The One-Minute Meditator: Relieving Stress and Finding Meaning in Everyday Life - Softcover

Birchard, Bill; Nichol, David A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738203785 ISBN 13: 9780738203782

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2001

Synopsis

On an average day, in an average minute, we can process over 240 billion bits of information per second. Such incredibly rapid brain activity can lead to confusion, fear, tension, stress, and anxiety. To stave off these pressures, our minds instinctively look for "one-minute escapes": exercise, drinking and drugs, smoking, sex, and entertainment. All efficient short-term distractions, none is a permanent salve.The One-Minute Meditator shows readers how to harness the innate drive for quick mental escapes and use that urge to quiet our thoughts from within. Proving that meditation is both physically and emotionally healthful, Nichol and Birchard show readers how to meditate whenever they have a solitary minute or more: on the walk from the parking lot to the office, while waiting in line, while on hold on the phone, or while trying to fall asleep. Both inspiring and instructive, The One-Minute Meditator gives readers the tools to incorporate the power of meditation into otherwise busy, harried lives.

About this title

Review:

In an age when everyone is pressed for time and completely stressed out to boot, finding inner peace in just one minute is the type of self-help concept that should quickly find an eager audience. In their new guide on how to meditate in short periods, authors David Nichol and Bill Birchard contend that because the true measure of life is how we feel and act minute to minute, "you can take any minute in life and turn it into a minute of better living. As some Japanese meditators say, you can steal moments from the day."

Drawing on their experiences as seasoned meditators and teachers, the authors begin their guide with an illuminating look at all the reasons our brains find it difficult to slow down and smell the roses. Like barking dogs chasing cars, our overly busy minds are often running madly after fearful, grasping, joyriding fantasies that make it difficult to concentrate or feel calm. Yet within each of us is a yearning for peace--and that, according to the authors, is the key. By following a series of simple one-minute meditation and breathing exercises contained in the guide, anyone can reduce stress and discover quiet self-knowledge and clarity of mind. While the book is aimed at readers interested in the short take, it also contains useful information for those who wish to extend their practice. Especially useful is a section on how meditation can enhance healing, most particularly for those with high blood pressure, anxiety disorders, or drug addiction. The last chapter of this very friendly guide illustrates how to enrich meditation with mantras, imagery, and yoga. ­-Marianne Painter

About the Author:

David Nichol, M.D., is a graduate of the Karl Menniger School of Psychiatry and uses meditation in his clinical practice of medicine and psychiatry. He has taught meditation for more than twenty-five years to lay people and professionals alike. He lives in Amherst, New Hampshire.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0738203785
• ISBN 13: 9780738203782
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 164