Reading list.

Written By Erin Hoey
 

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde

It is important to become increasingly aware of what our mind is consuming each day. For this reason, I always encourage new meditators to begin a reading ritual.

Meditation + Reading are powerhouse rituals - Meditation transforms us from the inside-out, and Knowledge transforms us from the outside in. When the mind dips into being, during your meditation, the mind begins to open up in marvelously dynamic ways. Knowledge is power. Allowing our minds to absorb high-quality content that enriches, expands, and inspires our being is the next step to transformation in our lives. Whether it’s content about creativity, consciousness, spirituality, poetry or philosophy, we saturate ourselves in new ways of thinking and experiencing and most importantly pave new ways of being in the world.

Our best intentions to read before bed or resolutions to finish a book a week can be easily spoiled by a distracted brain. With so much competing stimulus from all corners of our lives – and phones – it’s not so much a personal failure that we do not read as much as we’d like, but rather a lapse in habit.

Even when we feel too busy, too distracted, too unfocused or tired, it is possible to build a ritual of reading into our lives and reclaim some everyday enjoyment as we do so. I recommend layering your meditation with 5-15 minutes of reading. You will be pleasantly surprised at how enriching it is to dedicate this tiny pocket of time to your daily experience.

If you’re looking for some inspiration here’s our inspiration list.

 
 

Vedic texts

Sovereign Self - Acharya Shunya

  • The Mahabharata (Volume 1 and 2) - Ramesh Menon

  • The Ramayana - Ramesh Menon

  • The Principle Upanishads - S. Radhakrishnan

  • Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad Gita; A New Translation and Commentary Chapters 1-6 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1969 version)

Know the body

A Life of Balance - Maya Tiwari

  • Eastern Body, Western Mind – Anodea Judith

  • Perfect Health – Deepak Chopra

  • Kundalini Tantra – Swami Satyananda Saraswati

  • The Body Keeps Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk

  • When the Body Says No - Gabor Mate

  • The Molecules of Emotion - Candace Pert

Know the mind

  • My Stroke of Insight - Jill Bolte Taylor

  • The Awakened Brain - Lisa Miller

  • The Brain that Changes Itself - Norman Doidge, MD

  • The Golden Sequence - Jonni Pollard

  • Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Cause of Depression

    and the Unexpected Solutions - Johann Hari

  • A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle

  • The Power of Now : A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment - Eckhart Tolle

  • The Untethered Soul - Michael A. Singer

  • Meditation for the Love of It - Sally Kempton

  • Who Would You Be Without Your Story - Byron Katie

  • Zen Mind Beginners Mind - Shunryu Suzuki

  • Stolen Focus - Johann Hari

Expansive living

  • The Five Invitations - Frank Ostaseski

  • A Rishi’s Life - Deepak Chopra

  • The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear & Take Life to the Next Level - Gay Hendricks

  • Laws of Success - Deepak Chopra

  • The Gifts Of Imperfection - Brene Brown

  • The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

  • When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

  • This One Wild & Precious Life - Sarah Wilson

  • Men’s Business Women’s Business - Hannah Rachel Bell

  • Anam Cara - John O'Donoghue

  • Grown & Gathered - Matt & Lentil

  • The Village - Matt & Lentil

  • Four Thousands Weeks - Oliver Burkeman

On creativity

  • Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

  • The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer

  • Making the Impossible Possible - Bill Strickland

  • The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin

  • The Artists Way - Julia Cameron

  • Surrender - Joshua Yeldham

For hard times, grief & transition

Podcasts

  • The Vital Veda Podcast

  • Under The Skin with Russel Brand

  • Wild with Sarah Wilson

  • 1 Giant Mind Podcast

  • OnBeing with Krista Tippett

  • The Mahasoma Podcast

  • Satsung with Mooji

After meditation reads (for when you have 5 minutes)

  • Tao Te Ching - Translated by Stephen Mitchell

  • Embracing Bliss. 108 Daily Meditations - Jeff Kober

  • All poetry written by - Mary Oliver

  • Consolations - David Whyte

Ayurveda

Erin Hoey
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