These meditation and spirituality books are some of the best out there for beginners and experienced advanced practitioners alike.
It’s really exciting to observe meditation and various spiritual practice become mainstream, given how helpful they are to your well-being. Now that the notion of meditation is less mysterious, and more people are willing to speak candidly about the practice we’re discovering more tools than ever to help improve our practice.
One of those hugely important tools to not only understanding meditation, but also its role in your life is an informative meditation book. Even a decade ago, before smartphones took over the world by storm and the internet became accessible to everyone, finding information about less known topics like meditation and yoga was very difficult.
With the mainstream growth we have more information readily available on the internet and at our fingertips. It can be somewhat helpful to make much headway when gathering detailed and in-depth information about many topics, including meditation and yoga. Discerning resources that are helpful vs those that are limiting becomes increasingly important.
Most of the information on the internet ends up being the same, and it loses its information acquisition edge past a certain point. This is where books come to the rescue. There are a whole bunch of popular and well-reputed meditation books in the market, with new books still coming in every month to quench the thirst of spiritually curious readers worldwide.
These books have detailed information regarding various aspects of meditation including techniques and effective autosuggestions to program your mind into a sharp tool. I dove into some of the most popular meditation books in publication and took a few days to compile my thoughts and summaries of each.
Some of these books are about the procedural aspects of meditation and how to reach higher levels of consciousness while others are about the philosophical aspects of meditation. Whether you’re just getting into the world of meditation or a seasoned practitioner looking for a good read, these books are great choices and excellent additions to your bookshelf as I believe these are some of the best meditation books of all time.
Here are my picks of the 10 best meditation books available for beginners and advanced practitioners alike.
Making Space- Thich Nhat Hanh
$9 at the time of publication
A popular classic that has stood the test of time for about a decade, this classic meditation book is authored by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. It simplifies the concepts and fundamentals of Zen meditation to newcomers and provides directions towards creative suggestions and practices.
Making Space tackles how to create an impactful at-home meditation practice with an emphasis on why meditation is important. The author then quickly summarizes where to set up your meditation space, how to do so effectively, and which products to include.
Though it is a basic and entry level meditation book, I will suggest it as a must have for any novice meditation practitioner. It’s very easy to grasp and understand and will help you get the basics of meditation down pat. Making Space by Thich Nhat Hanh is currently available on Amazon.com
Meditation For The Love Of It: Enjoying Your Own Deepest Experience- Sally Kempton
$18 the time of publication
According to the author of the book Sally Kempton, meditation is like having a love affair with oneself. Meditation is not only the art of gaining focus and awareness, but also the art of self-discovery and self-love. In a plain and simple manner, Ms. Kempton lays bare the fundamentals of learning to love and discover oneself through the power of meditation.
The wisdom in Ms. Kempton’s words are filled with compassion and experience, reaching out to readers beyond the confines of pages and words.
Meditation For The Love it: Enjoying Your Own Deepest Experience by Sally Kempton is currently available on Amazon.com
A Woman’s Book Of Meditation: Discovering The Power Of A Peaceful Mind- Hari Kaur Khalsa
$14 at the time of publication
Despite being the immense need by women all over the world, very few authors and books understand the importance of viewing and explaining the fundamentals of meditation from a woman’s point of view. Author Hari Kaur Khalsa exactly understands the daily stress that a modern woman has to go through on a daily basis. Her understanding translates seamlessly in her writing, making this one of the rarer meditation books focused on spirituality. A Woman’s Book of Meditation: Discovering the Power of a Peaceful Mind by Hari Kaur Khalsa is currently available on Amazon.com
Not Always So- Shunryu Suzuki
$14 at the time of publication
A thoroughly interesting read by the author of the quintessential Zen meditation beginners book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, Not Always So is an often overlooked classic authored by the prominent Japanese Zen master. Instead of expanding on the theories and principles explained in his previous book, Shunryu Suzuki offers his subtle and masterful insights on Zen meditation. The beauty of Suzuki’s penmanship is the fact that instead of trying to imprint his perceptions on the reader, he allows the reader to formulate their own perceptions on the various subject matters discussed in the book by themselves. Not Always So by Shunryu Suzuki is currently available on Amazon.com
Meditation Secrets For Women: Discovering Your Passion, Pleasure And Inner Peace- Camille Maurine & Lorin Roche
$18 at the time of publication
This book does a major service to women by exploring meditation in a way that seeks to relieve the falsehoods that meditation practice must be perfect and structured to be beneficial. This is such an important perspective to take because women often come up against teachings that translate into many constraints and limited beliefs (whether well-intended or not) along their spiritual quests.
