Yoga Pathways

The Morning Pages Experiment: Yoga for the Mind (Sort of…)

One month. Thirty days. Thirty pages of morning musings, random ramblings, toxic waste and—let’s be honest—some very questionable doodles. I embarked on what I lovingly call The Morning Pages Experiment, fully expecting either a grand spiritual awakening or, at the very least, a decent excuse to buy more notebooks.

Spoiler alert: It was a little bit of both.

For those of you who haven’t heard, morning pages is the practice of sitting down each morning to write three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts. No editing, no filtering, just good old-fashioned brain dumping. Julia Cameron, who came up with the idea in her book The Artist’s Way, claims it’s like “yoga for the mind.”

So naturally, I was intrigued—yoga and writing? What’s not to like?

The Good, The Bad, and The Bizarre

Day one: Hot lemon in hand, I sat down to write, brimming with optimism. Surely my mind was a treasure trove of insightful reflections just waiting to spill onto the page. Thirty minutes later, I had a rambling treatise on the urgent need to buy avocados. I’d solved exactly none of life’s mysteries, but I did make a pretty comprehensive shopping list.

As the days went on, I’d like to say it got easier, but really, it just got… well, weirder. Some mornings, I felt like a creative genius, pouring out profound thoughts on life, yoga, and the nature of happiness. Other days, it was more like a list of resentments and grievances about everyone else’s shortcomings. Or, I’d find myself pondering, ‘If I could be any vegetable, what would I be?’ (I still haven’t decided—suggestions welcome.)

Maybe, that’s the beauty of morning pages. You never know what’s going to pop up. It’s like that unpredictable yoga class where you think you’re about to do a relaxing slow flow, and then boom—headstands.

The Benefits (Yes, There Were Some!)

Despite the occasional shopping list, something interesting started to happen around week two: I noticed I was starting my day with a little more mental clarity. Sure, not every morning was an epiphany, but the act of getting all the “stuff” out of my head left me feeling lighter, less cluttered.

Here are a few key takeaways I gained from the experience:

• Mental decluttering: Morning pages helped me clear the mental fog. Even when the writing seemed trivial, it made space for clearer thinking throughout the day.
• Increased creativity: Writing without judgment sparked more creativity, not just in my writing but in my yoga practice and other aspects of life.
• Stress relief: There’s something oddly therapeutic about dumping all your random thoughts on a page and leaving them there. It’s like having a mental savasana—pure relaxation for the brain.

A Personal Breakthrough: I Relaxed into Imperfection

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that the value of morning pages doesn’t lie in writing the “right” things. It’s not about profound insights every day—it’s about the practice itself. Just like yoga, where showing up on the mat is often half the battle, morning pages taught me that consistency leads to growth, even if the daily effort doesn’t always feel groundbreaking.

This hit me one morning as I was halfway through writing a page about—again—avocados. I paused and realised that I wasn’t forcing myself to write perfectly or even meaningfully. I was just writing, letting it flow. That’s when I felt a shift, and it reminded me of those moments in yoga where you suddenly feel in tune with your body. Sometimes, the reward is just being present with whatever comes up.

The Big Question: Continue or Conclude?

Now that the month is over, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. Should I carry on with the pages and maybe even level up by adding The Artist’s Date (which, by the way, sounds fun but also a bit like a solo picnic where you hope to have a revelation between bites of brie)? Or should I give myself a pat on the back for sticking it out for 30 days and move on to the next grand experiment?

Honestly, it’s a tough call. On one hand, I like the idea of continuing, because who knows what genius might emerge on day 42? On the other hand, maybe I’ve got what I needed from this: a little more mental clarity, some great material for future blogs (including this one!), and, importantly, a newfound awareness of my deep love for avocado toast.

Conclusion: Over to You

So, will I keep going? Maybe. Maybe not. But I do know that, much like yoga, morning pages are all about the journey, not the destination. Some days you’re flowing through life, and other days you’re just… there, in the moment, writing about socks.

And that’s okay.

Whether I continue with morning pages or call it quits, I’ll always appreciate the experiment. After all, yoga—and life—are about showing up, giving it a go, and not taking things too seriously. So, here’s to stretching our minds, doodling spirals, and figuring out what vegetable we would be. (I’m leaning toward sweet potato. You?)

Have you tried morning pages or any similar journaling practices? What’s your experience been like? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts—I’d love to hear your journey!