Need a Moment of Zen? The Rubin Museum Is Using Its Himalayan Art Collection to Offer Mindfulness Tips and Guided Meditation Sessions

Have you been wishing lately that you’d actually taken up
meditation instead of just thinking about it all those years?

We’re feeling it too—as well as
the anxious tension in our chests, the funky sleep patterns, and,
yes, the sheer boredom of staring at the same four walls for yet
another day. When you also remember that all the art you so dearly
love is stowed away inside shuttered art museums, galleries,
and studios, it makes you just want to cry.

But despair not! The Rubin
Museum of Art is here to help you stay centered (even while it’s
closed) with a recently launched series titled the Daily Offering. An informative, 10-minute
episode is posted on the museum’s Instagram page every Thursday
through Monday (the days the museum would have been
open).

With soothing intro music and
calming rhythmic voices, the videos are just what we didn’t know we
needed, with all variety of chilling out, from musical performances
to guided meditation. Here’s a quick guide to the tips
we’ve learned so far—but make sure to tune in for new episodes,
too!

The Quieting Power of
Art 

Each Daily Offering starts with an up-close look at an artwork
in the Rubin Museum collection. Whether it’s through a formal
analysis uncovering the magic of the Buddha’s seated posture, or an
eye-opening examination of Tibetan medical thangkas, Rubin
Museum curator Elena
Pakhoutova and director of digital experiences Jamie
Lawyer lead us in an exercise in focused, calming
observation. And it’s
not just about visual art, either: the series also features
hypnotic musical performances from the Brooklyn Raga Massive
collective that will quiet racing minds.  

Meditation for Those With
Short Attention Spans

Are you a meditation school drop-out? Fear not. The Rubin makes
meditation easy with guided bite-size lessons that ease listeners
into the practice through artworks. In the first Daily Offering, the
museum’s head of programs, Dawn Eshelman, teaches us about Tara,
the most important female figure in Buddhism, a bodhisattva who
reached enlightenment but chose to stay on earth and help her
fellow human beings achieve their own mental freedom.

Meditation teacher and author Sharon Salzberg then leads a brief
meditation while participants gaze at a 13th-century sculpture of
Tara. Salzberg reminds listeners simply to take the time to
remember to breathe. “Sometimes we get frozen,” she says while
encouraging us to take time to reflect. (In week three of the
series, meditation teacher Kate Johnson leads a new set of
sessions.)

If you’d like to take your fledgling practice further, the
museum’s Buddhist Shrine is accessible at all times. Interested
virtual visitors can choose between a two-hour video recording, accompanied by Buddhist
chants and flickering candlelight, or a self-guided virtual tour of the space, where you
can take time to learn about the individual objects on the
altar.

Ancient
Immunity-Boosting 

If you’re anything like us, you’re digging into your quarantine
treats all the time. No need to worry. Dr. Tawni
Tidwell is here to help you get back on track with ancient Tibetan
wisdom about healthy habits that can also help you fight
opportunistic infections and strengthen your natural immunity.

Trying to keep mindless, chaotic thoughts at bay? Time to up
your intake of bitter greens: kale,
broccoli, endives, and the like. Tidwell even shares tips on
preparation. She especially emphasizes the mind-body
connection and how environmental conditions and emotional responses
can affect our health (and vice versa). And with a sudden clip of
cold weather upon us, we’re especially looking forward to just
sipping a mug of hot
water. It’s the first Eastern medicine, and certainly the
simplest one.

Stay tuned for more episodes here. 

The post Need a Moment of Zen? The Rubin Museum Is Using Its
Himalayan Art Collection to Offer Mindfulness Tips and Guided
Meditation Sessions appeared first on artnet News.