Books on Neuroscience and Mindfulness
Buddha’s brain: the practical neuroscience of happiness, love, and wisdom. By dr. Rick hanson, ph.d. with richard mendius, m.d.
Start with this one. This is a great blend of evolutionary biology, neuroscience, nervous systems, behaviour and Buddhist wisdom. Essentially it looks at how modern neuroscience brings new understanding to the teachings of Buddhist wisdom. The book feels very ‘science-based’ and has greatly influenced the style with which I bring understanding of our brain and ways to better manage it.
your brain at work: strategies for overcoming distraction, regaining focus, and working smarter all day long. By David Rock.
Another hugely influential piece of work in my early days of reading on the brain. It brings understanding to how our brain performs its major operations (problem solving, decision making, dealing with uncertainty, collaboration, and dealing with change). Rock highlights the challenges we face if we let our brain operate unconsciously, and his SCARF model continues to be a terrific map of triggers that will throw us into an irrational state. He flips between two narratives of characters in a fictional workday and the neuroscience behind what’s happening in their brains and what they can learn to get better results.
the brain that changes itself: stories of persona triumph from the fronteirs of brain science. By Norman doidge, M.D.
This book is filled with stories of how truly amazing our brain is; essentially how neuroplasticity goes far beyond what most of us realize. This book greatly influenced my belief that we can all rewire our brain and our habits.
hardwiring happiness: The new brain science of contentment, calm, and confidence. By rick hanson, ph.d.
I love Rick Hanson’s approach to the brain. He is a wonderful mix of geeky scientist and sage guru, easily moving between neuroscience, positive psychology and wisdom traditions. Here he highlights how to rewire our brain for happiness and backs it up with science and practices that work. This book further influenced my understanding that peace, contentment and love are available to all of us, but that we have to work at it. Left to its own devices, our nervous systems default to reactive survival strategies that often leave us fearful, frustrated and disconnected. For anyone who wants to tip the scale to more positive emotions in their life, this book offers both hope and tools.
The Whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind. By Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina payne Bryson, Ph.d.
This book helps you understand how to parent with the brain in mind. My favourite model from Daniel Siegel’s work (included in his other work like Mindsight) is the idea of navigating a river in a row boat, with ‘chaos’ representing one shore and ‘rigidity’ representing the other shore. As parents or individuals, we often bounce between these two extremes. The closer we are to either bank, the further we are from mental and emotional health. We are at our best when in flow closer to the middle, open and flexible, yet grounded and secure. Integration of chaos and rigidity is the key, whether you are a parent or developing child, we are all learning how to find the balance in our mind.
Books on Stoicism
the obstacle is the way: the timeless art of turning trials into triumph. By ryan holiday.
This was my first dive into Stoicism (thank you Carre Lepage for suggesting this). Ryan Holiday has beautifully made Stoicism more relevant today than ever. The Stoics believed that we didn’t have to live a life of suffering. That if we learn to see our world clearly (and not the way would like it to be), focus on what is in our control (and not waste our energy on what isn’t in our control) and bear the challenges that confront us (rather than resent them) that “what blocked the path now is the path”. In this way, the Stoics go past simply finding space “between stimulus and response” and embrace life as it is. Through this, we find our way to the good life, rather than the good mood we can get trapped chasing.
stillness is the key. by ryan holiday.
This is Holiday’s latest instalment on Stoic philosophy and he makes it very clear why these principles are exactly what we need in a world caught up in going faster, having more, doing more. Here is a quote from Page 2 that summed it up for me:
“Stillness is what aims the archer’s arrow. It inspires new ideas. It sharpens perspective and illuminates connections. It slows the ball down so that we might hit it. It generates a vision, helps us resist the passions of the mob, makes space for gratitude and wonder. Stillness allows us to persevere. To succeed. It is the key that unlocks the insights of genius, and allows us regular folks to understand them.”
Holiday’s books are always readable and filled with inspiring stories and practical tools we can employ.
Books on Energy and High Performance
The power of full engagement: managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance and personal renewal. By jim loehr and Tony Schwartz.
Schwartz and Loehr did a brilliant job of highlighting how important balancing energy expenditure with intermittent renewal is to having peak performance and energy in our lives. This was a refreshing alternative to the always on, over-achiever mindset our society has largely endorsed. It also includes great suggestion on developing positive rituals in our lives, which are key to living the rich and happy life. I include this book since having energy is key to being able to explore new ideas and change our habits.
Books on Focus
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. By Greg McKeown.
This book is still one of the best to help you see that ‘less is more’ and that this is the secret to focus. McKeown skillfully builds the case for ‘less’ and highlights that ultimately it comes down to a choice - do we “react to what’s most pressing” or do we “pause and discern what really matters?” Do we think “I have to” or do we think “I choose to.” Do we have the mindset of a non-essentialist who is lost in overwhelm, or do we have the mindset of the essentialist who knows that less is better. As McKeown puts it, “The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away - it can only be forgotten.”