The best meditation resources
A curated list of blogs, music, books, and YouTube channels to make your meditation practice complete
We have curated the best resources that help improve and expand your meditation practice, with an emphasis on mantra meditation.
We've included blogs that come out with the best articles, YT channels that produce the best content consistently, podcast series that answer the most thoughtful questions, and the most easy-to-use apps for a serious practitioner.
Best guided meditation
Guided meditation is the most beginner-friendly way into the meditation space. A narrator or teacher gives a step-by-step approach to finding the meditative space of mind.
They can range anywhere from a minute to a whole hour, and cater to whatever stage of your meditation journey you're at.
1) 20-minute session for deep relaxation
This 20-minute session is an excellent primer for meditation. It is about easing into a state of relaxation, the most popular use of the meditation practice.
It uses a lot of quiet spaces, with just the ambient sounds of the ocean to help relax you.
2) A quick session to remove stress
Headspace's 1-minute stress-buster is hugely popular for how easily you can fit it into a busy day to dispel stress.
3) A guided session to overcome overthinking
Many of us struggle to stay in the present and get bogged down by habitual overthinking.
Michael Sealey's 42-minute video is a deep dive into what causes this sort of mind to spiral into these patterns, and how to step away from it.
4) Guided sleep meditation
Jason Stephenson is one of the foremost names in sleep meditation, tracks that guide a restless mind to sleep.
This chakra-balancing spoken meditation is an excellent offering to find restful sleep.
5) Abundance meditation
A bit of old-school charm from Bob Proctor guides a listener to the abundance mindset, a mental space that best equips you to achieve your deepest desires.
The production quality is a bit different from our other recommendations, but the power of his words on the mind is astounding.
Best meditation books
Some of you might prefer to dive deep into the principles and varieties of meditation in detail to satisfy your curiosity.
Authority books on meditation would be your best asset in this case. We tried to include variety and beginner-friendliness with this list.
1) Making space
If you're planning on setting up a meditation practice at home, you have to read Making Space by Thich Nhat Hanh.
It is as much about finding the right place to do meditation, as it is about creating the right physical space.
2) 10% Happier
The best way to understand the benefits of meditation may be from the point--of-view of someone who was cynical towards meditation initially.
Dan Harris was such a man, before he had an on-air panic attack, and has since rebuilt his life around fixing the way he lives.
His honest and pragmatic approach towards meditation might be exactly what you need.
3) Out of your mind
Alan Watts is one of the foremost writers when it comes to mindfulness. He is the first to have made Eastern philosophies approachable to the people of the West.
‘Out of your mind’ is a book, not about getting into meditation, but rather about what to do when you start getting insights based on your meditation.
It's about breaking through the 'rationality' we hold so dear, to find spiritual answers.
4) Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
This book is best experienced after you have started meditating regularly.
Reading the book has been described as like being in the presence of a teacher. It gives context and understanding to what you are experiencing through meditation.
5) Meditation for beginners
Jack Kornfield's book on meditation is a must-have for beginners looking for a more detailed approach to what meditation might be like.
He provides an extra level of expertise in his explanation and detailing of walking meditation and loving-kindness meditation.
Best mantras for meditation
We have an expansive library of mantras for a meditator to choose from, that provide a variety of benefits from reducing stress & anxiety to helping you manage emotional turmoil.
Mantra meditation is an excellent form of meditation as it combines meditation with the benefits of chanting a mantra or a composition of powerful sounds, that activate the mind or the body.
Here are 5 we found our followers to love most of all.
1) Om Japa Kusuma
This Sun mantra is an excellent way to dispel physical and mental fatigue.
It is best experienced in the morning, as it energizes you for the entire day ahead.
2) Om Namah Shivaya
This is a very popular Shiva chant that is great for finding peace of mind.
It's a simple chant that has a profound effect on the listener or chanter.
3) Vakratunda Mahakaya
This Ganesha mantra is beloved for its ability to remove obstacles from the life of the listener or chanter.
Lord Ganesha is believed to be the one who alleviates the difficulties of his devotees, in Hindu mythology.
The mantras dedicated to him are aimed at adjusting your mindset not to be bogged down by difficulty but to seek solutions to them.
4) Sudarshanashtakam
This beautiful mantra is great for healing the listener or chanter physically and mentally.
It is also great for relieving chronic pain.
5) Tayata Om Mantra
Listen to this entrancing Buddha mantra that heals the meditator from all suffering.
To be precise, it separates the pain arising from past events, and leaves just the lessons to be learned from it.
It is an excellent way to ensure you are not wincing in pain, each time an event from your past is brought up.
