Meditation Self-Help Books
Meditation is the practice of observing one's present awareness; the practice of being wholly in the present moment. It is not just for yogis and it is not about "emptying your mind". Read more »
Recommended Self Help Books on Meditation
This 2-CD guided meditation set is a delicious combination of evocative words, original music and the soothing voice of Sandi Anders. Learn to deeply and fully relax using the Deep Rest Meditaion, a guided body scan relaxation. This meditation will help you to create the Relaxation Response which combats the ravages of chronic stress.
Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames
Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that, fundamentally, to be angry is to suffer and that it is our responsibility to alleviate our own suffering. The way to do this is not to fight our emotions or to "let it all out," but to transform ourselves through mindfulness. Serious, though light-hearted, this is a hand-book not only for transforming anger, but for living each moment beautifully. 2002, Riverhead Trade
This collection of teachings is designed to illuminate the power that mindfulness can have at work. By surrendering to the moment one becomes alert, open, and unusually skillful. In brief chapters, Carroll expounds some thirty-five slogans designed to be both fodder for meditation and mnemonic devices for when that particular message can help the most, during an opportune moment at work. "Welcome the tyrant" helps one to disarm a cranky boss; "avoid idiot compassion" reminds one to eschew giving merely superficial help. 2004, Shambhala
Beginning Mindfulness: Learning the Way of Awareness
This 10-week course on meditation emphasizes the need to take mindful awareness into everyday life. Weiss highlights many mindfulness opportunities for modern people: facing cancer, washing dishes, walking to and flushing the toilet, exercising and waiting at red lights. Weiss begins at the beginning, with posture and, most importantly, breath. Over the sequenced 10-week program, practitioners gain meditation and awareness basics and also explore mindfulness in their own bodies, feelings and mental processes. Each chapter has formal and informal "Home Play" activities that extend the lessons into daily life, with a final section on "how to continue" and an annotated reading list. 2004, New World Library
Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness
From the book: "Awareness offers a safe haven in which to restore ourselves and rest in a vital and dynamic harmony, tranquility, creativity and joyfulness NOW, not in some far off, hoped for future time when things are 'better' or we have gotten things under control, or have 'improved ourselves.'" Katat-Zinn blends his personal story with compelling and practical guidance for self-healing. 2005, Hyperion
Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart
Bennett-Goleman shows readers how they can transform emotional confusion into insightful clarity through the practice of mindfulness. "Mindfulness means seeing things as they are without trying to change them," she writes. "The point is to dissolve our reactions to disturbing emotions being careful not to reject the emotion itself." 2002, Three Rivers Press
Good Medicine: How to Turn Pain into compassion with Tonglen Meditation (Audio CD)
The Buddha's prescription for ripe living led directly to Tonglen, a Tibetan meditation practice that is today the medicine our hearts have been searching for. Pema Chodron shares the gift of this simple and elegant meditation system: a way to befriend ourselves, accept the past we have rejected, and widen our circle of compassion. 2001, Sounds True
Guided Meditations, Explorations and Healings
Levine offers a collection of guided meditations designed to heighten mindful awareness, explore the present moment, and relax into healing. 1991, Anchor
Heal Thyself: Lessons on Mindfulness in Medicine
Santorelli, director of the nationally acclaimed Stress Reduction Clinic, explores the ancient roots of medicine and shows us how to introduce mindfulness into the crucible of the healing relationship. He offers many insights and effective methods for cultivating mindfulness in our everyday lives. Practices taught in this self help book include a series of breathing exercises, yoga, and silent meditation. 2000, Harmony/Bell Tower
The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation
For those who struggle with sitting still for meditation, this simple self help book offers a wonderful alternative: walking meditation. Practical techniques guide the reader to using this most ordinary of daily activities to deepen one's mindful awareness of the present moment, increase relaxation and concentration, and reduce stress. 2011, Parallax Press
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Salzberg focuses on the Buddhist meditation practice that emphasizes feelings of love, happiness and compassion and offers practical guidance in performing this type of meditation. 2002, Shambhala
Meditation for Dummies with Audio CD
Terrible title, good book. Bodian, former editor and chief of Yoga Journal, writes, "You can learn the basics of meditation in five minutes." You can also study meditation for years exploring its subtleties. A simple, clear introduction to the basics of meditation with an overview of dozens of techniques, practices and specific meditations plus direction for going deeper. 2012, For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Roche, a meditation trainer for thirty years, writes, "Meditation is about being intimate with your deepest self . . . a direct response to sensing some need in your body or heart . . . a pleasurable indulgence . . . a mini-vacation." He provides a variety of techniques and exercises to let the reader explore what works best. 1998, HarperSanFrancisco
