The museum’s popular Morning Mindfulness program is back. Running every other Friday morning during the academic year, it offers a variety of different mindfulness techniques in the galleries, led by a number of different instructors.
What is mindfulness? You can describe it as the process of paying more attention to the present. By practicing mindfulness techniques, a person can learn to slow their thoughts. It helps people to be calm and connect with the moment.
Dr. Jerry Gale, a professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, helped start the program in 2015 alongside the museum’s education department. Since then, more than a hundred mindfulness sessions have helped museum visitors slow down and connect with art through meditation, reflection, yoga, and other techniques.
Each program is led by an experienced instructor who might incorporate specific works of art or focus on contemplative practice. Participants include university students, professors, community members, and museum staff.
One of the goals of Morning Mindfulness is to encourage visitors to take time to focus on being in the present moment. By spending uninterrupted time in the museum’s galleries, many participants find that they have more satisfying experiences with works of art, feel calmer, and learn useful techniques for managing stress. This kind of visitor-centered program is part of an overall focus on well-being at our museum.
Morning Mindfulness is free, but reservations are encouraged; email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to reserve a seat. All you need to bring is yourself and your brain.