Get your chakra on

The start of a new year brings new resolutions, and with them comes the desire to get better in touch with one's inner spirit. A series of the Boston art world's exhibits can help you do just that this month as they showcase a variety of different mediums that provide the perfect subjects for meditation.

>Alpha Gallery

Simple landscapes overlooking the majestic ocean provide the perfect background for meditation in the new exhibition at the Alpha gallery opening this weekend. The work of artist Hiro Yokose will be on display, showcasing a collection of his oil seaside scenes, all of which are painted in mute, peaceful colors that bring a feeling of serenity to the overarching landscapes depicted.

The Alpha Gallery is located at 14 Newbury Street near the Arlington and Copley T-stops on the Green Line. Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Exhibit opens February 7.



Arthur M. Sackler Museum

The peaceful image of the serene rock garden has dominated Western ideas of the Orient for centuries, and an exhibition focusing on rocks in Asian art is currently being featured at Harvard's Arthur M. Sackler Museum. The paintings here, which come from China, Korea, and Japan, feature simple landscapes, flowing rivers, and arching mountain ranges -- all of which incorporate physical rocks into their design. These paintings are accompanied by a few actual "scholar's rocks," which would have been used as meditation tools and placed on pedestals of honor in a studio.

The Arthur M. Sackler Museum is located at 485 Broadway Street near the Harvard Square T-stop on the Red Line. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 with a college ID.



Gallery NAGA

Philosophers have spent generations upon generations questioning which came first, the chicken or the egg. Bryan McFarlane, whose paintings are on display this month at the Gallery NAGA, has brought this traditional meditation to life with his egg series.

McFarlane's paintings are an attempt to bring the symbolic ideas associated with the egg to life through a series of brightly colored works that depict everyone's favorite chicken product in a variety of stages, both literal and figurative. His artwork is smooth and visually appealing; with a repeating oval-shaped egg form that brings an overarching consistency to the collection as a whole.

The Gallery NAGA is located at 67 Newbury Street near the Arlington and Copley Square T-stops on the Green Line. Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Exhibit opens February 7.



Hart Nautical Gallery

As any fish can tell you, there's no better place to meditate than on a quiet beach near the ocean, and an upcoming exhibit at MIT's Hart Nautical Gallery will let visitors get into the aquatic mindset without ever leaving the shore. The interactive display, titled iQuarium, is a virtual flowscreen that lets visitors control computer-generated fish in order to learn how they move and swim while underwater. Not only is it a good way to let go and just relax, but the demonstration might give you the edge you need for that upcoming marine biology class.

The Hart Nautical Gallery is located at 55 Massachusetts Avenue near the MIT T-stop on the Red Line. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Exhibit opens February 6. Admission is free.



Museum of Fine Arts

2004 might be the year of the monkey in the Chinese calendar, but that's no reason not to appreciate the Chinese dragon as well. Currently on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is a collection of Chinese costumes, an exhibit entitled "Draped in Dragons." These traditional jifu, or dragon robes, are elaborately decorated with silk and gold thread and were used to identify a courtier's position in society. The exhibition is bright and colorful, and the costumes are accompanied by a series of placards that place them in perspective by providing viewers with a better background on court life during the Qing dynasty.

The Museum of Fine Arts is located across the street from the MFA T-stop on the Green Line. Open 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily. Admission is free with a Tufts ID.



Tufts University Gallery

The work of Boston artist Enrico Pinardi will be on display this month in the Aidekman Gallery in an exhibit entitled "Metaphysics, Mystery, and Magic." The mixed media of Pinardi's work, which includes paintings, drawings, and an enormous hand-carved wooden sculpture, will provide a unique look at the metaphysics of still life when the exhibit opens late next week.

The Tufts Gallery is located in the Aidekman Art Center, on Talbot Avenue across from the campus center. Open 12-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 12-5 p.m. Sunday. Exhibit opens February 12.