Transcripts
1. Introduction: In every chapter
of my life so far, journaling has
helped me so much. From remembering my dreams, helping me to release emotions, manifesting my life goals, and not to mention, helping
me gain the confidence to eventually quit my corporate job to become a full-time creative. Do you feel you're
journaling too and has it ever impacted
your life in some way? Or are you simply
looking for an aid to feeling more
grounded and positive? Or perhaps you just have a
sweet spot for cello music? Whatever the reason, you're here at the right place. [MUSIC] Hi, my name
is The Wong Janice, and I am a meditation
teacher and cellist based in Amsterdam
in the Netherlands, helping millions
of people through my deep ambient cello
meditation music. I spend my days working
from home where I record and edit my
cello meditation music in my home studio. I also perform virtual
cello meditation concerts from my living room and I guide people to find their inner peace
through online courses. I have been playing the cello and journaling since childhood. Both have helped me uniquely. The cello has taught me discipline and has given
me self-confidence, while journaling has taught
me to speak my truth, and given me a reliable
and trusted ear. I am delighted to offer you this opportunity to
go on a journey of self-transformation and
inspire you to write with full awareness and
freely from your heart while harnessing the power
of journaling for healing. This course is for people with any level of journaling
experience who would like to try free writing
to the sounds of deep ambient cello
meditation music as an aid to inspire the
flow of the pen on paper. If you're more of a
drawer than a writer, you can start with the
written prompts and use the rest of the time
to draw your thoughts. If you're new to journaling, don't be afraid to
give this class a try, as you never know what the combination of music
and writing can bring.
2. What You'll Learn: [MUSIC] In this class, you will learn basic
journaling techniques, starting with simple
writing prompts to get you familiar with
transferring what's on your mind onto the paper. We will then move on to
longer format writing prompts to allow the words to flow
freely from your heart. At the end of the class, we will circle back and
recap what we've learned. By the end of this class, you will have covered seven
journaling practices. With daily repetition, you
will learn to express yourself better and understand who
you are at a higher level, bringing more stability in
your life and feeling more grounded and just generally radiating with more
positivity from within. Once you have found
your written voice, you will have the confidence and inner trust to express
yourself on paper without the prompts and use writing as a tool
to help you feel more grounded and positive
whenever you need it most. If you're a long-time journaler but has never tried
with cello music, this could be something new. As a bonus, I have prepared a worksheet with all the
prompts all ready to go. You can find it in the Projects and Resources
Tab to download. Feel free to print it out
and you're good to go. I look forward to seeing you
in the class. Let's begin.
3. The Role of Journaling: [MUSIC] Let's start by learning about
journaling and why it is a helpful aid for grounding
and positive thinking. Journaling is a wonderful
and therapeutic tool to have for any stage of life
in any emotional state. Tapping into your subconscious through writing can help you consolidate feelings and
thoughts on the whole spectrum, whether they
represent happiness, excitement, anger, or
feelings of numbness. Something you write now might plant the seed for
something in the future, something you write now might reveal something that
you didn't know. If you write over
a period of time, it might help you see patterns
and come to revelations. In addition, the cello
is also known as the instrument sounding
closest to the human voice. While listening to the
frequencies of the cello, it could induce the flow of
the page because you hear your own voice in it and you want to join in
the conversation. As you begin this class, you will start to
connect thoughts from your mind with
the pen and paper, and hear your written voice. It might be the first time your inner voice
meets the paper, or it could be a very
familiar voice to you. Whatever you're
journaling experience, it's important that you use real materials and not
an electronic device. With a pen and paper, there's a permanence and acceptance of the words
that fall on the paper, which you don't
have when you use an electronic word processor
or electronic device.
