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10 Great Meditation Books to Get You Started in 2012

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Welcome to my Holiday Gift Guide on Meditation!

Why not add, "try meditation" to your New Years resolutions this year. A new year is the perfect time to see what all the fuss is about and maybe find it's something you'll love.

Meditation is agnostic, it does not require you give up any beliefs you already have nor does it require you take on new beliefs. The closest example I can think of to what meditation is would be exercise.

I said it, mediation is exercise for your concentration, your focus and your stress levels. Just like running to get into shape meditation gets your mind into shape. Now who wouldn't want their brain running faster and have that tension in their shoulders reduced?

I think that says it all, meditation = health for mind and body.

How I Picked These Books

When choosing the books for this list of 10 I wanted it to reflect books and teachings I felt are based around one word, simple. One of my favorite writers about meditation is Steve Hagen, his description of his books purpose rings a bell of clarity with me and I tried to apply that clarity to all the books you will find below in my list of 10 books about how-to get started with meditation.

I truly hope you will give it a try if you already haven't and if you have tried meditation but don't currently practice i encourage you to get one of these books and get give it another try. the benefits are huge.

The 3 purposes from Meditation Now or Never by Steve Hagen

1. Simple practices to avoid needlessly complicating meditation
2. Where most of us get stuck in meditation-and how to get unstuck
3. A unique focus on meditation not simply as a spiritual technique, but as a way of living

Meditation For Dummies

For every sale from Amazon on this page, Squidoo donates $1 to Room to Read

Meditation For Dummies®, Mini Edition

by: Stephan Bodian

Amazon Price: (as of 05/23/2012)

Meditation is the ideal way to relax your body, calm your mind, reduce stress, and enhance your overall health and well-being. Whether you're new to meditation, a seasoned practitioner coming back for a refresher course, or someone looking for ways to change and improve your meditation practice, this guide has you covered.

8 Minute Meditation

8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.

by: Victor Davich

Amazon Price: $7.92 (as of 05/23/2012)

this book offers a simple, no-nonsense program to help beginners experience reduced stress and increased focus in only eight minutes a day. Designed by meditation expert and bestselling author Victor Davich, this program teaches the basic principles of meditation while clearing up the misconceptions and myths that too often get in the way.

How-to Find Your Happiness in 15 Minutes A Day

Meditation: How to Reduce Stress, Get Healthy, and Find Your Happiness in Just 15 Minutes a Day.

by: Rachel J Rofe

Amazon Price: $12.54 (as of 05/23/2012)

This book will help you learn everything you need to know about meditating "right". It shows you the best meditation technique for YOU, how to develop a routine, how to breathe correctly, and much more --- without any judgment

Quiet Mind

Quiet Mind: A Beginner's Guide to Meditation

by: Sharon Salzberg, Sakyong Mipham, Tulku Thondup, Larry Rosenberg

Amazon Price: $6.74 (as of 05/23/2012)

This unique book-and-audio program brings together some of the country's most beloved meditation teachers. Each contributor presents a short written teaching along with an audio recording of a guided practice. Quiet Mind features:

Mindfulness in Plain English

Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition

by: Bhante Gunaratana

Amazon Price: $8.88 (as of 05/23/2012)

This is a book that people read, love, and give to everyone they know-a book that people talk about, write about, reflect on, and return to over and over again.

meditation stocking stuffers on eBay

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The Power of Meditation

Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program

by: Sharon Salzberg

Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 05/23/2012)

There is no better person to show a beginner how to harness the power of meditation than Sharon Salzberg, one of the world's foremost meditation teachers and spiritual authors. Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of Lovingkindness, Faith, and other books, Ms. Salzberg distills 30 years of teaching meditation into a 28-day program that will change lives.

Guided Mindfulness

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 1

by: Jon Kabat-Zinn

Amazon Price: $16.76 (as of 05/23/2012)

Featured in Bill Moyer's PBS Special Healing and the Mind, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. is executive director at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He is the founder and former director of the UMMC Stress Reduction Clinic and an associate professor of medicine in the division of preventive and behavioral medicine. Using mindfulness meditation

Skills For Modern Minds

The Fine Arts of Relaxation, Concentration, and Meditation: Ancient Skills for Modern Minds

by: Joel Levey, Michelle Levey

Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 05/23/2012)

Joel and Michelle Levey have taught thousands of people around the globe to live in greater harmony and balance. Field-tested and refined over many years, the Leveys' unique approach to stress-mastery and personal development offers step-by-step guidance for developing personal strengths, enhancing the quality of life,

Now or Never

Meditation Now or Never

by: Steve Hagen

Amazon Price: $8.13 (as of 05/23/2012)

National bestselling author and teacher Steve Hagen strips away the cultural and religious jargon surrounding meditation and provides an accessible and thorough manual for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike. Inside you will find:

Simple practices to avoid needlessly complicating meditation
Where most of us get stuck in meditation-and how to get unstuck
A unique focus on meditation not simply as a spiritual technique, but as a way of living

Mindfulness Meditation (Audio)

Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief: Guided Practices for Reclaiming Your Body and Your Life

by: Jon Kabat-Zinn

Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 05/23/2012)

begins with an overview of how mindfulness changes the way our bodies process pain and stress. Listeners will learn tips and techniques for working with the mind and embracing whatever arises in our lives, however challenging. Then Jon Kabat-Zinn leads us in guided meditations drawn from his pioneering Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

What people are saying on Twitter about meditation

“Share any thoughts on these books....?”

Happy holidays!

Reply

TandCrecruitment Feb 26, 2012 @ 7:53 am | delete

I am going to meditate for 10 mins to night I need to start clearing my mind more as my heads be oh so busy these past few months GREAT LENS thank you

Reply

Brad_1986 Feb 14, 2012 @ 5:30 pm | delete

a book on osho's work would also be good here :=) great lens!

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collettehrock Jan 31, 2012 @ 10:03 am | delete

This is a great subject I am like you I also believe in meditation and it really doesn't take a lot of time to do. As well as the usual forms of meditation I also work out on my fit ball. There are stretching exercises that you can do with the ball that give this amazing calming effect similar to meditation