15+ Top Meditation, Mindfulness or Spiritual Movies of All Time!

Drum rolls! Or should I say mindful bells! Here’s my list of the top meditation, mindfulness or spiritual movies of all time. You may or may not agree with me. But I will practice mindfulness and let go of your judgments. :)

How I Put Together the Best Meditation, Mindful and Spiritual Movies

I created this list using a combination of the best movies I’ve seen over the years. Some are quite recent, others old. Some movies are documentary style, whilst others are more like films.

By offering a variety of styles, I’m hoping there will be one or two movies here that you haven’t seen yet and can enjoy.

Which of these are movies about spiritual awakening?

People often arrive here looking for that specifically, so let me save you scrolling. Five of the films below are really about waking up, and they show five quite different versions of it.

The Matrix (1999) is the obvious one, and still the best at it. Waking up is literal: there is a real world and a constructed one, and Neo has to choose. If you want the feeling of the ground shifting under you, start here.

Kumaré (2011) is the one I would actually send you to first. It is awakening as disillusionment, which is the harder and more useful kind. People wake up in it, genuinely, and the guru they woke up through was invented. Watch what that does to your ideas about teachers.

Wizard of Oz (1939) is a heroine’s journey to truth, and the oldest version of the story on this list. Dorothy travels an enormous distance to discover she had what she needed already. That is closer to how awakening tends to go than the dramatic versions are.

Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014) is the straight biography, following the yogi who brought yoga and meditation to the West. If you want the tradition rather than the metaphor, this is the one.

Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012) takes the cosmological route, threading science, spiritual teaching and philosophy together. It is the most out there of the five, and the best looking.

A word of caution, from twenty years of watching people go looking for this. A film can show you the door and it can move you enormously for an evening, but it cannot walk you through it. Awakening in the films is a scene. In a life it is usually much quieter, much slower, and mostly made of ordinary mornings. If one of these films lights something up in you, the useful next step is to sit down and practise, not to watch the other four.

Kumaré (2011)

My number one on this list, and the one hardly anyone has seen.

It’s the true story of a man who dresses up as a guru in the US and ends up with a real following, purely as an experiment. Vikram Gandhi directs it and plays Kumaré himself. It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW in 2011, and then most people seem to have forgotten about it. It’s badly underrated.

I’ve recommended this film more than any other on this list.

Here’s why. It quietly takes apart our assumptions about what a guru is, and shows how readily we believe an authority figure simply because they look and sound like one. Watch what people project onto him. Watch what they report feeling. Almost none of it actually comes from him.

That keeps me humble, and I need it to. I’ve taught mindfulness for twenty years and I’ve no interest in being anyone’s guru. My favourite moments teaching aren’t the ones where I’m teaching. They’re the ones where I’m teaching and learning at the same time, where it becomes a group process and we’re working something out together. I think of my job as holding the space rather than handing down answers. We’re exploring what’s true, together.

It also strengthened something I already valued, which is science. Science has the same habit of interrogating your first intuition, and asking you to stay humble and curious rather than settling into a belief because it’s comfortable.

I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s the best thing in the film. If you do watch it, sit with how people responded to Kumaré, and with what they said. Then email me and tell me what you made of it. I’d genuinely like to know.

One honest warning. If you have a natural affinity for gurus, or a real reverence for them, you may find this film uncomfortable or even offensive. I’d still encourage you to watch it. Plenty of gurus have behaved in ways nobody would defend, and I think challenging the idea of the guru is healthier than accepting it blindly. Safer, too, for everyone involved. For the disciple, and for the so-called guru.

If that idea interests you, Jiddu Krishnamurti spent his life on it, and refused the role outright when it was offered to him. I’ve written about that in truth is a pathless land.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1865425/ 

The Matrix (1999)

Most people have seen this one. I’m not sure everyone has noticed quite how deep it goes.

It’s one of my favourite films of all time, and my mind was absolutely blown the first time I watched it. It’s also, conveniently, a very good action film with some fine acting in it, so nobody has to be persuaded to sit through it.

