Meditation in a New York Minute
Mark Thornton
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2004 Sounds True Inc.
ISBN: 1591794293

Super Calm for the Super Busy.

Okay, so I don't live in or near any megatropolis, & the only signs of a rush hour around my neck of the woods are the comings & goings of the logging & crew trucks, & starting & closing of the school day... oh, & don't forget the summer tourist season. However, once upon a time I was part of the “madding crowd” & knew well the pervasive tension of hive dwelling & working.

So when Sounds True approached me to review Mark Thornton's oxymoronic guide to a saner city life, I found myself giggling — which in & of itself is good medicine — ever noticed how often we see the Dalai Lama chuckling?

Meditation in a New York Minute comes from a fellow who knows of what he writes, having been an investment banker who is now, tada, a meditation teacher.

So when, in your 24x7x365 life, could you possibly squeeze in any time to meditate? That's Mark Thornton's point &, in his introduction, he opens the door to his classroom & invites you in. & this is what he has to offer:

 • The Journey — start by asking why meditate, why now & to where?
 • The Essentials — the Laws, Secrets, Thieves & Sages you will meet along the way.
 • The Techniques — 13,000 Steps, Power Breath, Body Awareness, Eating, Walking, Showering, Commuting with Awareness, Remembering, Heart Energy, Wisdom, Dealing with Anger, Seeing the Good in All People
— ending with The Ideal Day: Putting It All Together.

I like Mark Thornton's style: “We are not attempting surgery here, we aim to relieve the symptoms of stress rather than the causes... [A]s a result, philosophy and theology are largely ignored. Your capacity to discuss comparative religions at dinner parties will be unchanged. Meditation is a tool, like a hammer, with a specific purpose... to... get you to the ocean of calm and explore the techniques and find what works... [y]our pay-off will increase threefold if you read the entire book... my personal goal is to turn you on to the awesome power that lies within your center — your heart... [w]ith proven ways to:
 • Improve health
 • Lower stress
 • Work with an open and relaxed body
 • Feel connected and alive to life.” (pp. 4-5)

For those of us who always thought meditation demanded that you be seated in a lotus position, in a quiet place, in loose clothes, with eyes closed, Mark Thornton brings you a form of “open-eyed” meditation while remembering to offer Safety Tips.

Better than sleeping pills, mood altering drugs & booze, meditation has zero cholesterol, carbs or calories, & will help you smooth out your ragged edges, even while at your computer. With Meditation in a New York Minute you won't have to add one more place to hurry off to, or one more bill & you'll be able to reconnect with an invaluable & refreshing inner space as you dash from hither to yon in your chock-a-block schedule.

No matter where on earth or who you are, nor what you do: housework, mail sorting, raising kids, care giver, cooking, waiting, teaching, writing, filing, coaching; whether you're a politician, doctor or in business or the military — grab a copy of Meditation in a New York Minute & pretty soon you'll be transforming the quality of the rest of your life.
(04/09/06)

Rebecca