In this 30-minute meditation classe led by Kashya Boretsky (SJC staff member and certified yoga & meditation instructor), we will channel the energy of Ancient Chinese scholar’s rocks — now on view at the Mitchell Art Museum — to gently guide our awareness inward.

Class will begin with space to observe and contemplate these rocks — noticing any sensations or feelings that arise upon giving purposeful attention and extended time to these naturally occurring “readymades” (to use a term coined by the artist Marcel Duchamp).

We will then move into a guided, seated meditation practice using our breath and various senses to bring our awareness from the external world to an inward point of focus.

The class will end with optional opportunity to either sketch from the rocks or to write a short poem inspired by one of them, just as the Chinese Scholars who collected these rocks would have done.

The class is open to all experience levels — no prior meditation experience is necessary to attend. If you have a mobility constraint that limits your ability to sit on the floor, please let us know beforehand so we can provide adequate accommodations.

We look forward to welcoming you inside the Mitchell Art Museum and our show “Nature’s Readymades” for this deeper experience with such storied objects of beauty.

To sign up, send us an email to: mitchellartmuseum@sjc.edu.