Meditations

Recommended Reading

Tara Brach is a wonderful meditation guide. Here is one of her more recent meditations: https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-thought-clouds-3/

I also recommend meditations with mantras as well. I find it very easy to let go of thoughts when I have a mantra to focus on. This is an article discusses how to use mantras in your practice. Transcendental Meditation (TM) focuses on mantras. I highly recommend it, however, it does cost a lot of money upfront. The basic idea is to have a word/mantra that has no meaning behind it and repeat the word silently in your mind for 20 mins twice a day. When thoughts emerge you gently return to the mantra. The mantra can be thought fast/slow/elongated/repeating syllables/however your mind lets you think of it.

Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm) by Nick Trenton

Attached by Rachel Heller and Amir Levine helps identify different attachment styles, which can be very helpful in understanding your relationship patterns.

Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you struggle with creating or changing your routines this is a great book to help motivate you. It gives clear suggestions, however, it will still take follow through.

The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. In this book, Ruiz looks at self-imposed limitations that can lead to unnecessary pain and suffering. He aims to give his reader guidelines capable of reshaping our existence, giving us more freedom, happiness and love. The four agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel, Van Der Kolk