Meditation in a New York Minute
comes in two formats, a book and a 2 CD audiobook.  Yet the audiobook is not a
reading of the book: rather, the author Mark Thornton explains his methods of
meditation for calming in a spontaneous fashion.  Of course, the information
given in both versions is the same, but each is presented in a way that
especially suits the format.

In the book, Thornton explains how
he will provide a very practical guide to meditation and will not say much
about the theories or philosophical ideas behind meditation.  He emphasizes
that meditation does not need to be a matter of sitting cross-legged on the
floor repeating a mantra to yourself.  You can meditate anywhere, and even
people who are extremely busy have plenty of opportunity to meditate: in the
shower, in the elevator, while walking down the street, eating a meal, or
sitting at your desk.  It can be done in many different ways, using breath control,
consciousness of your breath and body, and thought.  So this guide is very
introductory and intensely practical.  The book is short (140 pages) and easy
to read.  It is full of explanations of different ways of meditating as a way
to self-calming, and Thornton also highlights the way that this can make you
more efficient and more productive as a worker.  He adds plenty of lists, boxes
with information, and summaries of what has gone before.  He has plenty of
diagrams showing the relation between mind, brain, emotions and self, but these
seem rather confusing.  He gives many tips aimed at business people for how to
integrate meditation into their daily lives, such as putting reminders to be
calm on their cell phones or Blackberrys.  He also emphasizes how to overcome
obstacles to meditating, which may be especially useful to the many people who
have tried it in the past and have not found it useful previously. 

The audiobook, which lasts about
two and a half hours, does not bother with all the information about the harms
caused by stress, but leaps straight into methods for meditating.  He cleverly
takes advantage of the audio format by doing the breathing techniques himself,
so it is possible to copy him. Thornton is Australian, so his accent is quite distinctive,
but his voice is pleasant.  He has the relaxed assurance that one would hope
for in a meditation coach.  The meditation audiobook is a good deal more
helpful than the many "relaxation tapes" and CDs of new age music
that are supposedly meant to help you relax, but which are more often than not
just annoying.  Personally, I prefer the audiobook to the written book because
Thornton seems a better speaker than a writer.  The lists and tips in the book
are a little overwhelming and some of it seems formulaic, while on the
audiobook, Thornton’s voice is itself calm and steady, so it seems more
appropriate to the message he is promoting.  On the other hand, the book is
easier to browse and with the hardcopy, it is possible to leave a book mark at
a favorite place.  So people determined to take full advantage of Thornton’s
lessons may want to use both formats. 

Thornton says there is scientific
evidence for the effectiveness of his methods, but even if they work for some,
not every person will find each method equally useful.  So those who want to
try meditation will need to try a few methods and see which work best for
them.  The advantage of these methods over other more medical approaches is
that they carry no risk, and even if they do not do much to help make you
calmer, you may still benefit from the greater self-awareness that they
promote. 

Link: Sounds
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