Five brilliant books (in my opinion!) that can help you to connect with compassion for yourself and for others.

I love reading Mindfulness and Compassion related books and I’m often asked for suggestions from people attending our Mindfulness Courses.  Here are a few of my current favourite books that I hope you can enjoy too.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

This is a beautifully illustrated book about love, friendship and kindness – very easy to read, good to dip in and out of and great to share with children too. Here’s a little taster:

Mindful Compassion – Using the power of Mindfulness and Compassion to Transform our Lives by Paul Gilbert and Choden

This book explores how the way our minds have evolved can cause us to have difficult emotions and explains how to respond wisely and compassionately to them and to the stresses of our everyday lives.  Also includes a range of useful practices.

Opening the Door of your Heart and other Buddhist Tales of Happiness by Ajahn Brahm

This is a collection of playful and often entertaining, short modern tales of happiness, compassion and love. 

Radical Compassion – Learning to Love Yourself and Your World within the Practice of R.A.I.N by Tara Brach

World-renowned mindfulness teacher, Tara Brach shares a simple four-step practice to awaken compassion and release the grip of painful emotions.  Her practices are grounded in both modern brain science and ancient wisdom.

No Mud, No Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh

An easy to read, short book that introduces ways of being in touch with suffering without being overwhelmed by it. “When we know how to suffer”, Nhat Hahn says, “we suffer much, much less.”