NJ: PARK HELPS PEOPLE FIND WELLNESS IN ART, NATURE
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HAMILTON, New Jersey (KYW) — Finding wellness in art and nature — that’s what’s happening at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, where there are 300 works of art in a giant park.
The Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre paradise that’s a museum and arboretum and a center for healing.
“When you’re moving in nature, you feel like you’re moving with nature and that just lifts my spirit and it’s done wonders for me,” Christina Bulow of East Windsor said.
Bulow says after her young son died, she came here to recover.
“I wanted a place to walk and become mindful and find some peace,” Bulow said. “You know, not to think of the what-ifs all the time.”
The Tai Chi class is just one of many different programs at the Grounds For Sculpture centered on health and wellness, including one where doctors write prescriptions for patients to come for a dose of nature’s medicine.
“There’s a lot of different ways that it can just really help the whole body during your healing journey,” Tiffany Allen, director of education and engagement at the Grounds For Sculpture, said.
Allen says there is a big emphasis on the therapeutic powers of a sculpture garden.
“Studies have shown that being around art and nature can not only lower cortisol — it can help with critical thinking,” Allen said. “It can help with brain fog.”
The class happens in the shadow of a sculpture called Harmonize.
“People are really getting into it and loving it,” Tai Chi instructor Tony Jackson said.
Jackson says Tai Chi provides mental and physical benefits.
“It helps you manage stress,” Jackson said. “And when you start managing stress, your blood pressure goes down, your heart rate isn’t beating so fast, the cortisol isn’t pumping into your system.”
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