Hailed as "one of the best nuts and bolts meditation manuals", Gunaratana presents the fundamentals of basic Buddhist meditation, including common problems and how to deal with them. A clear, straightforward and powerful book. 2011, Wisdom Publications; 20th Anniversary Edition edition
The Mindful Woman: Gentle Practices for Restoring Calm, Finding Balance, and Opening Your Heart
In The Mindful Woman, Sue Patton Thoele shows you how to incorporate mindfulness into your busy and dynamic life. This self help book's gentle and humorous approach makes it a practical and easily understood guide, offering over sixty-five simple and effective practices to help you embrace mindfulness one moment at a time. 2008, New Harbinger
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
A Vietnamese Buddhist monk's lucid and simple guide to Eastern meditation practices. It is filled with anecdotes and practical exercises which demonstrate that opportunities for mindfulness exist in every moment. 1999, Houghton Mifflin
A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
Since 1974, Kornfield has been teaching Westerners how to integrate Eastern teaching into their daily lives. Through generous story-telling and unmitigated warmth, Kornfield presents this excellent self help guidebook on living with attentiveness, meditation and compassion. 1993, Bantam
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
The deceptively simple practices of Peace Is Every Step encourage the reader to work for peace in the world as he or she continues to work on sustaining inner peace by turning the "mindless" into the mindful. 1991, Bantam
Read David's extensive Book Review on Peace Is Every Step
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. He shares ideas about personal integration with uncommon eloquence and a deep understanding of the human condition. A spiritual self help guidebook that has the potential to inspire the reader to live more fully in the present. 2004, New World Library
Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations and Exercises From The Power of Now
This self help manual makes an excellent companion guide to Tolle's The Power of Now and is rich in exercises and meditations to help readers get out of their minds so they can live more peacefully in their bodies. 2001, New World Library
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation
Advice and inspiration for practitioners of insight meditation, which cultivates the awareness of body, speech and mind. This self help book is designed for the beginner as well as more advanced practitioners. 2001, Shambhala
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
In Start Where You Are, Pema Chodron tries to get us to see that the faults and foibles in each of us now are the perfect ingredients for creating a better life. No need to wait for a quieter time or a more settled mind. The trick Chodron says is to repattern ourselves, to transform bad habits into good by first opening ourselves to the groundlessness of existence. When the cliff dissolves beneath our feet, fear has a way of actually lessening. Fearlessness opens the way to recognizing our pushy egos and that rather than being cursed with original sin, we are blessed with an original soft spot--the squishy feeling inside that we all have, that is the seat of true compassion, and that we all do our best to armor over. 2004, Shambhala
Tolle emphasizes the art of inner stillness, the place where thoughts, ego and attachments fall away and we're left only with what the moment has to offer. He writes, "When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world." 2003, New World Library
Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Dr. Kabat-Zinn has trained a generation of professionals in his approach to stress reduction. In this self help book he offers a simple path for cultivating present moment awareness in one's life. 2005, Hyperion
The Wild Divine Super Software Bundle Pack, Includes: "Relaxing Rhythms", "The Passage", "Wisdom Quest" & "The Grapher"! This four-program bundle brings together the complete Wild Divine experience, combining fascinating interactive gaming experiences with biofeedback tools and expert guidance to enable you and your children to grow healthier and calmer as you enjoy family fun together! The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage and Wisdom Quest are the first "inner-active" computer adventures that combine ancient breathing and meditation with modern biofeedback technology for total mind-body wellness. Players wearing finger sensors that track heart rate and skin conductance travel through the Realm using the power of thoughts, feelings, breath and awareness. Much more than just a game, each edition is a tool for physical and mental health. Wise teachers guide you through enchanting and mystical landscapes, empowering you with the yoga, breathing and meditation skills needed to complete over 40 biofeedback 'energy' events in each edition. Build stairways with your breath, open doors with meditation, juggle balls with your laughter, and so much more. The Journey to Wild Divine makes biofeedback, a popular method of alternative healthcare, easily accessible and empowers you to take mind-body wellness, literally, into your own hands. Healing Rhythms is a wellness program featuring biofeedback training and expert guidance from Deepak Chopra, MD, Dean Ornish, MD, and Andrew Weil, MD. You'll learn proven techniques to restore your body's natural rhythms, relieve stress, experience deep states of relaxation and enjoy a renewed sense of well-being. The Grapher Expansion Pack enables you to plot and save your skin conductance level, heart rate variability and raw heart data so you can review your results after game play.
