Arthur Ross Gallery hosting special yoga classes for Penn and community

Turn your lunch break into a stretch session, while breathing in energy and exhaling all your stresses.

The Arthur Ross Gallery, housed in Fisher Fine Arts Library, is hosting special yoga classes at noon on Fridays through the end of May. They are free for Penn students, and $5 for everyone else. The classes are open to the public.

This is the second year the exhibition space is hosting yoga by certified instructor Anisha Chirmule for its visitors, says Sara Stewart, the gallery’s assistant director of development and marketing.

“We had such a good response last time,” she says.

Chirmule, who for several years worked as a research technologist at Penn, leads an all-levels class intended to get bodies moving with proper alignment and lots of breath work.

“Class is peppered with the traditional vinyasa flow,” says Chirmule, “but can be taken at any pace the student is comfortable with.”

Each class, which takes place amongst beautiful artwork, usually garners about eight to 10 participants, depending on the week.

Chirmule says taking a break in the middle of the day for yoga can help boost energy to “show up for the next part of the day, be that meetings, desk work, or even completing a large list of tasks.”

She adds, “Also, that the class is offered on Friday, it’s such a great way to end a traditional workweek and prepare for the weekend.”

Attendees, dressed in comfortable clothes, should bring their yoga mats and something to drink, and arrive a few minutes before class. There is no need to sign up ahead of time.

“Anisha makes announcements of gallery happenings, and anyone else can share announcements,” Stewart says. “Warm ups begin right after.”

The current exhibit on display at the gallery features 19th century work from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, showcasing artists who employed new image technologies or used traditional media in innovative ways to expand the audience for art.

The last yoga session of the season is scheduled for Friday, May 27.

For more information, visit the Arthur Ross Gallery’s website or email Sara Stewart at sabrady@upenn.edu.

Arthur Ross Yoga