The scene that stays with me is Morpheus explaining to Neo how the mind constructs reality. If you’ve meditated for any length of time, that scene is almost obvious. If you’re new to all this, it can be baffling, and I think it’s the point where some people decide they don’t understand the film. So here it is plainly: in one real sense, everything you experience happens within your mind. It is all happening to you, in there. Which sounds unsettling until you notice the consequence. If experience is constructed, experience can change. That possibility is precisely what mindfulness, compassion practice and ACT are offering you.

Then there’s the red pill and the blue pill, which has become such a famous image that people forget what it’s actually asking. I think it maps rather well onto how we live. You can carry on on autopilot, running the same reactions, never quite meeting your life. Honestly, that’s not far off being an artificial intelligence: processing, responding, executing, but not present for any of it. Or you can take the other pill and start paying attention, living in a way that’s conscious, curious, creative and open. One of those roads leads somewhere more meaningful, and it isn’t the automatic one.

The film is stuffed with metaphors, and half the fun is noticing them. Neo is an anagram of “one”. Morpheus is named after the Greek god of dreams, which is a good joke when your job in the story is waking people up. Trinity carries whatever your own tradition brings to that word.

The one I like best is the Oracle, because she sends you to Delphi. Socrates’ friend Chaerephon asked the oracle there whether anyone was wiser than Socrates, and was told that no one was. Socrates, who did not feel wise at all, went off puzzling over it and eventually concluded that if he was wiser, it was only because everyone else believed they knew things they didn’t, and he at least knew that he didn’t know. That is the whole of beginner’s mind, twenty-four centuries early. Not knowing, held openly, is where learning becomes possible.

And if you ever wondered how seriously the Wachowskis took the spiritual material: the end credits of The Matrix Revolutions (2003) are sung in Sanskrit. It’s the Pavamana Mantra from the Upanishads. Lead us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.

You could spend a lifetime on this film. I’ve not finished with it yet.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/

I Am (2010)

Director Tom Shadyac speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about what’s wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it. A fascinating personal story and interviews with amazing teachers including Desmond Tutu.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1741225/

A Mindful Choice (2016)

Two modern day monks meet a diverse range of people making a choice for a better life through meditation. Ballet dancers and writers, stressed business people, a cancer patient, foster children and maximum-security prisoners; their stories show peace is possible for individuals and communities - and suggests it may be possible for all of humanity. Stunning cinematography combined with the power of people sharing from a place of profound peace delivers a palpable and moving experience.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6916554/ 

Buy online: https://www.choicethefilm.com/en/shop 

The Dhamma Brothers (2008)

A fascinating journey of a set of prisoner in a maximum security facility go on an intense meditation experience and have a transformation and realisation about true freedom.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212007/ 

Room To Breathe (2013)

Many schools across the country are facing an epidemic of students struggling with poor attention, low academic performance, lack of self-control, bullying and stress.

ROOM TO BREATHE explores one promising solution that has been tested in dozens of public and private schools – a self-awareness technique called mindfulness that increases kids’ focus and concentration, self-control and classroom performance.

The film presents a hopeful story of transformation, following a young mindfulness teacher, Megan Cowan, who spends several months attempting to teach the technique to troubled kids in a San Francisco public middle school that tops the district in disciplinary suspensions.

Cowan is confronted at first by defiance and contempt. But under her guidance, the students begin to learn the mindfulness technique and eventually use it to take greater control over their lives, decrease stress, and better focus in class and at home.

Based on the experiences depicted in the film, as well as results at other schools and independent academic studies, mindfulness appears to have broad potential to significantly improve kids’ social interactions with peers and adults, to reduce bullying and violence, and to improve academic performance and graduation rates.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181898/ 

Buy Online: https://www.videoproject.com/Room-to-Breathe.html 

Inside Out (2015)

Absolutely brilliant must see. Such a fantastic and entertaining way to look at the range of emotions and thoughts we have in our head, and how to navigate them. Make sure your children watch this  - they’ll love it and learn so much too.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/ 

Walk With Me (2017)

With unprecedented access, ‘Walk With Me’ takes us deep inside the world-famous monastery of Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, and captures the life of a monastic community who have given up all their possessions for one common purpose – to practice the art of mindfulness.

Filmed over three years, this visceral film is a meditation on a community determined to develop a deep sense of presence, not just for themselves but for all those they love.

