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The 20 best books on meditation and relaxation

The 20 best books on meditation and relaxation

March 29, 2024

Although meditation is an ancient practice, it is very present in our days. Much of the blame for this is that it brings many benefits to people's health, especially in these times. For example, Meditation mitigates the effects of stress , improves attention capacity, helps control emotions and pain management ...

  • Related article: "Benefits of meditation supported by science"

Books on meditation and relaxation

Seeing this, it is not strange that many people practice meditation. If you want to deepen this topic or you are a person who wants to start meditative practice, in the following lines you can find a list of books on meditation and relaxation which can be very useful


  • Maybe you are interested: "The 8 types of meditation and their characteristics"

1. 50 Exercises to Learn to Meditate (Géraldine Prévot-Gigant)

Meditation has proven to be very effective in improving the well-being and health of people; however, some practitioners do not meditate well or do not adhere to the practice because of the irrational expectations they may have about it. This text provides a collection of exercises so that both beginners and experts can meditate on the best way and achieve the emotional balance they need to live in harmony.


  • Are you interested? Get more information about him by clicking here.

2. Basic course for the practice of Zen (Robet Aitken)

Robert Aiken puts all his knowledge at the service of individuals who decide to start meditative practice. A very pleasant guide in which they are reviewed the foundations of this millenary practice of Zen and provides many tips to make us more aware of our internal and external experience. It helps us to relate better to the environment and empowers us in front of life.

  • If you want to read more about this book, click here.

3. Meditate: perennial wisdom (Vicente Merlo)

This book deals with meditation from a practical perspective, since the work contains a CD that includes up to 10 meditations guided by Vicente Merlo. In addition, the book provides much theoretical content, dealing with aspects of both Buddhism and Hinduism.


4. The practice of mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of the great masters of meditation in the West and the character that popularized Mindfulness also in the Western world. This book is a complete work that explains the theoretical and practical foundations that help to understand the practice of Mindfulness and the different types of meditation that are part of it.

  • In this link you will find more information about the book.

5. The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation (William Hart)

Vipassana meditation is a type of meditation that centers awareness of breathing , tuning the air that enters and exits through the nose. It also focuses on labeling thoughts and experiences as they arise. This book is undoubtedly ideal for learning to practice vipassana meditation, very useful for the rhythm of Western life.

  • To learn more, access this link.

6. The path of attention (Nyanaponika Thera)

This book aims to show us a direct and simple method practice to control attention, inspired by the ideas of Buddha. It is a book that serves as training and development of the mind, to overcome those obstacles that arise in daily life, always with an attitude of compassion and a non-judgmental mentality.

7. Initiation to Mindfulness (Vicente Simón)

Much is currently spoken of Mindfulness, in large part, thanks to Vicente Simón, a doctor, psychiatrist and professor of Psychobiology, and one of the best known disseminators of this practice. This work is a short work, manual type, that helps beginners to get into meditative practice and Mindfulness .

  • To read more about it, click here.

8. A new vision of Buddhism: synthesis of the Eastern soul and Western knowledge (Vichitr Ratna Dhiravamsa)

A text that aims to adapt the teachings of Vichitr Ratna Dhiravamsa to Western culture, to improve the psychological development of those people who wish to acquire greater well-being and, therefore, greater emotional balance . A spiritual book, full of oriental teachings. Now, very useful for the current pace of life.

  • You will find more information here.

9. Zen mind, beginner's mind (Suzuki Roshi)

This book was published in 1970, but it is still one of the best manuals for learning Zen meditation. In the opening chapters, topics such as for example, the proper posture for meditation and how to connect with the breath, but then it delves into key aspects of Zen meditation and tradition. It is a perfect manual to re-browse when necessary.

  • If you want to read more about the book, this is your link.

10. Live the Crises Fully (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

The moments of crisis can make us go through delicate moments, which means that we can lose a bit of the north and we need to find the emotional balance again. Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches us to live fully in those delicate moments of life.

  • Find out more about the book here.

11. Meditation: the development of positive emotions (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Meditation is key to learning to manage and regulate emotions in a more adaptive way, because it helps us to improve our self-knowledge and to find the ideal mentality to master the emotions, thanks to the development of mindfulness. This work focuses on Mettabhavana's meditative technique , which has its origin in the beginnings of Buddhism and which, to this day, continues to be very effective.

12. There's no right way to meditate and other lessons (Yumi Sakugawa)

It is a cartoon book, and a brilliant work that introduces meditative practice. While other books may focus more on theoretical knowledge, this book is rather practical . It is suitable for all audiences.

  • If you would like to read more about this interesting meditation book, click here.

13. It will not always be like this: the path of personal transformation (Shunryu Suzuki)

Shunryu Suzuki was a well-known Zen master, who in his talks spoke frequently about the importance of having a beginner's mind, that is, an observant mind and not influenced by prejudice . In this book you will find some of his great teachings.

  • Are you interested? Follow this link

14. Path with Heart (Jack Kornfield)

A well-known meditation manual, which is in its 4th edition in Spanish. Mix humor with recommendations and suggestions so that the reader learns meditate and get the most out of this practice . A very useful book for psychotherapists.

  • Here you will find more information about the book.

15. Be peace (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most important personages of the generation that has allowed that the Buddhist teachings have been known in the western world. While the vast majority of his books focus on compassion, this one is perfect for the beginner who wants to understand how to live peace . His teachings on how to relate to everyday feelings and perceptions can be very useful for the reader.

16. How to meditate (Pema Chodron)

If your goal is to start meditating from scratch, this book by Pema Chodron is ideal. It is a work that deals with a fundamental issue, that of understanding and accepting strong emotions. Treating oneself with love can make the difference between living in well-being or, on the other hand, suffering from discomfort.

  • To get it or know more about it, click here.

17. Meditate day by day (Christophe André)

Day to day can be difficult if we have a mentality that leads to it. Thinking negatively and living in unrealistic expectations can be detrimental to one's emotional health. This text by Christophe André is an ideal meditation guide for those people who want to learn to practice Mindfulness with the guided meditations in CD format that includes this work.

  • On this page you will find more information about the book.

18. Meditate with Mandalas (Michal Beaucaire)

The mandalas are one of the artistic and cultural elements associated with meditation, which you can know in this article: "Mandalas: the Buddhist wheels used in meditation". This work makes it possible to meditate with these elements, since they facilitate and make meditation more effective. Without a doubt, a different but very instructive text.

  • Click here to know more about him.

19. Meditation in 10 minutes (Sofía Correa and Vicente Nuñez)

In these times, the accelerated level of life can lead us to suffer serious problems such as stress. The authors of this text, aware of this reality, have created this work full of content and techniques to reach a new level of peace in the life. It is a practical text to reduce anxiety and revitalize the body.

  • To read its first pages, click here and then on its cover.

20. Story of an Awakening (David Smith)

This is an inspiring text for anyone who wants go into Buddhism and know the most important aspects of this way of thinking and behaving. The book has two distinct sections. One of them is a kind of autobiography of the author and the other is an interview that invites us to discover the soul of the human being.

  • If you are interested, click here.

Guided Meditation for Children | THE MAGIC BOOK | Kids Meditation Story (March 2024).


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