20 years ago, starting a meditation practice would have been tough. Back then, there were no apps or YouTube videos to watch and learn. At that time the term meditation conjured up images of goofy looking bald men dressed in robes and living in monasteries.
The sad truth is, people who took up meditation before the digital revolution were often seen as weird or outcasts.
Sometimes I truly think I’m blessed to have born in the late 1980’s. Not only did I get to live through the glorious 90’s, but I’ve also seen technology bring the human race closer together over the last few decades.
Now that’s not to say that the present day and the recent past aren’t full of bad things. On the contrary in fact.
However, if you look at the overall arch of history today is the best time to be alive!
Because of this, it has never been easier to start your very own meditation practice! Whether you’re completely new to meditation or you’re a veteran, technology and people have made meditation more accessible than ever before.
My journey.
My path to meditation started back in 2012 when an old business fraternity friend of mine gave me a book that literally changed my life.
The book was Eckhart Tolle’s, “The Power of Now” and it blew my freaking mind. I remember reading the passage, “The present moment is all you ever have,” for the first time and from that day forward my life has never been the same.
Now for those of you who’ve read “The Power of Now,” you might be thinking, “Wait that book wasn’t a book about meditation.” To that I would say, you’re right!
The concepts of presence and the ego however, are what led me to seek more answers.
It wasn’t long until I found my favorite gateway meditation book called, “10% Happier” by Dan Harris who does a masterful job making the meditation practice accessible to Type A go-getters like myself. This book was full of interesting stories and made me curious to go deeper into my meditation practice.
After Dans’ book I was officially hooked on meditation and I just HAD to find out more!
With the gusto of a teenage boy I feverishly researched new books that would help me understand meditation and my mind better.
The next book I read was, “Wherever You Go, There You Are” by John Kabot Zinn. This book is a meditation classic that provides the basics into Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and takes a lot of the fluff out of the practice to make it more digestible to those of us who are adverse to anything sounding like sudo science.
After reading “Wherever you Go,” I knew I had found something that had the power to change everything for me!
So, I didn’t stop!
I kept finding new books and reading more and more.
I read “Buddhas Brain” to teach myself the neurological impacts of meditation. I read “Why Buddhism is True” to help me understand the philosophy of meditation and the traditions through which it came. I read “Altered Traits” to understand the benefits of meditation—both on a individual basis and for the greater populous at large.
Read your way to confidence
The point is, there is NO shortage of meditation books out there to make you feel comfortable with the practice.
I know for me, I needed these books to help me clear away the old preconceived ideas I held about meditation before I could actually build up the courage to start my own practice.
Sometimes in life we need to know “why” before we actually “do” and the good news is, there are literally hundreds of books out there to help you see the “why” more clearly.
Finding a book on meditation that could change your life is simply a matter of effort, time, and patience. You have to turn over those stones and read as much as you can before you decide meditation is or isn’t for you.
You need to be curious about the implications of the practice and use this curiousity to seek answers and in turn, seek your truth and path in this life.
Reading is one of the most powerful tools ever created by mankind. With it, we can learn from others, grow without making the same mistakes and become the person we want to be through the words and ideas of the greats that came before us!
Conclusion:
Books have the power to change lives and the books I’ve described above certainly did that for me! If you want to meditate but don’t feel like you have any education on the subject or support in your practice, then lean on your books.
Take advantage of the great people who’ve already paved the way for us to learn such beautiful and life changing practices like meditation. When you forget your why, think back to all the books you’ve read. Maybe save a passage so when times are tough, you can meditate on the words and remember why you started a meditation practice in the first place.
No matter where you are in your meditation journey, there ARE books and resources out there to help you! You don’t have to do this alone so let your books guide you along your way!
Stay curious, stay mindful and keep reading, because the truth is, the more you know, the more you grow.
For a full list of books I’ve read over the las two years, including a summary of each, CLICK HERE
Thank you as always for reading our blog post this week. If you have any other books you think would help people PLEASE drop us a comment and let us know!