Resources to support your personal practice
There are many wonderful teachers, books and talks ... so many ways to enrich our practice. Turning to teachings from the wisdom traditions is a great refuge in times of difficulty. Meditation brings us in contact with our deepest selves. When you find yourself desiring to shut down and distract, consider turning to one of these resources. Find what fits best for you, what resonates, what speaks to your heart. (This list is a small sampling.)
Books
Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, 2003.
Tara Brach, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart, 2013.
Rick Hanson, Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom, 2009
Rick Hanson, Rewiring the Brain for Happiness, 2013.
Daniel Siegel, Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, 2010.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness: An 8-week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, 2012.
Pema Chodron, numerous books! see Amazon listing
Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition, 2002.
Sharon Salzberg: Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, 1995.
Meditation CDs
Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Guided Meditations, 2007.
Tara Brach, Finding True Refuge: Meditations for Difficult Times, 2013.
Tara Brach, Meditations for Emotional Healing: Finding Freedom in the Face of Difficulty, 2009.
Pema Chodron, Natural Awareness: Guided Meditations and Teachings for Welcoming All Experience, 2011.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 3, 2012.
Web Resources
Tara Brach’s website (www.tarabrach.com) audio and video talks and guided meditations
Jonathan Foust’s website (www.jonathanfoust.com) audio talks and guided meditations
Rick Hanson’s website (www.rickhanson.net) iPhone app, JOT, guided meditations
UCLA Mindfulness Research Center (mindfulness and meditation instruction in a secular language)
www.marc.ucla.edu
Dharmaseed (talks and meditations by Buddhist teachers)
www.dharmaseed.org
Smartphone Apps
Mindfulness Bell : an app that will sound a bell at the interval you choose, as a reminder to bring awareness inward, or to whatever focus you are working with in your mindfulness practice.
Headspace : an introduction to meditation with 10-minute guided meditations for each day. Excellent instruction, accessible, and friendly. (www.headspace.com)
Insight Timer : a free app that includes a customizable timer as well as thousands of guided meditations from hundreds of teachers in many traditions, music, groups, a social platform, and a profile page that tracks your meditation time. (insighttimer.com)