Best meditation apps
Apps like Headspace have made it very convenient for people to take up meditation, and then scale up as they spend more time with it.
We list the 5 best meditation apps, to be your constant companion and guide on your journey.
1) Headspace
Headspace is rated the best meditation app, almost universally.
It has a very structured approach to teaching you meditation. It is very beginner-friendly, allowing you to get used to meditation at a comfortable pace.
But if you'd like to scale up your practice, they have options of increasing complexity, all structured for effortless progression.
2) Calm
Calm offers a less-structured approach to guiding people during meditation.
You can go for a traditional deep relaxation session one day, and try out a more intense visualization session.
3) The Breathing App
The Breathing App is a completely free option, put out by Eddie Stern.
Eddie Stern is a Yoga teacher, author, and lecturer from New York City, and has produced quite a following with his Ashtanga Yoga classes.
4) Simple Habit
The Simple Habit has excellent UI design, making it a joy to discover and practice the right meditation for you.
They don't offer a smooth progression, the way Headspace or Calm does, and their free content is limited.
5) The Mindfulness App
This app has a guided meditation for you, no matter your preference.
If you want a quick 3-minute stress-buster or a long session with introspection, there's a guided meditation for you.
It also boasts classes hosted by giants of the meditation space, like Tara Brach and Eckhart Tolle.
Best YouTube channels for meditation
There are several channels that consistently bring out content on meditation, that you need to follow.
The content could be music & mantras, guided meditations or even conversations about meditation.
After listing the channels, we'll have a collection of their signature content at the end of the section.
1) Michael Sealey
Michael Sealey's channel has become synonymous with guided meditations.
There's a lot of content for helping people sleep, but more importantly, he has excellent clips for helping people with anxiety, OCD, or tendencies to overthink.
His most popular piece is the one that helps people who overthink step away from their tendency to do so.
2) The Honest Guys
The Honest Guys channel has specialized in creating simple, and deeply relaxing audio perfect for meditation.
These are generally longer than an hour, and most are great for people who have trouble getting good sleep.
3) Mahakatha
Mahakatha produces mantras for the purposes of meditation. We release mantras, usually as albums, with a central theme in mind.
It can be a set of mantras that help manifest your desires better, another that heals you physically and mentally, and another that balances and restores your chakras.
No matter your issue, we have mantras that help you address them and help find solutions through meditation.
Our signature piece of content would probably have to be the mantra that rids your mind and your home of negative energy, Om Japa Kusuma.
4) Eckhart Tolle
It is a uniquely 21st-century luxury that we get regular content from one of the most spiritually advanced minds on a platform like YouTube.
In the field of mindfulness, Eckhart Tolle has made a name explaining complex topics like the frivolities of the mind to people new to mindfulness and taking their first steps in self-empowerment.
His best talk, in our opinion, is the one on tackling negativity and pessimism.
5) Mooji
A Portugal-based guru, Mooji gives talks on the human condition and the ways to understand and tackle the various emotional issues that arise from it.
His signature content is one where he advises a young person about the idea of independence and inner strength in detail.
This is the perfect demonstration of the value he can give you.
Best Spotify playlists for meditation
If you're experienced with your meditation practice, you might be looking for music playlists that allow you to find your zone, without any external guidance.
We've found the 5 best playlists on Spotify that form the perfect backdrop for your meditation.
1) Peaceful meditation
All the tracks in the playlist are light, almost-ambient pieces that have no spoken words.
It starts off light, but then gets a bit more somber, reflecting the state you might be in your practice. It is therefore advised, to stick to the order the curator went with.
2) Tibetan bowls
Tibetan bowls is an excellent playlist, for people who want their meditation tracks free of modern instruments, and want it to be more reflective of the state of the mind.
To a new listener, the tracks might seem redundant, but while used during meditation like it was intended to, the tracks take on a whole different level of profundity.
3) Binaural beats: Meditation
Binaural beats are a type of music, where the tones heard in each ear have different frequencies, guiding you to the meditative state a lot more efficiently.
This makes it a prime asset for people who have difficulty falling into this state.
These beats are also associated with benefits like increasing your focus and reducing anxiety.
4) Meditation Music 2021
This playlist seems to be going for a more cosmic vibe. It has a certain 'lost in space' feel that some meditators seem to prefer.
5) Mindfulness - Focus/Relax
The playlist is a bit heavier on the instrumental side and is a better option for those who prefer a more engaging and melodic soundtrack to meditation.
Best meditation influencers
Meditation has seen the rise of several brilliant thinkers and orators who make the practice more fulfilling for the rest of us.