There is room for emotion and movement in meditation. In fact, moving energy through ones body whether through expressing emotions or moving one’s limbs is incredibly therapeutic and vibration raising. This book does a really good job in forgoing long-held rules and illuminating the fact that meditation is deeply individual and should be left open to more interpretation. Meditation Secrets for Women: Discovering Your Passion, Pleasure and Inner Peace by Camille Maurine and Lorin Roch is currently available on Amazon.com
Zen Wrapped In Karma And Dipped In Chocolate- Brad Warner
$10 at the time of publication
While most meditation books are serious and self-aware, with the authors feeling similar to sage-like figures, Brad Warner breaks all conventions by writing a meditation book focused on the last thing I would have expected; humor. I laughed and giggled my way through the pages as the astute but often charmingly, befuddled Zen expert tries to connect the philosophies of Zen with his personal and social life.
Warner’s self-deprecating writing style fully realizes the range of emotions in his realization from various scenarios of his life like losing his job and the death of his mother which any regular person can relate to. If you’ve been asking yourself how mysticism and modern life goes hand-in-hand, Warner’s book will answer that question quite humorously. Zen Wrapped in Karma and Dipped in Chocolate by Brad Warner is currently available on Amazon.com
Mindfulness In Plain English- Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
$15 at the time of publication
The most prominent mindfulness meditation guide out on the market, Mindfulness in Plain English is one of my personal favorites thanks to its easy language and nuanced explanations that are easy to understand and grasp, but only for the advanced practitioner.
Although the title of the book makes it sounds like a perfect starting place for novitiate meditation practitioners, the advanced theories and discussions carried out by the author can only be understood once you have practiced meditation for a significant amount of time. An excellent source of information on mindfulness meditation, I personally believe that this book is a must have once you’ve reached the more advanced levels of meditation. Mindfulness in plain English is currently available on Amazon.com
Meditation Made Easy- Lorin Roche
$14 at the time of publication
As one of the most popular meditation book author alive today, Lorin Roche has always had my admiration and respect thanks to her masterful prose and emotional writing style that feels both personal and powerful at the same time. I read this book recently and personally found it one of the best entry level meditation books I’ve ever read. Filled with useful tips and tricks, this book definitely deserves a read at least once even if you’re a veteran meditation practitioner. Meditation Made Easy by Lorin Roche is currently available on Amazon.com
Wherever You Go, There You Are- John Kabat-Zinn
$12 at the time of publication
Another excellent book on mindfulness meditation that I came across a couple of years back, John Kabat-Zinn blows away the misconceptions regarding the spiritual and mystic side of meditation which do not run well with a lot of novice meditation practitioners who are more concerned with the latest trends and diets rather than their spiritual well-being.
This book is a modern-day love-letter to meditation by a no-nonsense meditation practitioner and writer. A must-read for those looking for more insight into mindful meditation practices from the father of mindful meditation himself. Wherever You Go, There You Are by John Kabat-Zinn is currently available on Amazon.com
Meditation In Action- Chogyam Trungpa
$12 at the time of publication
A veritable classic from the days before internet was invented, this book written by the late Tibetan Buddhist monk still stands above most modern books written today. The perspectives and meditation fundamentals discussed in this book is definitely unique and gave me a lot of things to ponder on. Meditation in Action by Chogyam Trungpa is currently available on Amazon.com
