On April 19, 2026, the first regular meeting of the year was held at the College of Music, Sookmyung Women’s University, under the theme “Mindfulness and Art.”
This is exactly why the Korea Meditation Society, a registered nonprofit organization, organized its first regular meeting of the year as a meeting with the arts. With around 100 participants, the event was conducted not as a lecture, but as a “hands-on experience.” You don’t have to close your eyes and sit still in order to meditate. Experiencing tears well up from hearing just a single phrase of a violin melody—or having something long held onto gradually loosen at the tips of your fingers as you knead clay—these, too, are meditations felt with your whole body in “this very moment.”
Morning: Imagery Experience Guided by Music
The morning program was led by Ms. Gyu Noh, director of On Dam Arts Psychology Research Institute. Along with live performances of violin (Hong Na-kyung) and synthesizer (Moon Sang-in, Lee Woo-sook), participants spent time following their breathing and imagery. Meditation guidance using psychological therapy techniques continued alongside the live music. Based on the occasional sounds of people sniffling, it was clear that many attendees were having deep experiences and being deeply moved.
Afternoon: The Landscape of Meditation Spanning Three Paths
In the afternoon, three sessions—music meditation, art meditation, and movement meditation—were held simultaneously.
In music meditation, Dr. Sim Gyo-rin (Research Professor, Incheon Catholic University; R-grade meditation instructor and specialist) guided a practice to build awareness by listening to music under the theme “The Experience of Accepting Music.” Dr. Jang Mun-jung (music therapist at Myeongji Hospital; T-grade meditation instructor and specialist) led a session sharing feelings of love and compassion through music.
In art meditation, Dr. Su-in Kim (Cha University; T-grade meditation instructor and specialist) led the “Bloom by Light” session, visualizing inner awareness through colors and lines. It was a process of following oneself in the direction the colors naturally spread, without the burden of needing to draw well. Kim Min-kyung guided participants through a sensory meditation that focuses on the tactile feel of clay, helping them let go of thoughts.
In movement meditation, Ms. Su-rin Shin (Saisiot Art Psychology / Trauma Research Institute) led participants in awakening frozen sensations and freeing the body under the theme “From Stillness to Flow.”
The Door to Meditation Opened by Art
This regular meeting unpacked meditation not as a specific skill or the realm of training, but as a daily practice anyone can approach through artistic experience. The Korea Meditation Society is an organization that develops and distributes a variety of programs based on empirical research into the effects of meditation and training. It continuously carries out the training and education of certified meditation instructors and pursues the scientific development and popularization of meditation. The Korea Meditation Society (Chair: Do-hyun Park) plans to continue these experience-based regular meetings, with follow-up events also scheduled for May.
