Guess what? You made it to Friday! I know that focus and meditation have been really difficult for me since the pandemic started. But, that’s how I know I need it the most!
I stumbled across these Mindfulness Cards and thought they sounded so cool. Here’s the scoop:
An easy way to cultivate mindful moments—anytime and anywhere: This engaging deck makes it easy to bring awareness, calm, and joy to everyday life. Each card includes an inspiring phrase on the front and a bite-size mindfulness exercise on the back. Users can draw one card to form an intention for the day, pull several for a more complex reading, or display around the home or office as inspiring mantras.
• Featuring more than 50 accessible and enlightening practices (plus eight blank cards for personalization)
• Cards are divided into four color-coded mindfulness categories: Rest & Balance, Insight & Awareness, Curiosity & Joy, and Kindness
Those interested in beginning or nurturing a daily mindfulness and gratitude practice will love working with Mindfulness Cards.
Filled with more than 50 prompts and exercises for the mind and body
• An inspiring way to begin the day, a meditation practice, or reflection
• Packaged in an eye-catching box with foil stamping that makes a wonderful gift
The deck comes with a small set of instructions — really just ways you can use them. I really liked this idea of pulling one card from each section to create a mindfulness routine for the week.
For fun, I’ll pull one card from each section for all of us going into the weekend:
Rest & Balance:
- Breath as anchor: On the emotional roller coaster of life, it’s incredibly helpful to have an accessible mindfulness tool at our disposal at all times. Our breath is that tool. Practice bringing your awareness to the quality of your breath a few times a day — you can start by spending one minute noticing your breath before each meal. Practicing giving your attention to your breath will give you something to turn to whenever you need to anchor yourself.
Curiosity & Joy:
- How can I love more? There are few better questions than “How can I love more?” This invites us to look for opportunities to connect more deeply with others in all of our relationships. Sometimes it will mean putting more energy into being present or generous — even when you don’t feel like it. Sometimes it will be about being more present and generous with yourself — even if that feels self-indulgent. Spend 5 minutes thinking about how you can cultivate more love for yourself and for those around you. However it manifests itself, it is a beautiful filter through which to engage with your world.
Insight & Awareness:
- See the screen: When we’re watching TV, at a movie, or using our devices, we tend to focus on what is on the screen rather than the screen itself. Next time you’re watching something on a screen, try including the screen itself as part of what you see. Notice what it feels like to include the screen in your viewing experience. This simple practice is a powerful metaphor for how our minds can get sucked into the content of our thoughts rather than taking a bigger view and looking at the nature of our awareness itself.
Kindness:
- Name the demons: We all have negative thought patterns or habits that make guest appearances in our minds. Anxiety, self-criticism, doubt, or fear of missing out — we call these our “demons” because they can make our lives hell. A powerful first step to free yourself from your personal demons is to start naming them. Calling them by their names whenever they appear means you create a little bit of distance between you and them, and that can help you avoid getting entangled in an unproductive thought spiral. Next time you find your demons arising, try greeting them out loud: Hello Worry! Hello Jealousy! Hello Doubt!
Wow, how is that for a weekend plan of mindfulness? I am really impressed with the cards I pulled for us all… and honestly this deck is just beautifully made. It comes in a nice box to keep the cards safe, and there’s even a few blank cards in each section so you can write your own 🙂
Do you have a meditation or a mindfulness practice? What kinds of things do you use to help you?
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