They do this by simplifying the principles of meditation and constantly challenging the boundaries of how well we can control and understand our minds.
1) Deepak Chopra
A hugely popular figure in meditation and understanding yourself, Deepak Chopra thrives on helping people find their best versions.
It can seem intimidating at first, but put more time in and the realizations will start rolling in.
2) The Holistic Psychologist
Nicole LePera, the Holistic Psychologist, answers the pragmatic questions of the mind by combining psychology and a more intuitive approach to understanding yourself.
3) Yung Pueblo
Yung Pueblo is the moniker of a poet who shares insightful thoughts and stories on Instagram, that lead to a more complete understanding of ourselves and our thought patterns.
4) Gabrielle Bernstein
Gabrielle Bernstein emphasizes the importance of self-love & forgiveness, and how to take that forward during manifesting meditation sessions.
5) Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg is one of the original teachers of mindfulness, from the 70s, who has since specialized in talks on loving-kindness meditation.
She has become super-focused on helping people find joy in their lives and what they do daily.
Best meditation blogs
We have found sources of good, consistent written content on the topics of meditation, mindfulness, and mindset.
1) Mindworks
Mindworks offers a comprehensive guide to everything meditation & mindfulness.
There are guides that teach you how to do meditation right, while offering insights into lesser known types of meditation that might interest you.
2) WildMind
The WildMind blog has its share of meditation guides, but we recommend the spot for their story-telling approach to explaining the mindfulness aspect of it.
Their focus is to help you find stillness of mind, and they use anecdotes from history to better illustrate the ways to find it.
3) TinyBuddha
TinyBuddha, much like Buddhism, is all about life lessons that need to be learned and can be learned better through the application of meditative practices.
4) Mindful Org
This site has the best content when it comes to educating yourself about mindfulness and the exercises you can start to bring into your life.
This is combined with lifestyle suggestions that add to your new outlook on life.
5) Zen Habits
What it lacks in quantity, Zen Habits makes up for with depth of thought. This spot will not have more than 5 posts a month.
These are singular thoughts explored deeply. This can become a trough of ideas that you periodically dip in to and find ideas that resonate with you.
Best candles for meditation
For many, setting the right ambience is a big part of the meditation ritual.
Here's a pick of our favorite candles for meditation, or the meditation room.
1) Set of 8 scented candles
Get variety and quality with Lanuos's pack of 8 candles. These are compact pieces with fragrances that include green ea, lavender, fig, coco cake, and Ponderosa pine.
Each candle in the pack lasts 15 hours.
2) Chakra pillar candle
As part of color therapy for balancing your chakras, you can utilize this candle that has all 7 chakra colors included.
The candle lasts a total of around 60 hours, and is great for rituals.
3) Soy wax candle
The soy wax candle is an excellent option if your requirement is for space clearing.
It has a pink crystal column and 3 healing crystals embedded to make healing practices that much stronger.
Best tea for after meditation
Many of us like to close out a meditation session with a hot cup of organic tea.
We have 3 recommendations that we'd love for you to consider.
1) Matcha Green tea
Matcha green tea from Japan is an excellent hot beverage for the morning, especially after a meditation session.
This tea is great for your immune system and eye health. It goes best with a pinch of honey, cloves, and lemon.
2) Lavender flowers
You can try brewing tea from dried leaves of lavender. Not only does it taste unlike any tea you've had before, it is great for putting your body into rest & relaxation mode.
It smells amazing, whichever way you plan to use it, as it can also be used as flavor for cooking.
3) Buddha Chakra Tea
Buddha teas provide a range of chakra-themed options. We would recommend the 5th chakra tea, that comes with essence of aquamarine.
It has a very subtle, earthy flavor to it that people love.
Best singing bowls for meditation
Singing bowls are an excellent addition to your meditation practice.
They add a layer of calmness and serenity to your session, and is great as a visual addition to the room.
1) Tibetan singing bowl set
This is a compact, exquisitely crafted set from Nepal, complete with wooden striker and sewn cushion for the bowl to set on.
It fits easily into the palm of your hand, and the sound is transcendent.
2) Dark singing bowl set
If you prefer a darker look, instead of the lustrous metal looks most options have, go for this version from Himalayan Bazaar.
It's slightly bigger than the last option, but is compact and comes with striker and cushion.
3) Crystal singing bowl
If you're not married to the idea of a traditional bowl, you can also opt for crystal singing bowls.
These are made from quartz and come in variations that correspond to each chakra. The one in the image is for the sacral chakra, and comes in the appropriate chakra color of orange.
