Mindfulness Cards

It may seem counterintuitive to pay attention to uncomfortable sensations, but doing so can be liberating. Our natural first reaction when we feel something uncomfortable -- like muscle tension, or a slight headache, or a difficult emotion -- is to get rid of it immediately, either by moving our attention elsewhere or by trying to fix the problem. But when we decide to meet the uncomfortable area in an open, relaxed way, we can build our composure and even find that what we we thought was uncomfortable becomes totally tolerable. Next time a twinge of discomfort arises, try giving it 2 minutes of your nonjudgmental awareness. Just sit with it, noticing the sensation, and breathing through it. Please only do this when it feels safe and never intentionally create difficult sensations for this exercise.