Hurry up -- and meditate

NEWMARKET, N.H. -- In this frenetic world of cellphones, computers, websites, and power lunches, a Newmarket Buddhist wants to help people hurry up and relax.

Through a CD called ''Guided Meditations for Busy People," Buddhist teacher Bodhipaksa introduces the practice of ''power meditation." No candles, mantras, yoga, or incense needed.

''All you need is a little time, your breath and a comfortable place to sit," said Steven Wade, a quality control analyst for a Portsmouth pharmaceutical company who bought the CD a month ago. ''I suspect it would be great to do at my desk at work when I can find a break."

That's just the sort of setting the meditations are designed for, Bodhipaksa said during a recent conversation at his Main Street headquarters.

Since 1993, he's been teaching meditation techniques that take 40 minutes or more and don't fit in as well in this increasingly fast-paced age.

''A lot of people these days know that they are stressed out, but they don't have the time to meditate," Bodhipaksa said.

''But even if you only have four or five minutes, you can still change your state of mind substantially."

In one meditation, entitled ''Three Minute Breathing Space," it seems listeners are no sooner told to ''bring themselves into the present moment" than they are instructed to ''return to any activity that you've been involved in."

Bodhipaksa admitted that the 180-second exercise does not allow much time to raise your consciousness, but said it's a step in the right direction.

''These are more of a way to get your foot in the door," he said. ''You can get the flavor of it in just a few minutes."

Each of the CD's meditations teaches techniques to take your mind off the tasks at hand and focus instead on your breathing, thoughts, body, or the even the day's events. Whether in your living room at home or a cubicle at work, using headphones or surround sound, Bodhipaksa said, the process requires only that you put in the CD, get comfortable and listen.

''Take a few moments to get in touch with the movement of your breath," Bodhipaksa says in the first meditation on the CD. ''Letting the body relax just as deeply as you can . . . until you feel ready to bring your awareness back to the world around you."

Eight minutes and 17 seconds later and you're ready to read your e-mails.

With a Scottish accent, full head of closely cropped gray hair and blue jeans, Bodhipaksa seems worlds away from temples and saffron robes. And Newmarket is a long way from New Delhi.

Despite appearances, this former mill town has been home to the country's largest sect of the Western Buddhist Order for the past 20 years.

Bodhipaksa decided it was a good place to move his nonprofit store, Wildmind, where he sells cushions, kneeling stools, books and CDs.

The business looks more like a stationery store than solace shop, and Bodhipaksa can be found painting the shelves when he's not putting together meditation CDs. However, his voice glides with a Scottish lilt that instantly puts the listener at ease.

''He's very good, his voice is very soothing," said Wade. ''If I'm running late and can't dillydally, I'll use the new CD."

Bodhipaksa's previous CD, ''Guided Meditations for Calmness, Awareness, and Love," is a best-seller on Amazon.com. His website gets hundreds of hits a day from people downloading his free instructions on meditation.

The early sales of his latest effort, ''Guided Meditations for Busy People," are hard to estimate this soon after its release, but Bodhipaksa expects it will do well.

In this busy world, he says, there are a lot of people who would love to learn to meditate if they could only find the time.

''These meditations are more like stepping out of a trance, not into one," he said.

''People's minds these days are nonstop, caught up in thoughts that can be bad for them. I teach people to realize different ways to work with their minds."