Best essential oils for meditation
Essential oils, along with candles are a great way to create a very relaxing atmosphere in your meditation space.
Get a good diffuser and experiment with various fragrances until you find the one just right for you.
1) Maple Holistics Lavender & Rosemary
The bundle of lavender & rosemary is an excellent introduction to the world of essential oils.
These are subtle-smelling natural relaxants that aid greatly in finding the meditative zone.
2) Peppermint essential oil
If you're looking for something with a bit more pep to it, the peppermint offering from Handcrafts blends store is a great option.
The mint is very strong and noticeable, but not overpowering or sniff-inducing.
3) Set of 8 essential oils
For those with no preference toward a particular fragrance or someone entirely new to essential oils, a set of 8 is the way to go.
Cliganic's set contains Peppermint, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Frankincense and Orange.
Best meditation mats
Yoga mats or meditation mats are a mainstay of most meditators repertoire.
We recommend our 3 favorite options.
1) Amazon Basics yoga mat
Amazon's offering is a 1.5 inch thick, light option that does not sacrifice comfort for effectiveness.
It's easy enough to carry around, while being very gentle to your base while you meditate.
2) Maomao's anti-slip yoga mat
Maomao's yoga mat comes with anti-slip lines that make switching between complex yoga positions a comfortable, stable affair.
Its grip is maintained even after sweat falls on it.
Best meditation cushions
Although meditation is usually practiced while seated on the ground, there is no strict rules to adhere to when it comes to seating.
But cushions are a great way to balance comfort and the best way to meditate.
1) Mindful Modern's Zabuton
This zabuton comes with a velvet color and cotton stuffing, and makes for a very comfortable meditating experience, without it feeling too comfy.
2) Lotuscrafts meditation cushion
This meditation cushion is great for helping you maintain good posture during meditation.
It strongly discourages the slump, and you feel most comfortable when sitting upright.
The sfabric is heavy and the seams are well-constructed.
3) Anjaniya's mandala floor pillow
If you prefer a more flamboyant addition to your room, check out Anjaniya's offering with a peacock-mandala theme.
Best garden pieces for meditation
If you're lucky enough to be able to practice your meditation in a garden, we have recommendations to make this space give off better vibes.
1) Meditating dog statue
The meditating dog statue has no single feature that makes it a great addition to the garden, but it quite simply is.
It has excellent build quality and looks subtly exotic. The 6-inch may be a drawback for some, but it feels right for a reasonably sized garden.
2) Festive oil lamps
The festive oil lamps or diyas are usually displayed during Diwali, but they also make a great ambience-setter for outdoor spaces.
Its warm short-range glow is great at making a small space inviting to meditate in. The multi-colored design also adds to the vibes.
3) Handcrafted wind chimes
Check out these premium-quality chimes that have been hand-crafted for the best sound and made with material that will never rust.
If you haven't owned premium wind chimes before, the music from these will astound you.
Best meditation-themed showpieces
There are several items on the market that can spruce up a room while raising its vibration.
We recommend three such showpieces that add color and vibrational energy.
1) Laughing Buddha statue
The laughing Buddha statue is wonderfully flamboyant while also bringing luck to the home it resides in.
We love the way it stands out from whatever was previously placed in the room.
2) Ceramic yoga set
These exquisitely designed ceramic figurines add a sense of calm and serenity to the space they're put in.
It probably looks best on a window-sill.
3) Sandstone Ganesha statue
Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, according to Hindu mythology.
A sandstone in his likeness will add visual flair and help manifest your desires at the same time.
Best meditation tools for the office
With a few subtle touches, you can bring a sense of zen and calm to your office.
We recommend 3 pieces that could add that touch of serenity to your place of work.
1) Red Maple Bonzai tree set
Nature-viewing is one of the greatest natural healers. Add this bonzai set to your office, and it will feel instantly less stressful.
2) Himalayan Salt lamp
A Himalayan rock salt lamp has healing properties that clean up the air around you, making it a more productive space.
It also has a very relaxing orange glow that can add to the decor.
3) Meditation chair
Pipersong's meditation chair allows you to assume a variety of sitting positions, including cross-legged, at the workplace without overhauling the space.
Perfect for home workers, yoga lovers, meditation fanatics and everyone who feel tired with ordinary fixed sitting positions.
Closing thoughts
We tried to include any and all resources that a budding or experienced mantra meditator would want to make their experience fuller.
If you'd like to see more gift recommendations, check out our page dedicated to them. We categorized the gifts based on who you might be buying them for.
When it comes to podcast, channel, and blog recommendations, we'd recommend checking back often because they were chosen due to the consistency of good content
