstate New York, and runs ongoing meditation, journaling and yoga programmes online.

Authors & thinkers Clear my head Fitness voices Under 2 hours Anytime

Common questions

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