If you have never tried meditating before, or if you tried it once or twice and couldn’t really get into it, you may be wondering if meditation is for everyone. We’re here to tell you that, yes, meditation really is for everyone! No matter your age, gender, or level of spirituality, you can benefit in some way from practicing meditation.
The right meditation guide can help you understand the best form of meditation for you and how to properly practice meditation so that you stick with it. You need to give it some time and practice a little before you start to feel truly comfortable with it.
Whether you are looking to meditate yourself or help a friend or child get into the practice, we have a great selection of books for meditation that you can look at. There is a book for everybody on this list, and for most types of meditation too!
So, let’s get started!
15 Best Books on Meditation
1. Meditations on Self-Love: Daily Wisdom for Healing, Acceptance, and Joy (ISBN 10: 1647399491)
Meditations on Self-Love is a book by Laurasia Mattingly published in December 2020. The book is a daily guide and has 365 meditations to help you embrace yourself for who you are. Going through one short entry a day, you can take a few minutes to reflect on yourself and practice self-love. The book is all about acceptance, loving yourself, and keeping an open and positive mind.
The book has meditation prompts that you can follow each day, and you can revisit some of your favorite ones from time to time. Mattingly, the author of this book is a meditation instructor and an expert in the Reiki tradition.
2. Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday (ISBN 10: 1641521716)
Practicing Mindfulness is a book by Matthew Sockolov published in September 2011. The book focuses on mindfulness, a form of evidence-based meditation and helps reduce stress and maintain good mental health. Even a short meditation can help turn your day around and reduce your levels of stress. The book outlines 75 exercises designed as a meditation guide to overcome mental blocks and deal with unwanted thoughts.
The first few exercises take 5 minutes to complete. The next exercises build on previous ones to help the reader improve their mental health and use mindfulness daily.
3. Meditation for Beginners: The Ultimate and Easy Guide to Learn How to Be Peaceful and Relieve Stress, Anxiety, and Depression (ISBN 10: 1533346739)
Meditation for Beginners is one of the best beginner meditation books we have come across. The book by Michael Dinuri was published in May 2016. It is very easy to understand and follow and can be especially helpful for those struggling with stress, anxiety, and depression. The book provides the benefits of a regular schedule for meditation and tips on meditating every day and on the go. Fitting in a few minutes of meditation into your day can help you both physically and mentally.
Dinuri is a practitioner of Ayurveda, yoga, and Vaastu and has a special interest in mysticism.
4. The Daily Meditation Book of Healing: 365 Reflections for Positivity, Peace, and Prosperity (ISBN 10: 1646117433)
The Daily Meditation Book of Healing is a book by Worthy Stokes published in May 2020. The book is a series of 365 short reflections that you can exercise every day. The book aims to help you heal from your troubles and transform your life one day at a time. By spending a few minutes out of your day meditating, you can open your mind to curiosity and possibility. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, you can start your yearlong meditation journey to expand your potential and overcome anxieties and emotional and mental blocks.
5. Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You (ISBN 10: 1641520256)
Practical Meditation for Beginners, a book by Benjamin W. Decker published in 2018. The book aims to help you master 10 meditation techniques in 10 days. It is a step-by-step guide on practicing meditation and building an easy routine for yourself. The techniques in the book are great for beginners as well as experienced meditators. The book also offers insightful prompts for you to write down and record your thoughts in a meditation journal.
Some of the meditation techniques the book covers include Zen, Vipassana, walking meditations, and body scans.
6. The Meditation Book: The Essential Meditation Book for Beginners to Find Peace, Reduce Stress, and Improve Mental Health (ISBN 13: 9781734475487)
Another best beginner meditation book that we recommend is The Meditation Book by Blair Abee, published in May 2020. The book is great for beginners as it is very easy to understand and allows you to master starting meditation techniques. Meditation allows you to live a more peaceful and loving life and embrace a world full of possibilities. The book helps with decision making, understanding yourself, and achieving higher consciousness.
The Meditation Book is the second in a series of 5 books on meditation.
7. Meditation Journal for Anxiety: Daily Meditations, Prompts, and Practices for Finding Calm (ISBN 10: 1648769756)
Meditation Journal for Anxiety is a book by Peter J. Economou published in June 2021. It is a guided meditation journal that uses short daily meditations combined with writing prompts to help you better understand your everyday thoughts and feelings. By exploring how you feel and what you think, you can expand your meditation routine and eventually overcome your anxiety. The book offers a holistic approach in that it has different meditations for your physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellbeing.
