This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing to celebrate the release of A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness. All opinions are my own.

Mindfulness. It’s the word of the year, but what does it really mean? I always imagined that to be mindful, you needed to sit in an uncomfortable position contemplating the dew drops on a blade of grass or something along those lines. While that’s great for people who actually can sit still for more than five minutes, it’s not for me. I get frustrated just thinking about meditating. Of course I want to be more mindful, to carve out a few minutes each day to just be, but when your brain never stops running, it’s not as easy as it sounds. When I heard about Flow Magazine’s new book, A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness, I knew I found the perfect solution.

See, A Book That Takes Its Time puts heavy emphasis on the creative part. It encourages you to slow down, even if just for a few minutes, and do something peaceful yet also fun. Give me a few minutes, and you’ll see why this book should be at the top of every gift list, including your own.

A Book That Takes Its Time makes mindfulness fun & attainable for everyone

A Book That Takes Its Time was born out of a partnership by Flow Magazine and Workman Publishing. Like the book, Flow is a magazine that celebrates creativity, imperfection, and all of life’s little pleasures. We live in a time where just about every print media company is pouring their efforts into digital properties, but Flow Magazine and their new book are both meant to be savored offline. As much as I love ebooks, I have to admit that I miss holding paper in my hand, the way a new book smells or how the embossed title feels under my fingers. I miss the sensory experience of physical books.

With A Book That Takes Its Time, you get the full sensory experience and then some. Every single page from beginning to end inspires creative mindfulness. It’s truly a book about doing, about experiencing, and about intention. Remember back to our own tween and teen years when we would spend hours cutting pictures out to make collages? Or our early childhood when we’d trade the latest and greatest stickers? Remember snail mail and postcards? The days of writing your hopes and dreams down on actual paper? If you miss those times as much as I do, you’ll love all of the pull-out activities in A Book That Takes Its Time.

Tucked away like hidden treasures between the pages, you’ll find gorgeous postcards that you can mail to friends and family. Tear them out, write a little note from the heart, pop on a stamp and stick it in the mail. Not only is this a great exercise in mindfulness for you, it’ll be such a treat for your recipient to find actual mail tucked between the flyers and bills.

Turn a few pages and discover the joy of poetry pictures! Open the envelope and discover 5 beautiful sets of unique pictures that you can punch out and collect! You might just even discover a new hobby!

Continue exploring the pages and discover pull-out journals, old-time stickers, and dozens of other paper goodies!

I am in love with all of these fun activities and I’m enjoying working my way through them, but A Book That Takes Its Time isn’t ALL hands-on mindfulness. Throughout the pages, you’ll find everything from poetry to recipes, from inspirational quotes (many that you can pull out of the book and hang up) to peaceful pictures.

All of the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. You’ll find yourself relaxing just as you browse through the book! You’ll also find fabulous ideas on how to live a more mindful life. The chapters each focus on some aspect of our everyday lives, how to make those moments more meaningful, or how to cope with the tougher parts of life, like loss.

Discover lessons on how to shift your focus away from your wants to your “haves.” It’s so easy to get caught up in wanting the latest and greatest everything, from smarter phones to talking fridges (I’m sure they exist somewhere). Learning how to take a step back and be truly grateful for the small pleasures can help you overcome both physical and emotional stress.

For me, the best thing about A Book That Takes Its Time is that while yes, it does in fact take its time, YOU are still in control of how much time it takes. Only have a few minutes to relax? Do one of the quick interactive activities or read a page or two. Got a bit more time to spare? Cut out the collage pictures and make your own work of art, or sit down and think about your life timeline and map it out. I’ve always had a million excuses for why I could relax and spend a little time just being. I’m too busy. I’m too antsy. I’m too overwhelmed. I’m sad. I’m having a panic attack and relaxation is the last thing I can accomplish. This book has a response to every one of my excuses. It’s like a best friend who calls your bluff. “No time,” you say? It’s response is “looking at this picture only takes a few seconds!” Too antsy? Put your fingers to work cutting and gluing! Seriously, any hurdle you can think of that prevents you from practicing mindfulness is overcome by A Book That Takes Its Time. THAT, my friends, is what makes it the perfect gift not just for all of those people on your shopping list, but for YOU, too.

A Book That Takes Its Time: An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness is by the co-founders and creative directors of Flow Magazine, Irene Smit and Astrid Van der Hulst. It is on-sale October 3, 2017 and
retails for $27.50, available wherever books are sold, including Amazon.