Shawn Green hardly had a body that seemed built for power, but he amassed 328 career home runs in the major leagues during the 1990s and 2000s. Much of that was done during the steroid era -- but Green says his secret was different. He credits meditation for his evolution as a hitter, and he explains much of that in a recently released book he wrote called "The Way of Baseball -- Finding Stillness at 95 MPH." Green spoke about the book with the Star Tribune's Michael Rand.Q What was the driving force for doing a book like this at this point?

A In high school, I read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and it sent me on a path of informal study of Eastern philosophy, Zen, Taoism and meditation. ... In 1997, I had a conflict with the Blue Jays and the coaching staff. That got me to a point where, almost by accident, my work off [the batting tee] became a meditation, and I started to see so many connections to what I was reading about. Theories were becoming my reality, and that's when I really knew I wanted to write something along those lines.

Q How open were you with teammates about your approach?

A I would share books with guys. But it's a personal thing. When I did my tee work, people wouldn't notice because it was just the way I approached it. For someone on the outside, it wouldn't look any different. For me, it was a presence of mind I implemented. But there were some guys I talked about life, philosophy with. Carlos Delgado. Jerry Manuel. Different guys along the way. If someone was interested, I would give them books.

Q How did it play in the clubhouse?

A It would come up with people I knew were more the deep thinkers, the more philosophical ones. ... Every team has some really bright guys. Even guys who might not be smart in the classroom, there are guys like Manny Ramirez -- he knew how to hit. It wasn't just a physical gift. He knew. Intelligence can come out in the form of art. Others are good at taking tests and doing well in school. I think there are a lot of guys who have interesting talents or gifts, and you see a lot of that in the clubhouse with a wide mix of guys. A lot of times some interesting conversations spark up.

Q How do you describe the "stillness" that you talk about so much in the book?

A The way I'm using it is more like quieting the mind. The way I did that was through my tee work, where I would concentrate on the action -- really listen to the sound of the bat hitting the ball, the sound of the ball hitting the back of the net, the breathing, and really getting into that moment and action of hitting. Earlier in my career, I got to the point where there was a lot of noise. There is a lot of thinking, and you see people at the plate paralyzed. ... The less you can think, the more successful you're going to be because your body naturally takes over and does thing the right way.

Q How does that translate over to performing at the highest level against the top pitchers with the loudest crowds around you?

A It all evolved from the meditation every day with the tee work. That's where everything grew out of. I went through as many slumps as anybody, but that was my tool for handling it, and I think it was the reason I would get into crazy hot streaks. I had a way of maintaining it.

Q You played during an interesting era in baseball. You say you found your power through meditation, but others were finding it with performance-enhancing drugs.

A As a player, you know what's going on around you. Guys show up 20 or 30 pounds heavier. It's obvious. For me, I started almost getting cocky in a sense that I wanted to show up skinnier and hit the ball farther than these guys.