Stillness with a Canvas

How Looking at Art Strengthens Attention and Calms the Nervous System

In a world of nonstop scrolls and fleeting images, giving your full attention to one thing for ten uninterrupted minutes might feel radical. But research—and experience—suggests that it’s also incredibly restorative.

At SOMA, we talk often about presence: the quality of awareness that allows you to sense your body, connect to your breath, and respond rather than react. Interestingly, this same presence can be cultivated not only through movement, but through visual stillness—like spending time with a single work of art.

The Power of Prolonged Looking

When you gaze at a painting, photographic, illustration, or any piece of still, visual art for ten minutes, your nervous system begins to downshift. Your breathing slows. The visual brain, usually bombarded with fast-moving stimuli, gets a chance to focus and rest. This quiet concentration activates the parasympathetic limb of the autonomic (unconscious) nervous system responsible for repair and restoration.

As your gaze lingers, you begin to notice more: the softness of a brushstroke, the layering of color, the emotion in a face. This act of deep seeing strengthens attention and pattern recognition—skills your brain uses in movement, posture, and even emotional regulation.

Building the Muscle of Attention

Just like your core, attention is a muscle. Most of us are conditioned for quick shifts: swiping, multitasking, half-listening. But attention can be retrained—gently, without pressure—through intentional practices like Pilates, mindful walking, or yes, sitting with a painting.

In fact, studies have shown that visual art engagement can reduce cortisol, increase dopamine release, and improve cognitive flexibility—the ability to hold focus while also staying open to new inputs. In a sense, staring at a painting is like giving your mind a moment to breathe deeply.

How to Try It

Find a painting—online, in a book, or at a gallery—that sparks some kind of feeling. It doesn’t have to be your favorite. Just something that holds your interest. Sit with it. Let your eyes soften. Notice without trying to analyze. If your thoughts wander, gently return to the details. Texture. Color. Space. Emotion.

You’re not wasting time. You’re training your nervous system to slow down and attend. That’s something most of us could use more of.

At SOMA, we believe that cultivating presence—through movement, breath, or stillness—is foundational to living and moving well. So if you find yourself overstimulated, overextended, or just craving a pause, consider this your invitation:

Find a painting.
Sit still.
And look.

It just might shift everything…..and imagine if we applied this technique to movement. More on that next week.