Further Reading

Educating yourself in what interests you broadens your sphere of thinking and allows you to understand yourself, as a human being, as well as the human beings that surround you. It also keeps your brain active as you learn more.

Wherever You Go, There You Are Jon Kabat Zinn

As you can see from my sticky notes- this is a well thumbed book. Jon Kabat-Zinn is often hailed as the godfather of western mindfulness. He realised early on in his career that the power of meditation can alter your attitude to life, pain and stress. This book will help you understand what mindfulness is, where it comes from and gives many, many tips on how to practice it in your daily life. It’s written in a really accessible way for anyone new to the practice of mindfulness.

Best book- for information on all aspects of mindfulness.

But- if you are really new to mindfulness it would be better to read this then look for a course you can physically take part in.

The Art of Living Thich Nhat Hanh

If you want to further your reading on mindfulness it is difficult to avoid this Zen Master. As a global peace activist, his key teaching is that only though mindfulness can we learn to live happily in the moment which, in turn, is the only way we can truly develop peace in one’s self and in the world. There is a lovely chapter on non-craving and learning that you have enough. He contemplates what happiness is and comes to some wonderful conclusions.

Best book- to understand the Buddhist influence on mindfulness, but written with incredible wisdom.

My favourite chapter- chapter 6 “Letting Go”

To the Women by Donna Ashworth

Bought this book in Euston Station while waiting on a train back to Scotland- spent a fair bit of the journey alternating between weeping and feminist outrage. If you are a daughter, mother, wife or sister whatever age it’s a lovely anthology which teaches you to appreciate life’s little things.

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Best book- to put a smile on your face and make you realise how lucky we all .

But- you might be a bit furious with our patriarchal society for a while.

Human Kind: A Hopeful History Rutger Bregman

So, not so much a book on mindfulness here… but absolutely love, love, love this book. Bit of a tome when you first see it but when you get to the end you want to read it again. Bregman takes us through a time-travel anthropological journey of humanity and argues that despite war, murder and atrocity, we are innately kind.

Best book- to help you be more optimistic about your fellow human beings. Gives you lots of real life anecdotes to support his theory.

But- no buts- fabulous book. The final chapter when he discusses what happened when the soldiers came out of the trenches is a gamechanger.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

First published in 2014 this book has been gaining in popularity. Fascinating read on how our body stores trauma. As a mindfulness practitioner who often deals with people suffering from anxiety or stress it answered a lot of questions about human behaviour. Filled with lots of case histories - it really is an interesting read. Even if you have not suffered any trauma (90% of us have) this is a book that answers a lot of questions about the human psyche. Written in short segments it is a good book to pick up and then ponder over what you have just read.

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Best book- allows the reader to understand trauma and effects on body..

But- not one for bedtime reading as it makes you think about things. Keep it on your coffee table.