The 10 best mindfulness books, according to 3 psychologists

‘Wherever You Go, There You Are’ by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Whether you’re new to mindfulness or need a refresher, this book is an excellent primer of how you can apply mindfulness to your life to help you feel more present as you go through your day. “Kabat-Zinn is well known in the modern-day mindfulness world, as he is viewed as the mindfulness guru and founder of what we know to be mindfulness today,” Coren says. “His book explores the core value of concentration, and that can help any beginner along their journey.”

‘The Miracle of Mindfulness’ by Thich Nhat Hanh

While washing your dishes may be a mundane task for many, Hanh guides the reader through how small moments like these are perfect times to be more aware of what’s going on around you. “This text is a great introduction to mindfulness,” Johnson says. “Grounded in Buddhist teachings, Hanh explains mindfulness using everyday examples paired with pragmatic recommendations.”

‘Practicing Mindfulness’ by Matthew Sockolov

One great thing about mindfulness is that there is not just one way to practice it, and you may find which one works best for you in these 75 exercises. “A collection of 75 simple and brief exercises for practicing meditation, this book will give you a variety of practical ways to practice mindfulness and find the strategies that work for you,” Gilson says. “Full of brief, 5- to 15-minute exercises, this book will help you build a sustainable mindfulness practice and tackle some of the common challenges, such as a wandering mind, that beginners often experience.”

‘Self-Compassion’ by Kristin Neff

If you tend to be tough on yourself, this book offers action plans for how to deal with issues that may arise in our day-to-day lives, with a focus on being kinder to ourselves. “We all know we’re harder on ourselves than we are on others, saying things we’d never say about other people,” Gilson says. “In this book, you’ll learn to notice and modify your self-critical thoughts, leaving you with more compassion for yourself and better able to treat yourself the way you treat your friends.”

‘Unf*ck Your Brain’ by Faith G. Harper

Starting something new can be difficult when we’re in a bad mental state, but mindfulness may be what we need to address our anxious, depressive, and angry responses to triggers in our lives.  “Dr. Faith dives into how to retrain your brain to respond in ways that are not problematic to your daily life,” Coren says. “She helps her readers in understanding mindfulness techniques and the effective way to apply them to their lives.”

‘The Mindful Way Workbook’ by John Teasdale, Mark Williams, and Zindel V. Segal

If you’re ready to embrace mindfulness but need a plan to get you started, this eight-week plan may be the extra kick that you need to get started. “It will teach you to observe the relationship between your thoughts and your emotions, and make shifts in your thinking to make you less vulnerable to emotional stress,” Gilson said. “Broken up into an eight-week plan, the book introduces the basics of mindfulness, and walks you through practicing and reflecting on mindfulness exercises such as slow breathing and mindful self-compassion.”

‘How to be an Adult in Relationships’ by David Richo

Mindfulness practices can also be used to help improve our relationships with others, as outlined in this book by Richo. “Drawing on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness, this book explores five hallmarks of mindful loving and how they play an important role in our life, transitional times, and relationships,” Coren says. 

‘Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence-The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice’ by Daniel J. Siegel

For the skeptics who are interested in how this practice actually works, neuroscientist Siegal writes about the science underlying mindfulness meditation’s effects in “Aware.” “[Siegal] explains how building focused attention and awareness can literally change how the neurons in our brain interact,” Gilson says. “Slightly dense, this is a good book for the interested learner who is willing to take a bit more time to digest the sometimes technical but still useful information contained within.” 

‘Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness’ by Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Full Catastrophe Living’ is a great resource for anyone interested in applying mindfulness to their daily lives,” Johnson says. By engaging in mindfulness, people’s mental health may improve, and physical issues like chronic pain may as well. “It provides clear instructions on multiple mindfulness and meditation practices while also addressing how mindfulness can address physical and emotional pain, as well as everyday stressors such as time, work, and relationships,” he added.

‘Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body’ by Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

If you want to learn more about the history of mindfulness (as well as learn why some assumptions about it are false), this book is for you. “Altered traits is an accessible review of the science of mindfulness and the story of western scientists studying mindfulness,” Johnson says. “Readers gain an understanding of not only how concepts grounded in Eastern spiritual practices became the focus of neuroscience, psychology, counseling, and medicine, but also an informed and realistic perspective of the benefits and limitations of mindfulness.”