For some good general introduction:
- Mindfulness for Beginners: reclaiming the present moment – and your life by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Sounds True, Inc., 2012. This simple and accessible intro was one of Jacob’s first exposures to mindfulness – and is a beautiful way to grasp the larger picture, led by the man who’s done more than any other to make the practice accessible to Americans.
- Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. This book has a beautifully simple way of explaining mindfulness as a whole.
- Mindfulness Essentials Online Class. This class by Latter-day Saint teacher Thomas McConkie, “provides a solid foundation for anyone looking to reap the profound benefits of a mindfulness practice in their daily life. Broken into eight modules with six in-depth guided meditations, this course will lend momentum to your practice whether you are just beginning or have been practicing for many years.”
For guidance on applications in daily life:
- Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. Hyperion Books, 1994. This book provides summary, helpful summaries on way to apply mindfulness in day-to-day life.
- Arriving at Your Own Door. Piatkus Books, 2008. By Jon Kabat-Zinn. A simpler, quicker read.
- Letting Everything Become Your Teacher: 100 Lessons in Mindfulness. Dell Publishing Company, 2009. By Jon Kabat-Zinn. A simpler, quicker read.
For people in physical or emotional pain:
- Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief: Guided Practices for Reclaiming Your Body and Your Life Jon Kabat-Zinn. This is the best resource we know for people facing chronic physical pain – and was a Godsend to Jacob’s mother in the final stages of her cancer.
- Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This class is now taught on 6 continents and has been taught to 10s of thousands of people for 30 years – with many research studies conducted on it. You can find in-person classes across the nation and in other countries here (click here to see in-person mindfulness resources in our home-turf of Utah). There are also online MBSR options available here from the University of Massachusetts and here a well-regarded free version in both English and Spanish).
- Full catastrophe living: how to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation. Piatkus, 1996. This best-selling book summarizes the approach to stress reduction and healing advocated in the MBSR classes above – a classic!
- Mindweather 101 (http://mindweather.org/) This online course was developed by Jacob Hess and Thomas McConkie and explores creative ways to work with mental/emotional distress All the videos in the class can be accessed by scrolling down on this page too.
- The mindful way through depression: freeing yourself from chronic unhappiness, by J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn. Guilford Press, 2007. The absolute best mindfulness resource for those facing depression Comes with a helpful CD and some audio practices.
- Lift – Depression/Anxiety Support platform (also available in iOS or Android apps) – extra support and mindful guidance to those facing depression/anxiety. Along with guided mindful practices, there are concrete suggestions for therapeutic lifestyle changes shown to make a difference.
- Calm – Lots of great mindfulness practices for anxiety.
For people seeking to overcome compulsive-addictive behavior:
- Turn Chemical Dependency Support Online Platform (also available in iOS or Android apps) that provide mindful guidance to those facing chemical dependency of some kind (drugs, alcohol, opioids, etc.) – along with concrete suggestions for therapeutic lifestyle changes shown to make a difference.
- Fortify Sexual Compulsivity Online Platform (also available in iOS or Android apps) that provide mindful guidance to those facing pornography addiction – along with concrete suggestions for therapeutic lifestyle changes shown to make a difference.
Other great general mindfulness apps:
- Headspace – The largest, most famous mindfulness app in the world.
- Insight Timer (Click here to read some great reviews of Insight Timer & the others below)
- 10% Happier
- UCLA Mindful
- Stop, Breathe & Think
- Smiling Mind
Free meditations available online (a running list of any good ones we can find):
- Free guided meditations in the tradition of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction – including mindfulness of breath, body scan, etc.
- Free guided meditations from UCLA Each week has a different theme, and usually includes some introductory comments, a guided meditation, some silent practice time, and closing comments. Presented by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.
- UCSD Center for Mindfulness Guided audio files for practicing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness.
- Basic meditation with Tara Brach Free meditations that you can stream or download.
- Contemplative Mind in Society Guided practices from Mirabai Bush, the center’s director, Diana Winston from UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, and Arthur Zajonc, president of the Mind & Life Institute.
- Insight Meditation Society Selected talks, podcasts, and audio streams, including various lengths of guided meditation.
- Three great and free guided practices here too