As the seasons come and go, the monastics’ inner journey is amplified by insights from Thich Nhat Hanh’s early journals, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. 

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331100/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3 

Inner Worlds Outer Worlds (2012)

“Inner Worlds Outer Worlds” is a mind-bending documentary that takes you on a captivating journey of self-discovery and exploration. Through a combination of stunning visuals, thought-provoking interviews, and profound ancient wisdom, the film delves deep into the nature of reality, consciousness, and our interconnectedness with the universe.

The director skillfully weaves together scientific discoveries, spiritual teachings, and philosophical insights to offer a holistic perspective on existence. “Inner Worlds Outer Worlds” offers a profound invitation to ponder the mysteries of life and inspires you to delve deeper into your inner self. This thought-provoking moive is a must-watch for anyone seeking enlightenment and self-transformation - most probably that’s you!

A Joyful Mind (2016)

Today, life is moving fast and it’s tough on our wellbeing. But there’s good news. We now know more about meditation and how it can change our lives. “A Joyful Mind” is a film that reveals the true meaning of meditation and shares the scientific proof of its benefits. It also shows how we can use meditation and mindfulness at work and school. This film is groundbreaking because it clears up the confusion caused by the media. It features stories from both beginners and experts in meditation, including the wonderful monk, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. His teachings have inspired people worldwide and he shares his wisdom on how meditation can make a positive impact on our daily lives. If you’re not aware of Mingyur, check out this movie.

Meditation, Creativity and Peace (2012)

“Meditation Creativity Peace” is a compelling documentary by David Lynch Foundation Television. It features exclusive footage from Lynch’s world tour in 2007 and 2008. Lynch speaks to government leaders, film students, and the press. His unique presence grabs your attention. The film also includes insightful quotes from great thinkers and revered texts. These quotes reveal the birthright of everyone to practice meditation, develop creativity, and find inner peace. Lynch states in the documentary that Transcendental Meditation (TM) is for all human beings, regardless of where they live.

So this movie isn’t about mindfulness, but certainly is about meditation. In my opinion, TM is a form of mantra meditation, and you can use any mantra that suits you to meditate. This is what Dr. Herbert Benson discovered in his research at Harvard and explains in his book ‘The Relaxation Response’.

My Year of Living Mindfully (2020)

Health journalist Shannon Harvey was struggling with insomnia and autoimmune disease. Looking for mental health solutions, she spent a year exploring meditation with the help of 18 scientists. She traveled the world, from Manhattan to refugee camps, testing mindfulness on herself. Her book, “My Year of Living Mindfully,” shares her personal experiences and scientific findings on the impact of mindfulness on health.

I enjoyed this film as it focuses on mindfulness and aims to take a scientific approach, which I often enjoy.

Free The Mind (2012)

“Free the Mind” is an enlightening documentary exploring the intersection of science, mindfulness, and human potential. Directed by Phie Ambo, this film showcases Professor Richard Davidson’s audacious experiment to rewire brains through thought alone. Inspired by a conversation with the Dalai Lama, Davidson aids three individuals: two traumatized war veterans, Steve and Rich, and a young boy, Will, struggling with ADHD and anxiety. The compelling journey into the human psyche raises profound questions - Can thought alone bring peace to restless minds? Can it free individuals from the grip of trauma and anxiety? A must-watch for those intrigued by the power of mindfulness.

Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014)

“Awake: The Life of Yogananda” is a captivating 2014 documentary that beautifully depicts the journey of Indian yogi and guru Paramahansa Yogananda, who introduced yoga and meditation to the Western world in the 1920s. Expertly crafted by independent American filmmakers Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman, the film, commissioned by Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship, offers a riveting blend of interviews with Yogananda’s disciples and notable personalities like Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. Filmed over three years across thirty countries, including spiritual sites in India and esteemed institutions in the US, it’s an insightful exploration of the intersection of science and spirituality.

Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home to Kansas and help her friends as well.

In this classic, enjoy a playful look as Dorothy goes on her heroine’s journey to truth. Brilliant!

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043274/

**If you have any further suggestions, please send them to me. Thank you!
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If you’d like to learn about my favourite approach to a happy life, which combines mindfulness, acceptance, values and action, check out ACT here.