4. Materials & Class Project: [MUSIC] Now that we've understood
the role of journaling, it's time to get your
writing materials. For this class, you
will need something to write with and
something to write on. If you have colored
pencils, pens, markers, get them now along
with your journal, favorite notebook,
or simply a piece of paper, lined or blank. Pause the video now to collect
your writing materials. Please note that you
should set aside 10-15 minutes per day
for the writing itself. Now you have your materials, it's time to introduce the class project and
to set your intention. There are only two tasks
for the class project. One, commit to following this class for
the next seven days. Two, after completing
each lesson, upload a photo of your
page or whatever you feel comfortable sharing
even a word or sentence, and also leave your
accompanying thoughts. Now you have your
pen and paper ready. I invite you to make a
commitment by writing a commitment statement and signing it with
your name and date. By signing a
commitment statement, you set yourself up for success. If you're excited to go through this journey
of transformation, it shouldn't scare you. Either open the worksheet or write the following on
a blank piece of paper. I, and then insert your name, commit myself to
the seven days of the class for the goal of becoming more grounded
and positive. Sign your name and date it. Congratulations, now
you've done this. If you're feeling pumped, post a photo of your commitment statement
in the project tab, and then go directly
onto the first lesson. I think you are more than
ready to dive in, so let's go.
5. DAY 1 - Journaling for Gratitude: [MUSIC] For this first lesson and your first step to feeling more grounded
and positive, I've chosen the
theme of gratitude. When we reflect on what
is good in our lives, what we are so blessed to have and even if they
are small things, our mind shifts to
positive vibrations. The more positive
vibrations we have, the more balance of the
mind we will have too, meaning, it will be harder
to throw us off balance. When you feel unbalanced, low, or in a negative mood, practicing gratitude can help
you see that bigger picture of life and transform these
feelings into positive ones. If you're already feeling good, this continual
practice of gratitude can help you keep the
stability in your life. In the next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, write one of the
following prompts in the center of the page. "I am grateful for" or
"I am thankful for." Fill the page with all
that you are grateful for. Just start to write down
whatever comes to mind and don't think too much
or analyze the words. If it comes to you,
write longer sentences if you feel like elaborating
on a single point. Remember that the
page is all yours, and since it's the first day, it might take some to
write the first words. But as you practice,
you'll get faster. Just don't censor or
judge any thoughts. Just write them down. Good luck. [MUSIC] Congratulations. You have made it to the end of the first journaling exercise. If you feel like you
need more time, pause or rewind the tract now, however many minutes you need. Don't spend more than
five minutes more. You didn't want to
tire yourself out on the very first day and feel like that it's a huge task to write for the
rest of the week. What have we learned today? We have learned that whatever
you are going through, there is always something that
you can be grateful about. Isn't that beautiful? After the lesson is over, will you post a snapshot
in the Project tab? It can be just one
word, don't be shy. Until tomorrow, leave your journal and don't
read back on it. The impact of the words
has already happened with them leaving your subconscious and them falling on the page. There's no need to review them. We'll do this at the end
of the final lesson. Go now, clear your head, and be proud of yourself
for starting this journey. I'll meet you in our next
lesson where we start with the second journaling
practice for empowerment. Until then, take care.
6. DAY 2 - Journaling for Empowerment: [MUSIC] Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practice
journaling for gratitude. For today's lesson, I've chosen
the theme of empowerment. Our second step to
feeling more grounded and positive is to boost
our self-confidence. It is common to rely
on others to pay us compliments to
validate our self-worth. But why should we wait around? What happens when the
people around us don't reward us or tell us
that we are good. This can happen, for example, in the workplace between
managers and subordinates. The relationship
between parents and children and between partners. This can lead to
low self-esteem, lack of confidence,
and self doubt. At any given moment in time, practicing
self-empowerment and reminding ourselves of what we are really worth is
the best thing to do, to help pump ourselves up and transform any negative
feelings into positive ones. Why should we need
others to feel good when we can
do it ourselves? Self-confidence starts from
within and not externally. When we start to
repeat empowering mantras over and
over to ourselves, our mind shifts to a positive gear and results
in more balance of the mind. When the mind is stable and
full of positive energy, there is no room at all
for negative thoughts. Get your pen, journal, notebook, or worksheet ready. In the next 10 minutes using
the music as inspiration, write down the words, "I am" in the bubble or at
the center of the page. Now fill the white space with words that really
mean something to you. I am radiant. I am a warrior. I am courageous. I am capable. I am full of potential. It's as simple as that. Just complete the following
sentence, "I am." Choose words that really
mean something to you. Choose the words that
you need to hear most. Feel free to write longer sentences if you
feel like elaborating. Draw yourself if you want to. The page is all yours. Just don't censor or
judge any thoughts. Just write them down. Good luck. [MUSIC] Congratulations. You have made it to the end of the second journaling exercise and there are only
five more to go. If you feel like you need
more time to write, pause, or rewind the track now, but don't spend more
than five minutes. What have we learned? We've learned that we hold the key to our
own self-esteem. Isn't that wonderful? After this lesson is over? Would you like to share some of your personal power mantras? Or if you did a drawing, would you'd like to share the
drawing of your super self? I would love to see it. Until tomorrow, you can leave your journal or the worksheet open at the page that we wrote on and have it near your bed, so you can see it when you
wake up and you can see those personal power mantras
before you start the day. I'll meet you in our next
lesson where we start with the third journaling
practice for freedom. Until then, take care.
