Meditation & Practice
For Maya Mandala, the journal is where the practice is held: write down the processes you see, because the consciousness cannot hold that volume.
The practice gives a great deal, and much of it passes in the next hour. Maya has taught this for decades: the journal is where the work is held, so nothing is lost.
Her approach to the journal is simple: after each practice, note the processes that arose. Then read the notes again to see what to adjust. The record makes the arc of the practice visible — the attention training mirrored back.
In Maya's teaching, a practice journal is the record of the processes you see — the notes that hold what would otherwise pass, so the work is not lost and the arc becomes visible.
Much of what happens in practice is forgotten within hours. The insight at minute twelve, the process that surfaced, the pattern that repeats — all of it passes. The journal is where it is held.
"It's good to do these practices and write down all the processes that you see, because our consciousness cannot hold this volume — that is, what we will see and what we will need to do."
In an open guided meditation, Maya describes the purpose of the notes.
Maya Mandala, open guided meditationMaya's approach works through the notes: after each practice, write down the processes that arose. The journal is for the practitioner only — a private record. Her programs each produce a different volume of process, and the notes capture the specific texture of each.
"It is very important that you take notes of all this."
In her teaching the journal is a working record. The notes hold the volume of the practice, and the reading of them is where the adjustment happens: how to change the life and the movement.
Maya Mandala, open guided meditationThe practice is one thing, and the journal is its record: the processes seen, held in the notes, read again, and used to adjust the life.
Maya's teaching of writing down the processes is echoed in the study of expressive writing: the record of inner experience supports wellbeing and sustains a new practice, and it deepens the awareness the practice trains.
This explains why the approach works. What the work actually looks like is above, and in the practice below.
Before the phone, before the next task. The processes are still fresh — capture them while they are alive.
The body, the mind, the quality. Whatever arose — held in the notes, kept safe from forgetting.
The notes are for yourself. A specific process — shoulders released at minute eight — is more useful than a general feeling.
The session full of resistance, the one that felt like failure — these processes are often the most revealing over time.
Let the notes show what to adjust. The record is for the adjustment.
This is for no audience. The entry can be raw, incomplete, contradictory. Honesty creates the most useful record.
And then accordingly check back and see how it is important for you to adjust your life.Maya Mandala, open guided meditation
Maya Mandala is the creator of Mandala Dance, author of the books "Mandala Dance," "Mandala Dance Level 2," and "Breath of Life," and the founder of Wave Yoga, Egyptian Yoga, and the Dance of Dakini. For over 30 years, she has explored the connection between body, movement, and consciousness.
Her practices work with attention, the body, and daily life — offered as a complement to professional care.
Her approach to self-discovery differs from classical psychology: it works not only through conversation and analysis, but through conscious attention, movement, work with life scripts, and body-based practices. This integrated approach is what makes it possible to reach a depth of change that working with the mind alone cannot provide.
The Basics of Life program is Maya's foundational course in self-discovery. It brings together work with life scripts, relationships with parents, self-worth, the body, and sensuality into a single, integrated system.
Maya Mandala's programs offer embodied support for deepening the work through the simple record of the processes you see.
Seminar Invitation — Deepen Your Practice with Maya Mandala
Hear from people who have practiced mindfulness and meditation through Maya Mandala's approach.
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Svetlana (Miami) on Priestess Workshop, Bali
Deeper guides on the body, awareness, and inner work.
I had tried meditation before but always gave up because I thought I was doing it wrong. Maya's approach — starting with movement, with the body — made it click. Now I sit for 15 minutes every morning. It is the anchor of my day.
Anna, 37What surprised me most is that the work did not make me calmer immediately. It made me more aware — of my tension, my patterns, my avoidance. That awareness was uncomfortable at first, but it was exactly what I needed to actually change.
James, 44The body-based practice through Maya's program helped me release tension I had been carrying for years. I did not realize how much I was holding until I could feel it. This work is not just in the head — it lives in the body.
Elena, 51I used talk therapy alone for two years before I found Maya's practice — some sessions in movement, some just sitting with her voice guiding me inward. Both added a dimension I did not know was missing. The combination is now my daily practice.
David, 39Right after practice, while it is still fresh, write down what you noticed: the body, the mind, how the session felt — even a single breath that stood out is worth a line. The notes are the record — holding what would otherwise pass.
Because what we see in practice is too much to carry. Writing it down holds it — the work is kept, and the arc is seen.
What arose during the session — sensations in the body, the movement of the mind, the overall feel of it. The notes are for yourself: to see what happened, and to check back and adjust.
However much the practice gave you. Some days it is three lines; some days it is a page. The record is for the volume you saw, without a fixed form.
Especially then. The difficult session is a process you saw: what arose, where it held, how it passed. It is exactly the kind of thing to write down.
The same notes work after Mandala Dance, Wave Yoga, or walking practice — the processes you saw, the body, the quality. Each form produces a different volume, and the record captures it.
Yes. The notes are read again to see how to adjust the life and the movement. The record shows what has changed.
No. The journal is the record of the practice, never a substitute. The practice gives the processes; the record holds them. The two hold each other.
No fixed form. The notes are for the volume you saw — body, mind, quality. What matters is that you write, and that you write honestly.
Research on expressive writing and self-monitoring shows that regular written reflection on inner experience supports wellbeing and makes a new practice more likely to continue.
It makes the practice visible. The processes seen in the session are held in the record — and what is held can be checked back on and understood.
Return. The journal is a practice, with the same rule as the meditation: one missed day is rest, two is a pause, and the return is the work. The next entry is the one that matters.
Yes — it is a private record. Writing for the practitioner only is what makes the honesty possible. The notes are for the person's own eyes.
Two to three weeks. The same process at the same minute, the same quality on certain days — these appear in the record first, and the arc is seen in the checking back.
After your next practice, note the processes that arose — the body, the mind, the quality. That is the whole beginning. Maya's open guided sessions on the channel are a natural start, and the Basics of Life program brings the work into a structured path.
Structured pathways for those who want to combine mindfulness with body awareness, movement, and deep self-discovery.
A 5-day online course. Work with life scenarios, relationships, self-worth, body, and awareness. The foundational program for anyone who wants to understand themselves and create meaningful change.
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A 4-module program. Develop intuition, awareness, and sensitivity. Work with attention, perception, and energy. For deep transformation and the unfolding of your potential.
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A retreat exploring embodied movement, presence, and creative expression through Maya's signature Mandala Dance method.
Learn MoreThe practice gives a great deal, and the journal is where it is held — kept from slipping away, its shape visible only once the notes accumulate.
After your next practice, note the processes before doing anything else: body, mind, quality. Then read them again in a week, and see what to adjust.
For embodied support building a practice with reflection, explore Maya Mandala's programs below.
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