Mindfulness Resources
Here are some of my (clients’) favorite books, videos, articles, handouts, classes, podcasts, apps, etc. They're tailored for the Western, often type-A mind. Enjoy!
But first…
Aim for about a 10:1 ratio of practicing meditation to learning about meditation. Spending much time reading about why or how to meditate, listening to spiritual podcasts, watching enlightening videos, and engaging in discussions is a trick of the ego to avoid sitting and looking in the mirror, to keep its power and keep you stuck.
The same goes for most everything in this list and life.
Meditation Instructions
Videos
Walking Meditation — From Thich Nhat Hanh, the master himself.
Loving-Kindness — Cultivate the second wing of mindfulness, compassion (the first being awareness).
F*ck That: An Honest Meditation — Cut through the bullshit.
Spotify
Alan Watts — Among the more skillful meditation instructions out there. The advanced practice is to start with the basics and not try to be advanced.
Ram Dass — A bit more esoteric, lovely.
Articles
Mindfulness Meditation Misconceptions — The most common pitfalls for Westerners.
Finding Freedom Inside
Videos
Short Form
Music and Life — Wake up from the ruse.
The Lies Our Culture Tells Us About What Matters — And A Better Way To Live — Lead a life pursuing what really matters.
The Samurai And The Fly — Having the skills to remove obstacles is dangerous; practice acceptance.
Long Form
Perfect Days — A Tokyo toilet cleaner’s simple life of presence.
Inside Out — A wonderful depiction of Internal Family Systems Parts Work.
Everything Everywhere All At Once — About life and waking up.
Lord of the Rings — The ultimate depiction of the power of the light vs. the dark.
Ted Lasso — A real ahow about hope and humanity.
Aluna — A documentary about a shamanic tribe from the mountains of Colombia who gives modern scientists a run for their money.
Articles
The Moral Peril of Meritocracy — True fulfillment comes from moving beyond self-centered success to a life of purpose, service, and deeper connection with others.
The ‘How’ Is As Important As The ‘What’ In Self-Care — Forcing oneself to exercise, meditate, or let go, can be harmful. We want to cultivate an attitude of gentleness.
Brands I Trust For Healthy Living — I read all the fine print, request manufacturer COAs, and go through the studies so you don’t have to.
Handouts
Poetry Collection — Some of my favorite poems to help clearly see what matters.
Regulation Strategies — Print this out, and keep it with you, always. Read it when feeling overwhelmed.
Happiness Supports — a consolidated checklist of all the things to help cultivate wellbeing.
Books
Short Form
Mindfulness Essentials — A Thich Nhat Hanh series of simple practices to integrate presence into daily life.
Tao Te Ching — The most mind-blowingly true passages ever written.
The First Free Women — The Therigatha, poems from the first Buddhist women.
The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom — A priest’s private journal as he navigated the most difficult period of his life.
Ceremony — Profound passages to help you come home to and love yourself.
Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind — Talks by Suzuki Roshi distilling Buddhist teachings for OG Silicone Valley minds.
Long Form
The Art of Happiness — How to cultivate happiness.
The Alchemist — A parable surrounding love, following dreams, journey, and finding treasure within.
When Things Fall Apart — Learn how to suffer well.
Reconciliation: Healing The Inner Child Within — Thich Nhat Hanh frames Buddhist teachings in a practical way.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose — A concise explanation of ego vs. presence with clear instructions to shift from fear to love.
Radical Acceptance — What acceptance really means.
Man’s Search for Meaning — Even in suffering, we can find purpose and meaning, which gives life its deepest fulfillment.
The Bhagavad Gita — One of the most ancient lay-person-readable spiritual texts that explains it all.
Siddhartha — Historical fiction surrounding the life of Buddha and a man’s search for meaning, written by a student of Carl Jung.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents — Healing from neglect involves recognizing limitations, reclaiming your sense of self, and building healthier relationships.
Leaving Home — Explores the difficulty of breaking free from unhealthy parental bonds to build an independent, authentic life.
Complex PTSD — “I once heard renowned traumatologist John Briere quip that if CPTSD were ever given it’s due, the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used by all mental health professionals, would shrink from it’s dictionary-like size to the size of a thin pamphlet.” — Pete Walker, author
What The Buddha Taught — Pith transmission of (Theravadin) Buddhism.
The Highly Sensitive Person — Understand your trait, set boundaries, learn to care for yourself, and embrace your gift.
How To Change Your Mind — Explore the intersection between meditation, psychedelics, and consciousness.
Sapiens — Humanity’s story is one of cultural evolution, exploring how shared myths and cooperation shaped our species.
Spotify Playlists
Play music to help you feel your feelings.
Bedtime Wind Down — Peace.
Morning Ease In — Help Me Open My Heart.
Coldplay X&Y — Songs for heartache and heartbreak, difficulty in relationships.
🔥RAGE🔥 — Channel anger in a way that harms no being (self or other); don’t suppress it. Put in your earbuds, blast this playlist, and go nuts — workout, scream into a pillow, etc. Then give yourself space to feel your feelings.
Podcasts
Ten Percent Happier — Authentic insights on mindfulness meditation.
Deer Park Dharmacast — Buddhist teachings from the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
The Happiness Lab — The science of happiness, practical ways to improve well-being in everyday life.
Insights at the Edge — Interviews with spiritual teachers, thought leaders, and visionaries.
Nutrition Facts — The latest research on food and health.
Hidden Brain — Unconscious patterns behind human behavior and how they shape our lives.
Ram Dass Here And Now — Recordings of the former Harvard psychologist on spirituality, love, and awakening.
TED Talks Daily — Daily talks from experts on technology, creativity, and science.
Instagram
Apps
Dharmaseed — Huge archive of Buddhist talks.
Plum Village — Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition, guided by monastics…highly recommend.
Classes
The Science of Well-Being — Learn to be happy from the most popular (and free) online course, ever.
Yoga & Kirtan — I recommend gentle yoga at a studio that also offers kirtan (devotional call-and-response chanting).
Cultivating Healthy Relationships
Articles
The Four Horsemen — Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling are toxic communication patterns that predict relationship breakdown unless replaced with healthy alternatives.
Navigating Conflict In Close Relationships — Most people communicate about conflict subconsciously trying to alleviate unpleasant body sensation. Learn how to skillfully find lasting relief and bring closeness with your partner.
Books
Lasting Love — Cultivate self-awareness and authenticity. Co-create joyful relationships.
How To Be An Adult In Relationships — Presence, boundaries, and balancing love with independence.
For Professionals
The Dip — Learn when to persevere vs. cut losses.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things — Clear advice on the real challenges building a company.
Intentionally Omitted
While I generally agree with the surface messages, I find them to be motivated from a more rigid, overly masculine place and specifically recommend against them for nearly all of my clients who already air on the “too firm” side…
Andrew Huberman
Sam Harris
Stoicim