7. DAY 3 - Journaling for Freedom: Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practiced
journaling for empowerment. For today's lesson, I've chosen the
theme of freedom. Our third step to feeling more grounded and positive
is to reflect on areas in our lives where we need more movement and
to start giving ourselves permission
to live more freely and to flow
through life like water. Today's lesson requires a little more
contemplation before the journaling exercise so
I'll give some examples. There are eight
different aspects of life: Career and work, finances and wealth,
love and relationships, fun and entertainment,
family and friends, health and fitness, personal and
spiritual development , and physical environment. Here's my own personal example. I chose to give myself more
freedom in career and work. When I started working for
myself a few years back, at first I thought that I should wake up early in the
morning and start working at 9:00 AM on the dot since that's usual working
hours; 9-5, right? Sometimes if my body needed more rest and I would sleep in, then I would start
to feel guilty. After a while, I just came to terms that I'm not a morning person at all, and forcing myself to wake up early was making me miserable. It took me a while to accept but at this side of this year I decided
this year to allow myself to set my alarm
later and give myself the freedom to start working at midday without
feeling guilty; without the fear of being
judged or called lazy. Guess what? Ever since
I made this decision, I wake up every morning,
really well-rested, more healthy, and I have
time for my meditation, exercising, and breakfast
before starting my workday. Overall, I'm more stable,
happy, and productive. I was the one making myself miserable and only I had
the key to unlock it. If you happen to be in
a good place and can't immediately think of anything
where you feel stuck, then think more broadly and think of an area in your
life that you would like to make a next step or
progression and see how you might feel allowing yourself a
little more freedom. Here's another example,
giving yourself more freedom in
personal development. Let's say you have children
and you work full-time, you are generally happy
in your life and career. But one thing that
you've always wanted to do is to learn illustration. Realistically, you
might not have a lot of spare time and it's
definitely not a priority, but still, you'd love to
learn something new and this would make you just
that tiny bit more content. So you order a new iPad Pro and subscribe to
Skillshare. Why not? You deserve the freedom to be creative and explore
this part of yourself. When your iPad arrives, you start your first
Procreate lesson and you just can't help but feel the
buzz of excitement inside. When we understand that we hold the key to
our own freedom, a huge weight is lifted and results in more positive energy. When the mind is stable and
full of positive energy, there is no room at all
for negative thoughts. Now, get your pen, journal, notebook, or worksheet
in the next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, choose one area in your life
where you seek more freedom. Career or work, finances and wealth, love
and relationships, fun and entertainment,
family and friends, health and fitness, personal and spiritual
development, or physical environment. Next, finish the
following sentence; I allow myself to or
I permit myself to. Lastly, write at least
one proposed next step. Choose words that will really encourage
you to take action. Choose the words that drive you to make a change
in your life. Feel free to elaborate
on any point. Remember, don't judge or censor
anything that you write. Just let the pen flow
and write them down. Good luck Congratulations. You have made it to the end of the third journaling exercise and we have four more to go. If you feel you need
more time to write, pause the track or rewind it now but don't stand
more than five minutes. What have we learned? We've learned that we hold
the key to our own freedom. Isn't that beautiful? After this lesson is over, will you share a sample of what you wrote in
the project tab? I would love to see some
of it until tomorrow. Leave your journal or worksheet and don't
read back on it. The impact of the
words has already come from you writing them down. I'll meet you in the next lesson where we
start with the fourth, journaling practice for love. Until then, take care.
