Mindfulness related content

If you're curious on starting with meditating or if you want to dive deeper into the topic of mindfulness, then keep on reading! We've selected our favorites for you to try out on your own and in your own pace 😄

Books

The Mind Illuminated (Cudalasa) : If you're serious about meditating daily and are looking for straightforward non-airy-fairy instructions for meditating, then this is definitely the book for you. It is not meant to be read in a single go, but is more intended as a text book guiding you every step of the way through the different stages of your practice. This is the book our house style is inspired by.

Waking up (Sam Harris): If you're curious about meditating and what it's about, this book a great start. It is not very thick, and reads fluently. The writer is also the founder of the app with the same name which we recommend.

The Mindful Self-Compassion workbook (Kristin Neff & Chris Germer): If you've ever thought "Okay, I guess that I should stop being so harsh on myself, but HOW exactly do I do that?", this book contains very practical instructions for becoming kinder to yourself through meditation. It is about letting go of self-criticism and cultivating the voice of an inner best friend there for us everyday and in our most vulnerable moments. It decomposes self-compassion into three pillars: mindfulness of pain, common humanity, and self-kindness. This is both a great book for beginners and more advanced meditators who want to learn more about kindness and navigating difficult emotions. All the meditations that complement the book are available for free online and there are a lot of journaling exercises as well.

Apps

InsightTimer: The best free app for meditation. This app has a meditation timer with a gong and recordings of guided meditations from thousands of guides from all over the world. We have our own InsightTimer page on which you can find recordings of meditations by our own guide so make sure to follow our page here to stay tuned. Not sure which meditations to play? Find some recommendations here.

Waking up: this app contains audio recordings of a beginners course with daily sessions, all types of meditation sessions and discussions and theoretical content. The app is based on donations but if you are short in money you can request a free year membership (which is rather easy).

Headspace: this app contains both audio recordings and animations. It contains many meditation sessions, explanaition videos, but also sounds to relax/fall asleep and meditations to start with meditating. The app costs between 4 to 13 euros per month depending on your membership and it's possible to take a free trial of several days.

Calm: another great app with audio recordings for guided meditations, sleeping practices and music. The app costs 30-50 euros depending on your membership.

The Mindful Library at the VU

At the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam: The Mindful Library is both a library space devoted to the study and practice of meditation and a growing network of students and staff who are interested in exploring mindfulness for mental well-being and personal growth. In this library you are able to borrow books about mindfulness and mindfulness related content and read them, but there is also a space to discuss and practice mindfulness.

We want more!

Do you have any suggestions to add on our mindfulness related content list? Please share them with us by emailing mail@studentmeditation.nl. You can also email us for questions, comments or remarks.