Keeping a yoga journal can be a great extension of your yoga practice. Too often, we go through yoga positions without noticing the benefits the practice has on our minds and bodies.

If you decide to keep a yoga journal, you'll be able to track changes in your flexibility and strength. If you're able to hold a yoga position you had previously failed at or if you can hold a tricky pose longer, you'll be able to take pride in your successes.You'll also be able to better understand your state of mind before, during and after your practice.

Remember, yoga is about your improvement, not whether you're in better shape that the yogi next to you.Keeping a yoga journal might also encourage you to stay with yoga on difficult days when you can't hold even a basic yoga position for a long time -- just like keeping a food diary might help you adhere to your weight-loss plan.

To create a great yoga journal:
1. Sign up for a yoga class or get some yoga dvds.

2. Choose your journal. You can purchase a notebook specifically for writing about yoga or you can start a blog.

3. Pick a consistent time each day to write in your journal. This is your time, so make it sacred!

4. Journal away! If you love the written word, great! But don't feel like you have to write an essay. If you are more comfortable expressing yourself with drawings, sketch the positions you are currently practicing. Write about the way your practice makes you feel, both physically and emotionally.

5. Pause for reflection. Look over your journal from time to time. How has your practice evolved? How has your body changed since you started doing yoga? Has meditation become easier or more difficult? The journal will give you an accurate picture.

6. Keep at it! Yoga is not a race, and neither is journaling. If you enjoy both, though, you will continue to do it!