8. DAY 4 - Journaling for Love: [MUSIC] Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practiced
journaling for freedom. For today's lesson, I've
chosen the theme of love. Our fourth step to
feeling more grounded and positive is to radiate
and celebrate love. When we feel loved and
when we give love, we feel good, safe, more grounded, and
more positive. When the mind, heart, and soul are all full of love, there is less room for
hate and negativity. Grab your pen, journal, worksheet, or piece of paper. Today's journaling exercise
is to write a love letter. In the next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, dedicate your love to
someone in your life, either present or past. It doesn't have to be
a romantic partner, it can be love for your sibling, parent, child, pet, or simply a friend
who you cherish. Celebrate your love
for this being, and write them a letter
telling them you love them and also why. If you like, you can draw a
picture of you two together. The page is yours. Let the pen flow. Don't censor or judge
what falls on the page, embrace it all. Good luck. [MUSIC] Congratulations. You have made it to the end of the fourth journaling exercise. There are three left to go. If you feel like you need
more time to write, pause, or rewind the track now, but don't spend more
than five minutes. What have we learned? We've learned that when we
fill our hearts with love, we radiate and beam
positivity from within. After this lesson is over, will you share a sample
of what you wrote in the project tab or simply write who you dedicated
your letter to? If you're really up for it, send your letter to this person
who you addressed it to. Until tomorrow,
leave your journal or worksheet and don't
lean back on it. We've now passed the
halfway mark of this class. Be proud of yourself for
making it this far already. I'll meet you in our
next lesson where we'll start our fifth journaling
practice for acceptance. Until then, take care.
9. DAY 5 - Journaling for Acceptance: Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practiced
journaling for love, and for today's lesson, I have chosen the
theme of acceptance. Our fifth step to feeling
more grounded and positive, is to acknowledge
and accept what is and what has happened
in our lives in the past. Oftentimes we have no control over events that
we have to face. We don't get the dream
job we applied for, we lose someone we love, we're faced with health issues, or simply not being
where we wish to be. When we are faced with
undesirable circumstances, we have to deal with different situations we
are not prepared with, and this can be really tough. One way to help overcome these situations is to
practice acceptance. When we repeat affirmations
of acceptance to ourselves, our mind shifts
from fear, anxiety, and helplessness, to calm
inner peace and more balance. When we are stable, there is more peace
and ability to deal with situations that might
usually throw us off. Get your pen, journal, notebook, or worksheet, in the
next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, draw a line in the
middle of the page, and on the left column, write something that you
find hard to accept. On the right-hand
side of the page, write "I accept"
or "I can accept," and finish the sentence. Don't stop there, continue to write once
you have identified one or more points
in your life that you find hard to accept, and even write down why you
find them hard to accept. Write down also what you can do to help overcome
these situations. Remember, the page is yours. Don't censor or
judge any thoughts, just write them down and
you will begin to uncover more than you knew was
hiding inside. Good luck. [MUSIC] Congratulations. You have made it to the end of the fifth
journaling exercise, and there are two more to go. If you feel like you
need more time to write, pause or rewind the track now, but don't spend more
than five minutes. What have we learned? We have learned that when we face situations we
find difficult, one way to be more
at ease and feel more comfortable is to
practice acceptance, and just allowing things to be. The change comes
from the inside, and changing the way we react to situations can make
a huge difference. After the lesson is over, will you share a snapshot of what you wrote in
the Project tab? I would love to see it. Until tomorrow, leave your journal or worksheet
and don't read back on it. I'll meet you in our next
lesson where we start the sixth journaling
practice for forgiveness. Until then, take care.
