Yoga in the galleries
Yoga and tai chi are set to return to the galleries of Ackland Art Museum.
Grab a mat, a museum cushion and take a deep breath. Yoga and Tai Chi classes in the Ackland Art Museum galleries are about to begin again.
After nearly a month of closed doors, the museum reopened July 1 with fresh renovations. Along with new paint and flooring, students, faculty and staff can also find fresh perspective through the eyes of yoga and Tai Chi instructor Joanne Gard Marshall. Yoga and Tai Chi classes are set to restart July 20.
“The museum is a place where you come to open yourself up to new opportunities to see things and appreciate things,” said Marshall, distinguished research professor in the School of Information and Library Science. “So when you look up while you’re doing the class… you’ll start seeing the pieces with a little different perspective because of the state of mind and body that you’re in.”
The class dates back to 2005, when the museum looked for new ways to engage and interact with different campus and community members. Though program directors considered a mindful movement class, they ultimately decided to offer gentle yoga — with Marshall leading the class.
Motivated to make gentle yoga available to students, staff, and the community, Marshall has been teaching the mid-day practice in the galleries since then.
“This is a very sports-oriented and exercise-oriented campus,’’ Marshall said. “This is a whole different approach than some of the traditional exercise in our culture.”
Those practicing pre-register for the class online (free for Ackland members, and $5 for others) and find a slice of space in one of the main galleries. As calming music trickles out of a small speaker on one side of the room, Marshall guides participants through an hour of movements designed to refocus and rejuvenate.
A certified instructor with Yoga Alliance, Marshall has been practicing for nearly 17 years.
A mid-day surge of peaceful energy keeps graduate student Lisa Selker coming back.
“It’s a good way to start the week,” said Selker after a soothing session. “One thing I liked about this class is it’s a mixed audience of students, members of the community and faculty members. It’s also more of a gentle, relaxing class.”
“It’s just so peaceful in here, “ said participant Jim Bartow, a programmer in the UNC-Chapel Hill Biostatistics department. “It’s great to take time out in the middle of the day to reset.”
For more information on yoga and Tai Chi classes at the Ackland Art Museum, visit http://ackland.org/events-programs/adult-programs/yoga-in-the-galleries/.
