At the moment I will only give a rating to the book and I hope it is possible for me to write down my reviews on Amazon. Barnes and Noble and Goodreads. I am very grateful to you because your publications are great, especially in the topics that interest me most. Thanks and blessings.

I loved the author's book of the same name and I also love these cards! I tucked them in my purse on a vacation recently and they really acted to keep me grounded and serene throughout my time away from home. They are of good quality and I very much like the simplicity of the design. The cards themselves are not distracting and because of this I can easily focus on the meaning of the idea on each one. The "ways" or ideas themselves are simply and easy yet profound in their ability to bring me back to center, back to myself.

I liked that this was not preachy and a basic guide for a variety of individuals regardless of skill level. It was a bit repetitive which I found distracting and irksome.

Mindfulness on the Go provides a range of actually really great mindfulness activities. Mindfulness is difficult for me, but these cards provide specific focus areas that are achievable.

Like many others, in the past when I had thought of mindfulness and meditation, what came to mind was the Transcendental Meditation of the 60s or, if not that exactly, possibly extremely long periods of silence sitting in an uncomfortable (or, for many of us, impossible) position. When I spent time at the Tassajara Zen Center I had seen the residents on their way to and from sitting, and heard their tinkling bells at o-dark-thirty every morning. That kind of confirmed for me that meditation wasn’t something that I could do. Plus, there is that mind-you-can’t-shut-off thing that I had going on…

More recently, I have realized that mindfulness is more about being in the moment and experiencing life fully, moment by moment. As the author of the Mindfulness On the Go Cards I received for review defines it, “Mindfulness is deliberately paying full attention to what is happening around you and within you—in your body, heart, and mind Mindfulness is awareness without criticism or judgment.” I have read a few books on the subject, and have tried exercises to foster the ability to BE, but it seems like I am someone who can’t quite get there. I mean, I want to be someone who meditates, I just don’t want to do the work of actually meditating.

This set of cards developed by Jan Chozen Bays, MD, a pediatrician and Zen teacher, sounded intriguing, and thanks to Shambhala Publications and NetGalley, I received it in return for my honest review.

The idea is that there are 52 cards, each with an exercise or meditation practice that the author has used in her teaching and found helpful for students who are getting into mindfulness.

The author suggests selecting one card each week for a year. Each card has three components: first is a description of the practice to be followed during that week, followed by some of the possible insights that might come out during the week, and finally a brief statement designed to sum up the exercise and inspire the student to continue the practice.

Some examples of the topics are:

Each time the phone rings, take three breaths before answering
When eating, just eat
Listen like a sponge
Resolving to pay a compliment each day
The idea is that small moments of awareness such as these will become second nature and promote a naturally mindful life.

Frankly, I love this idea. I don’t want to wait to review this because I want to get started, and so I have ordered a set of the cards. TBH, the digital version I received is a bit of a challenge because the topic is displayed clearly, but the sections with the possible insights one might receive is very faint and difficult to read. The third section (the summing up/inspiration section) is displayed in italics and is very clear. I expect the physical cards to be much easier to use.

It’s a simple idea, and having looked through all the topics am hoping that the result will be a more conscious way of being in the moment, without having to pretzel myself into a lotus position or get up in the dark for early practice in sitting. As Dr. Bays says, I want to “learn to be present with things just as they are.” I give this idea and these cards five stars!

this pack was nice. I was expecting something different, but it was nice.

A handy personal resource, Mindfulness on the Go Cards reinforce the principles in Jan Chozen Bays' previously published works on the topic. My favorite card is the first one: Use your non-dominant hand. It's more challenging than you think it will be!
Every card provides background, rationale, and a great way to live a mindful life. The fact that there is a card for each week of the year makes the information and practices easy to manage and integrate.
Wish list for the future: I would like to see a version for kids and another one for teens. I hope these are in the works! I would purchase a set of each for my home.

A handy tip booklet on ways to increase mindfulness in your life. I read through and agree with many, but some seem a little simplistic. I also wish the layout would be a bit more graphic, with numbered and bullet listings, and more subheadings. Easier to go directly to a specific category or idea that way. Minor issues overall, and liked the majority of what I read. Would recommend this book.