Top 10 Best Books on Mindfulness for Beginners
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In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few” - Shunryu Suzuki
I love a good book. And I’ve read many books on mindfulness. I remember when I was writing Mindfulness for Dummies, I spent several hundred pounds buying every book even vaguely connected to the topic!
Here’s my top 10 books on mindfulness that I’d recommend for beginners, in no particular order. These make ideal reads to enjoy before drifting to sleep or whilst on holiday, and make great gifts too!
I’ve ensured to chose book written by leading teachers or monastics, like Matthieu Ricard, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mark Williams and Eckhart Tolle. You’re in safe hands.
1. Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
This is a lovely, easy to read book. The contents are split into short chapters, most of them being just a page or two long. And you can open up the book on any page and start reading. This truly is an ideal book for both beginners and more experienced.
You can also use this book as an aid in meditation practice. You can read a page or two at random before you meditate.
The author, Jon Kabat-Zinn, was one of the early pioneers to bring mindfulness into western science and has contributed greatly to its current popularity.
2. Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
This is a very engaging book to read, and includes an 8 week course in mindfulness that you can do as you go through the book.
Prof Mark Williams developed one of the key mindful therapies - namely Mindfulness based Cognitive Therapy.
However, in this book, the authors aimed to write to a more general audience that may be suffering from everyday stress and concerned about getting burnt out.
The combination of some science, lots of powerful examples and exercises makes this a highly readable and engaging book.
3. The Little Book of Mindfulness by Patrizia Collard
This very short and handy book makes an ideal gift for a friend or for yourself.
This is the easiest book to read out of this list, and does a great job to make mindfulness understandable and accessible.
Although a small book, it explains lots of the key insights around mindfulness and is ideal to keep in your pocket or purse to read every now and then.
4. A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled by Ruby Wax
5. Mindfulness for Dummies by Shamash Alidina
Full disclosure - I wrote this one!
This is the most comprehensive of all the books recommended, just from the size alone. It’s 300+ pages long. Despite its length, the book is written in a highly accessible and sometimes playful way.
Most books on mindfulness come from a certain angle or teacher. Mindfulness for dummies is more like a fun reference book, covering all the different ways mindfulness can be taught.
The book includes an outline for an 8 week course, all the key guided meditations, and tips for mindfulness at work, mindfulness for kids and mindful use of technology.
A comprehensive guide, despite the funny title!
6. Kindfulness by Ajahn Brahm
Ajahn Brahm, a popular Buddhist monk based in Australia, began to use the term Kindfulness quite a few years ago. He saw the popularity of mindfulness but noticed that it often lacked the kindness and compassion shared when studying and practicing Buddhism.
This is a lovely little book, that explains what he means by kindfulness and how to practice being kindful in your meditations and everyday life.
7. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Considered a classic. If you haven’t read it, it’s certainly worth a read. Originally made popular by Oprah, Eckhart continues to attract millions of followers through his talks online.
This book shows how powerful it is to live in the present moment and how being present can be a meaningful spiritual experience too, without being too woo-woo if you know what I mean.
It’s one of those books that people either love or just get confused by it. But still worth reading or gifting for sure.
8. Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
9. The Miracle Of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hahn was a Zen master who helped to bring mindfulness practice to the West.
He’s a greatly loved teacher, followed by millions of people. He’s probably the second most well known Buddhist teacher, after the Dalai Lama.
He published over 100 books so it’s hard to know which one to recommend. But this is a good one to start with.
10. The Art of Meditation by Matthieu Ricard
I hope you discover at least one new book among my list. And don’t forget - the gift of mindfulness is always a good gift for a loved one!
If you’d like to learn more about my approach of combining mindfulness with kindness, consider my free 7 day course. Or my full 8 week program which is currently on sale - includes 60 mini daily videos and over 15 guided kindfulness audio meditations to try.
20 guided Kindful Meditations,
50 High- Definition Videos
200 students have completed the program
5 stars is the average rating!
