a good friend asked for some advice on how to best use her 30 minutes of mass transit commute time: reading vs meditating vs podcasting etc.
I recommend podcasting and/or audio books, because they come in bite size chunks, and there are plenty of them avail for free at the library (i have a ton as well if you needs a load). you will be amazed at what sticks when you keep dumping goodies into the vast unconciousness of thee brain.
i really recommend UCTV on YouTube for quality lectures etc they have tons of goodies and are downloadable
i would also rip all the TED lectures too (from the TED conference in Monterey www.ted.com) ; they are 18 minutes long (by definition) and that would be a perfect set for a 30 min ride; they are noble and inspiring too
meditation; the only problem with meditation on the bus is that it’s pretty easy for that to be sleep or daydreaming; meditation is hard work at being still and in the early stages you want a controlled environment that lets you focus on your inner space. Once you get that under control (if there is such a thing as controlled meditation 😛 ) then you can progressively bring the practice into the world.
Magazines: as long as you can do focused reading while moving, thats ok, but if it turns into page flipping to look at pretty pictures then you are just marking time. I find reading with a purpose takes the kind of controlled atmosphere similar to meditation thats not well suited for a bus.