The author, Economou, is a student of Zen Buddhism and is the founder of the Counselling and Wellness Center in New York and New Jersey.
8. Meditation for Beginners – A Practical Guide to Quieting the Mind, Reducing Stress and Improving Focus (ISBN 13: 9798470377807)
A book by Alex Anderson, Meditation for Beginners, was published in September 2021. This book aims to help you reel in wandering thoughts that lead to restlessness and stress. By quieting such thoughts, you can improve your focus and reduce stress. Negative thought patterns are very often the cause of mental and emotional fatigue and can get you stuck in a negative loop that is difficult to break out of. The book goes over activities for everyday meditation, powerful techniques for deep meditation, journal techniques, and visualization techniques, amongst others.
9. The Essence of Buddha: The Path to Enlightenment (ISBN 10: 1942125062)
The Essence of Buddha is a book by Ryuho Okawa published in 2016. The book is a contemporary interpretation of the journey to enlightenment as was taught by Buddha. The fundamentals of Buddha’s learnings are explained in this book. These include The Journey to Enlightenment, The Eightfold Path, The Six Paramitas, The Concept of the Void, The Laws of Causality, and The Philosophy of Human Perfection.
10. The No-Nonsense Meditation Book: A Scientist’s Guide to the Power of Meditation (ISBN 10: 1472980492)
The No-Nonsense Meditation Book is a book by Steven Laureys published in June 2021. Laureys is a world-leading neurologist who has proven the positive effects of meditation on the brain. Once thought of as just a purely spiritual practice, meditation has become a more common technique now for people who are not very spiritual. By using hard science, the book explains how meditation can help your brain function in an effort to sell meditation to a broader audience of people. The book aims to explain that meditation is for everybody, not just very spiritual people.
11. Mindfulness for Kids in 10 Minutes a Day: Simple Exercises to Feel Calm, Focused, and Happy (ISBN 10: 1638074666)
Mindfulness for Kids in 10 Minutes a Day is a book by Maura Bradley published in October 2021. It is a meditation guide for children between the ages of 8 to 12. The book outlines easy techniques and breathing exercises that take just a few minutes a day to practice and help your child build a mindfulness habit. Meditation is a great practice for children and equips them to improve their focus, boost their mood, and effectively deal with everyday problems. The book focuses on four key themes around which children can practice mindfulness. Calming, focusing, reconnecting, and responding to negativity.
12. Happy: A Beginner’s Book of Mindfulness (ISBN 10: 0593121198)
Happy: A Beginner’s Book of Mindfulness by author Nicola Edwards and illustrator Katie Hickey published in April 2020. It is a picture book on mindfulness for children between the ages of 3 to 7. The book is beautifully illustrated and is a great bedtime book that you can read with your child to help them learn to explore their senses and their connection with the world. It is very important for children to cultivate listening, feeling, and discovering. By practicing mindfulness, your child can be better equipped to handle their emotions and react to different situations they may find themselves in.
13. Teach Your Child Meditation: 70 Fun & Easy Ways to Help Kids De-Stress and Chill Out (ISBN 10: 1454929189)
Lisa Roberts’ Teach Your Child Meditation was published in June 2018. It is one of the best beginner meditation books for children as it has 70 short and fun exercises that you can help your child with. Children between the ages of 5 to 12 can greatly benefit from these exercises and learn how to calm and center themselves and gain confidence.
14. Peaceful Piggy Meditation (ISBN 10: 9780807563816)
It is a famous book by author and illustrator Kerry Lee MacLean published in 2004. It is a narrative-style storybook about little piggies and how they deal with difficult situations that make them sad and angry. The storybook is great for children between the ages of 4 to 8 and can teach them how to find a quiet spot to breathe in, slow down and calm down, and deal with the hard things that life throws their way.
15. Meditation for Kids: 40 Activities to Manage Emotions, Ease Anxiety, and Stay Focused (ISBN 10: 1646115325)
Meditation for Kids is a book by Tejal V. Patel published in April 2020. It is a great book that can help you teach your children between the ages of 4 to 8 the joys of meditation. The 40 exercises the book outlines are fun and easy and can help your child learn how to handle their emotions and stay in control. The exercises include breathing exercises, mindfulness practice, yoga poses, and much more.
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned expert at meditation, or if you want to help your child explore the practice of meditation, these 15 books for meditation are a great collection for you to choose from. Meditation is a great practice and can help you in your everyday life in more ways than you can imagine.
