Please sit down and cross your legs. Now close your eyes and prepare to center your being. Ignore your surroundings and only focus on connecting your inner and outer self. You are now ready for the new art exhibit titled, “Zen Beauty”, opening Sunday, August 22 at Park La Brea’s Curson Square. Banner-sized photographs will be featured, taken by Park La Brea resident, Michel Pascal, on his trip to Japan while on assignment with National Geographic, along with other interactive meditation experiences.

An image from the film “Pure”, by photographer Michel Pascal, will be part of the exhibit at Park La Brea. (photo courtesy of Michel Pascal)

“It’s rare that we open our events to the public,” said Sylvie Brousseau, director of the Activities Center for Park La Brea. “We do a lot of things for residents. This time we decided it’s special and we want people to see that Park La Brea is different from other properties.”

The exhibit premieres Sunday at 5 p.m., and the evening will consist of various forms of meditation. Christiane Wolf, a faculty member of InsightLA, a Los Angeles-based meditation center, will teach body-meditation at 6:30 p.m., and at 7 p.m., Sony-signed artists, Carole Serrat and Laurent Stopnicki, will lead a musical meditation. Brousseau sees the exhibit as a chance to promote a more appreciative view of nature and well being.

“Park La Brea is a unique property,” Brousseau said. “You don’t have anything like it west of the Mississippi. We are very fortunate to have big pieces of green everywhere, along with flowers and palm trees, and we want to take a moment and reflect on that. [Zen Beauty] is about well being for our residents and giving them something new in their lives, like meditation.”

As part of the exhibit, a 25-minute film directed by Pascal titled “Pure”, will premiere.

“It’s a visual journey through our daily lives,” said Gabriella Wright, co-producer and actor in “Pure”. “It takes your mind through an experience of peace.”

When contacted, Pascal stated that he does not give interviews.

The film consists of a series of images taken by Pascal, including meditative shots of Wright, who considers herself a link to the audience during the film.

“The question it asks is, how you look at your life, rather than how you change it,” Wright said. “That’s why [Pascal] chose to use photography in a filmic way.”

She reflected on one image in particular, where she meditates next to a busy street in Los Angeles.

“It was a great meditation because you’re hoping cars don’t crush you while you meditate,” Wright said. “[Pascal] thought it represented what this is all about.”

Brousseau agrees with Wright, saying that it can become easy to ignore nature in the midst of city life, but meditation can help people “stop and look around.”

“Pure” will continue running at “Zen Beauty” through the end of the exhibit on September 8. Sponsors include Mygofer.com and Whole Foods Market, which is providing food and refreshments. According to Wright, “Zen Beauty” will later become a traveling exhibit, making appearances at healing centers and other venues.

Park La Brea is located at 6200 W. Third St. For information, call (866)677-0134 or visit www.parklabrea.com.