Mindful Housework Meditation with "The Laundress"

Pause and reflect on being fully present in the everyday with this mindful cleaning exercise inspired by Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s painting The Laundress (1761).

Weave mindfulness into mundane daily tasks from washing dishes to tidying up and, as seen in the painting, doing the laundry. Greuze’s everyday subject matter, known as “genre painting,” was a popular style in the Netherlands and then France in the 17th and 18th centuries. Greuze elevates this scene with dramatic lighting and a busy composition that contrasts the laundress’s direct gaze and laborious chore.

Greuze’s Laundress inspires us to focus on the task at hand—however tedious—and be in the present moment.

This podcast uses chapters. If you'd like to jump straight to the meditation, find the fourth chapter.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/mindful-housework-meditation-the-laundress/

See the painting in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/

Buddhist monks don't spend all day in quiet contemplation—they also spend a lot of time cleaning. Hear Shoukei Matsumoto, author of A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind, in this week's bonus episode. Find it in your podcast feed or on our YouTube channel Thursday, or find it on our website.

Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Video Editor: Jeremy Rhodes