10. DAY 6 - Journaling for Forgiveness: [MUSIC] Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practiced
journaling for acceptance, and for today's lesson, I've chosen the theme
of forgiveness. A sixth step to feeling
more grounded and positive is to forgive
and to ask forgiveness. Over the course of one's life, we can have bad experiences
leaving us feeling hurt, bitter, or hateful towards another person or
certain people. Sometimes our actions can
cause pain to others, which leave us feeling
immense guilt. All these experiences combined amount to a lot of
weight on our hearts, and those that are not addressed properly can flare
up at any moment, bringing up an explosion of emotions that we
have suppressed. When we start to acknowledge the hurt and pain we
have caused to others, forgiving others and asking for forgiveness results
in this weight on our hearts being lifted. When the heart radiates with
love and not with sorrow, we will feel strong
and grounded. Get your pen, journal,
or worksheet ready. In the next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, dedicate a letter to
someone in your life. Start with either of the
following sentences. "Dear," and insert the name, "I forgive you for," or alternatively, "Dear," and insert the name, "please forgive me for." Write freely as
if you are having a real conversation with
this person where you're free to speak your truth and fear no judgment or
negative reactions. The page is all yours. Don't censor or
judge any thoughts, just write them down. Good luck. [MUSIC] Congratulations,
you have made it to the end of the second
last journaling exercise, and there's just one more to go. If you feel like you need
more time to write, pause or rewind the track now, but don't spend more
than five minutes. What have we learned? We've learned that
practicing forgiveness, either forgiving
someone or asking forgiveness can help
us heal open wounds. After this lesson is over, would you share a sample of what you wrote
in the project tab, or at least say who you
wrote the letter to? I would love to see it. Until tomorrow, leave your journal or worksheet
and don't read back on it. As you already know, the impact of these words
have already started to do their work just by
you writing them down, so there's no need to
review anything now. I'll meet you in our next
lesson where we start with the final journaling
practice of surrendering.
11. DAY 7 - Journaling to Surrender: [MUSIC] Hi and welcome back. Yesterday we practiced
journaling for forgiveness. For today's lesson, I've
chosen the theme of surrender. The final step in this class
to feeling more grounded and positive is to surrender all
that does not serve you. Is there something
in your life that without it, you'd feel lighter? Is there something in your life, you'd like to get rid of? Something you'd like to
let go off, perhaps? What's giving you pain? What's giving you a continual
source of suffering? In today's lesson, we are
going to surrender them all. When we are able to
recognize what truly holds us back from living
a happy and free life, and we write them
down on the page, we are planting the seed for
healing, really letting go. When we see the words
on the page and visualize ourselves in a
state of surrendering, releasing, letting go, our mind shifts gears and
sets the wheels in motion. Get your pen, journal, worksheet, or notebook ready. In the next 10 minutes, using the music as inspiration, finish the following
sentence or sentences; "I release," "I let go
of," or "I surrender." Don't stop by filling in the
sentences, keep on going, write or even draw yourself how you would feel when
you have surrendered. Be one with the words
that you are writing. By writing, you begin the
process of surrendering. The page is yours. Don't sensor or
judge any thoughts, just write them down. Good luck. [MUSIC]. If you feel like you
need more time to write, pause or rewind the video now, but don't spend more
than five minutes. What have we learned? We have learned that when
you surrender to the divine, you embody all what we have practiced in
the last six days; gratitude, empowerment, freedom, love, acceptance,
and forgiveness. Feeling safe, feeling at peace, feeling grounded from within. Isn't that beautiful? After this lesson is over, will you share a sample of what you wrote in
the Project tab. I would love to see it. Go immediately to
the next video as we wrap up the entire class.
12. Final Words: Congratulations. You have made it to
the end of the class. Thank you for
allowing me to guide you through the seven
days of journaling. We went through many emotions
together; gratitude, empowerment, freedom, love, acceptance, forgiveness,
and surrender. I hope you have found your
written voice in the process, and at the end of the
class found yourself feeling more grounded
and more positive. Now that we've
finished the class, you may choose to set aside
some time to read through everything you wrote down and
consider your next steps. Which of the themes showed
you the most insights? Was it the exercise for freedom,
acceptance, forgiveness? When you read back, do not judge what
you have written. This is very important. It may be painful to
read what you wrote, but consider what
you have written as a map with an emotional compass. Acknowledge that you have finished the class
and give yourself credit for doing such
hard emotional work. Give your words credit
for the changes and growth that will come
from doing this work. One of the great things about Skillshare is that
you can connect with others who are currently taking this class or have
already gone through it. Did you upload anything
during the course? If not, you are
invited to upload some of your writing samples
now in the Project tab. Don't forget to give a heart to some of your fellow students. They have also done great work. Now it's time for a
short reflection. No need to write anything down. Was the class helpful? Does it make sense for
you to periodically set aside one week to
repeat the course? Or would you like
to repeat and focus only on one or a
couple of themes? Whatever your choice, please know that I'll be
here to support you. Lastly, I would just like to thank you once again
for joining me and I wish you so much love and so much healing energy
in your journey. Until next time, take care.
The Wong Janice, Where Ambient Cello Meets Meditation
