Recommended Reading
This is not an exhaustive list but a collection of useful introductions to mindfulness for beginners. More information about specialist subjects can be found on the authors' websites.
Your Month in Mind
Natalie Snuggs MSc.
A daily journal giving you one basic mindfulness exercise per day which you can use to build your own practice. Over the month you are invited to cover a range of simple exercises and then dive into specifics for creating your own daily routine that works for you and supports you mentally & physically. Available on Amazon.
Finding Peace in a Frantic World
Mark Williams & Danny Penman
Originally written as the MBCT textbook, this version is a great self-study guide with useful theory alongside practical applications and a complete 8-week course.
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The Mindfulness Key
Sarah Silverton
Sarah breaks down some of the more complex theoretical frameworks into manageable chunks alongside practices & exercises - a great introduction to mindfulness.
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The Mindfulness Bible
Dr. Patrizia Collard
Patrizia combines a bite-size introduction to what mindfulness is and how to practise it, along with a short self-study course. A useful little introduction with some interesting scientific explanations.
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The Little ACT Workbook
Dr. Michael Sinclair
A lighter touch introduction to ACT with explanation & exercises. A great little book with some new practices & insights.
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Frazzled
Ruby Wax
As you would expect this is a humorous & irreverent look at mindfulness from Ruby Wax, but still insightful, honest & brave. Also combining an 8-week self-study course, the book guides us through her ups & downs through depression & mindfulness training with practical applications & reassurance.
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Mindful Compassion
Paul Gilbert & Choden
Professor Gilbert & co-author Buddhist expert Choden combine the most up to date Compassion-Focused Therapy with the most effective mindfulness techniques in this insightful and hugely informative book. The first section explains the latest research backed evidence into how and why compassion based therapies work and the second offers the practices themselves. I have found this to be the most thorough and clearly explained book on the topic so far and I believe that this book will be on the reading lists of mindfulness teachers and their students for many years to come.
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Full Catastrophe Living
Jon Kabat Zinn
This is the original book on secular Mindfulness and sets out the entire MBSR protocol. It's a big read and heavy going in places but a great reference book & resource for any training program.
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Mindfulness For Health
Vidyamala Burch
Another great self-study book with all the practices and useful theory & explanation throughout. Danny & Vidyamala use their personal experiences & practices to guide us through managing pain & restoring health in this 8-week course.
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Mindfulness For Dummies
Shamash Alidina
A concise & thorough textbook on mindfulness, often used by experienced teachers for reference, containing the latest research & tested practices to help stop the spiral of negative thinking in practical ways.
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Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life
Steven Hayes
The original Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) workbook which guides us through the basics of ACT theory with in-depth worksheets & exercises. A great introduction for those who are ready to delve a little deeper.
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The Tao of Pooh
Benjamin Hoff
This best seller is a witty and informative introduction to Taoism from the perspective of Winnie-the-Pooh & friends! Through the different characters, Hoff explains the Taoist principles which, though written over 2000 years ago, still hold wisdom for us today.
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The Food Mood Connection
Uma Naidoo MD
We all know how important a healthy diet is for our health but here Dr. Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, explores the recent research into how what we eat affects our brains. Although not directly concerned with mindfulness meditation, understanding other environmental impacts on our well-being contributes to our ability to make informed decisions. This book tackles everything you need to know about how our guts support our mental health.
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Mindfulness for life
Willem Kuyken
I was lucky enough to be at the workshop with Willem in Bangor University where we explored the themes of this book and would thoroughly recommend this to anyone wishing to learn more about how to sustain an ancient practice in the modern world. Renowned psychologist Prof. Kuyken combines ancient wisdom, modern science and psychological insights in an easy to understand format with practical advice in a down to earth manner. Described as mindfulness 'for the next generation' this book is intended to help us understand the hurdles that see many enthusiasts drop their practice after a while, despite experiencing the benefits, and how to overcome these.
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