When most people think of visiting a museum, it might conjure images of looking at dinosaur bones, paintings by famous artists and Egyptian sarcophagi.

The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh is trying encourage people to broaden their interpretation of the museum with their winter wellness events held throughout the season.

The February event, Meditation and Movement at the Museum, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

We really want people to come into the space and think about the museum in a different way, as a place of self care and a place you can go to refresh, said Laura Zorch McDermit, manager of social and entrepreneurial experiences at CMOA. With this programing they experience the space that way and it carries on in daily life as well.

Last year was the first time these classes were offered and according to Zorch McDermit they have been very popular, including last months event.

We did a yoga series in our Hall of Sculpture and paired it up with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and they had musicians accompany the yoga practice, she said. People like doing yoga at the museum. People come to the museum to reflect so it seemed like a pretty good match.

After experiencing last years success, Zorch McDermit said the museum decided to expand their offerings this year.

Our first Winter Wellness event was in January. That included yoga, a ballet barre fitness class with the Pittsburgh Ballet School and an African drum and dance class. People got to play the drums and dance, she said.

The schedule of events is 9 a.m. yoga, 10:15 a.m. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Barre Fitness & Core Conditioning Class with Kristy Boyle and 11:30 a.m. African drum dance with Yamoussa Camara.

For those who prefer to relax more than move, there is another track that will appeal to them.

There is also a simultaneous track that is the meditative opportunities, said Zorch McDermit. We have our docents that are interested in mediation, and they practice on their own, and they will take people through the tours.

The schedule for the relaxation track is 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. gallery tours with meditative stops; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 15-minute chair massages by Pittsburgh Massageworks; and 10 a.m. healing sound bath with Brooke Smokelin.

The sound bath, which will be held in the Hall of Architecture, comprises of Smokelin using special types of bowls to make sound waves that wash over the participates creating a relaxing feeling.

Our spaces are so enormous and so grand. Brooke, who leads the sound bath experience, she was overwhelmed at how great it (the sound bath) was in that space, said Zorch McDermit. It kept reverberating off these architectural casts and making this (acoustic) landscaping. It was really cool.

While health and wellness is important all year round, Zorch McDermit feels that the museum provides people with a wonderful opportunity especially catered to the winter months.

When it is dark out and gloomy, we have this incredible space, and the atmosphere here is never gloomy and it is lovely. You can take a moment to be in front of Monets Walter Lilies and you can throw some color into your life, she said. In the summer there are so many other opportunities to get outside. There are always these unique fitness experiences where you can do yoga on Mount Washington or Point State Park. In the winter it provides the opportunity to be in a space like ours.

Tickets for Meditation and Movement at the Museum are $30 for non-museum members, $25 for members and $20 for students.

Tickets can be purchased online at cmoa.org.

After a day of moving and relaxing, Zorch McDermit hopes that people will see the museum in a different light.

What we have seen through these events is there are a lot of new first time visitors and a lot of our members are coming as well. We want everyone to have a new, fresh experience, like Oh my God, I cant believe I can do this in the museum! she said. I want people to understand that the museum is for them at all times. We are constantly changing. These are all different kinds of events that you can experience that interpret our collection in all different ways. Whether it is in quiet moments like Winter Wellness or a high energy event. There are different ways you can come and be a part of the museums.

Read more here:

'Meditation and Movement at the Museum:' CMOA to host a winter wellness event - Uniontown Herald Standard