A 10-Minute Mind Clearing

INDUSTRIA SUPERSTUDIO, the West Village citadel of fashion photography where Mark Wahlberg once shed his jeans for a Calvin Klein ad, is not the first place one looks for spiritual enlightenment.

But on a Wednesday night last month, Andy Puddicombe, whom The Times of London once called “Britain’s top meditation guru,” stood before about 100 young, stylish New Yorkers on his first professional visit to the United States. He was hoping to turn the studio into the world’s most smartly accessorized zendo.

“What would New York look like if everyone took just 10 minutes out of their day to step back from it all?” Mr. Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk, asked in his rubbery Bristol accent. He was trying out his message — that inner peace can be achieved in meditation sessions shorter than the average cab ride — on an invitation-only audience of harried fashion editors, hedge funders and advertising executives.

Outside, the roar of a motorcycle shredded the springtime evening calm. In the rear row, a leggy woman in a black miniskirt tapped away on her BlackBerry. (MORE)

Source: NY Times