Meditation and mindfulness require no equipment and no particular belief: just a little attention, regularly. The books below are excellent starting points to calm the mind and return to the present moment.
No time to read them all? Each of these titles is distilled to its essentials on Cobalt.
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
The absolute classic on presence. Tolle shows how most of our suffering comes from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, and how to return to the only moment that truly exists: now. A book to reread in small doses.
Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius
Written for himself by a Roman emperor, Meditations is a manual of inner calm eighteen centuries old. It teaches you to focus on what depends on you and to accept the rest with serenity: mindfulness before its time.
The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz
Four simple principles to lighten the mind: be impeccable with your word, do not take anything personally, do not make assumptions, always do your best. Ruiz offers concrete mental hygiene, easy to remember and apply.
Ikigai, the path to meaning
This bestseller explores the reason for being that gets us up in the morning. Ikigai connects mindfulness, the pleasure of small things and a sense of meaning, in the spirit of the Japanese philosophy of daily life.
Where to start?
If you are a beginner, start with The Power of Now for the idea of presence, then pick among the others according to your sensibility, more stoic (Meditations), practical (The Four Agreements) or existential (Ikigai). What matters is practising a little every day.
Find the summaries of these books on Cobalt, with a 7-day free trial on iOS and Android.