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References & Resources

Harvard Neuroscientist: Meditation Not Only Reduces Stress, Here’s How It Changes Your Brain
Washington Post

Why Does Anyone Do Yoga Anyway? 
Psychology Today

The Buddhist and the Neuroscientist, What Compassion Does for the Brain
The Atlantic

Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain
Harvard Business Review

Mindfulness Is Good for Your Heart—and Your Waistline
The Greater Good

Benefits of Mindfulness
Mayo Clinic

Benefits of Mindfulness
Psychology Today

Books We Love

The Art of Happiness
The Dalai Lama
A handbook for living. This is the book that kicked off the genre of happiness books, and it remains a cornerstone of the field of positive psychology.

The Emotional Life of Your Brain
Richard J. Davidson (Author), Sharon Begley (Contributor).
Davidson, a pioneering neuroscientist, and Begley, a leading science journalist, explain how we each have specific, identifiable brain circuits that give rise to our Emotional Style, reflecting our individual inclination to express emotions such as compassion, affability, and empathy.

Real Happiness
Sharon Salzberg
Shares the lessons and wisdom Salzberg has developed over 30 years of teaching meditation, distilled into a 28-day program.

Fully Present
Susan Smalley and Diana Winston
Smalley highlights research encouraging readers to try mindfulness themselves, and Winston explains how.

The Wise Heart
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield explains the Buddhist concept of mindfulness and how it can be used for personal transformation.

Peace is Every Step
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make positive use of the very situations that usually pressure and antagonize us through mindful practices.

Everyday Blessings
Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn 
The inner workings of mindful parenting of children of all ages.

Wherever You Go, There You Are
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Sequel to "Full Catastrophe Living," Jon further delves into meditation and mindfulness theory.

Full Catastrophe Living
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness.

Books for Parents

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Daniel J. Siegel
Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. 

Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents)
Line Snel
This introduction to mindfulness meditation for children and their parents includes practices that can help children calm down, become more focused, fall asleep more easily, alleviate worry, manage anger, and generally become more patient and aware.  I often recommend this book to parents who want to learn more about mindfulness and how they can practice mindfulness at home with their children.

The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate
Susan Kaiser Greenland
Instructions and activities for the most effective ways to teach—and model—mindfulness to kids. 

Mindful Parenting: Simple and Powerful Solutions for Raising Creative, Engaged, Happy Kids in Today’s Hectic World
Kristen Race
A mindful approach to parenting that helps children (and their parents) feel happier, healthier, calmer, and less stressed in our frenetic era.

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence
Rick Hanson
Discusses mindfulness in the context of positive psychology with friendly neuroscience.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
Daniel J. Siegel
Lots of tips and fun exercises here plus digestible neurobiology.

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
Daniel J. Siegel
Great book to read with teenagers. Understand and work with the biological changes of the teen years.

Mindful Games: Sharing Mindfulness and Meditation with Children, Teens, and Families
Susan Kaiser Greenland
A playful approach for cultivating mindfulness in kids, with sixty simple games to develop attention and focus, and identify and regulate emotions.

Books for Teachers

Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom Meena Srinivasan
This is an excellent resource for classroom teachers in which the author highlights how mindfulness can be an effective tool in the classroom. What makes this book truly unique is her perspective as a classroom teacher, wrestling daily with the conditions about which she writes.

Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom
Patricia A. Jennings
Mindfulness for Teachers is based upon the author's extensive experience as a mindfulness practitioner, teacher, teacher educator and scientist. Drawing upon basic and applied research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and education, the book offers valuable information about how mindfulness can help teachers manage the stressful demands of the classroom, cultivate an exceptional learning environment, and revitalize teaching and learning.

A Still Quiet Place
Amy Saltzman
An eight-week mindfulness curriculum, with a balance of sitting practice, mindful movement, and compassionate discussion, along with comprehensive guidelines on how to teach mindfulness. 

Building Emotional Intelligence
Linda Lantieri
Puts mindfulness in the broader context of social and emotional learning and resilience.

Little Flower Yoga for Kids 
Jennifer Cohen Harper
"Gentle yoga practices to help kids pay better attention and balance their emotions, while building physical strength and flexibility."  Great mindful movement exercises for the classroom.

Books for Adults Working with Children with Special Needs  

Mindful Parenting for ADHD: A Guide to Cultivating Calm, Reducing Stress, and Helping Children Thrive
Mark Bertin MD 
Written by a pediatrician and based in proven-effective mindfulness techniques, this book will help you and your child with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) keep calm, flexible, and in control.

The Autism Playbook for Teens
Irene McHenry and Carol Moog
Mindfulness-based activities to help kids with autism recognize and regulate their feelings and behavior. 

A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents
Sam Himelstein
Dr. Himelstein urges therapists to think of mindfulness not as a "technique" but as "a more holistic approach to working with other human beings." This includes teaching mindfulness formally and informally, as well as "the application of mindfulness for therapists themselves to develop personally and professionally."

Mindfulness for Teen Anger
Mark Purcell & Jason Murphy
"So many anger management strategies fail because all the attention is on making you change what you do… but to change what is happening on the outside, we need to look deeply at what is happening on the inside."

Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety
Christopher Willard
Mindfulness practices to help teens deal with common stressors like test anxiety, dating, peer pressure, and tension with siblings.

Recommended Children’s Books with Mindfulness Themes

Visiting Feelings
Lauren Rubenstein

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Carol McCloud

Silence
Lemniscates

Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning about Empathy
Bob Sornson, Ph.D.

Lemonade Hurricane
Licia Morelli and Jennifer Morris

What does it mean to be Present?
Rana DiOrio and Eliza Wheeler

A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles
Thich Naht Hanh

Master of Mindfulness: How to Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress
Laurie Grossman 

Charlotte and the Quiet Place
Deborah Sosin and Sara Woolley

Puppy Mind
Andrew Jordan Nance and Jim Durk

Moody Cow Meditates
Kerry Lee MacLean