How stressful can it be to debut the first exhibition of yogic art ever? Turns out, extra deep breathing is required.

The exhibit’s opening is scheduled for Saturday at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries of Art, which are closed as part of the federal government shutdown.

Employees have been allowed inside to receive pieces for the show, “Yoga: The Art of Transformation,” a collection of more than 120 sculptures, paintings, photos and films that highlight the history of the practice. The only thing missing is the go-ahead for visitors.

In the meantime, the museum staff recognizes they might need to come up with modifications. They’re considering filming the exhibit so visitors can virtually experience it during the shutdown, although it’s tough to get a feel for certain pieces if you’re not face-to-face with them, admits curator Debra Diamond.

“Three Aspects of the Absolute,” for instance, looks lovely online. The 19th-century painting depicts the beginning of the universe as a gold square. But good luck grasping its considerable size — 3½ feet across — or its power.

“You see the light shimmer on the surface and it conveys a sense of cosmic awe,” Diamond says.

Similarly, a nearly 1,000-year-old marble sculpture from Rajasthan, India, seems well preserved in photos. But Diamond describes it as “luminous” and marvels at how the piece evokes “crispness and alertness.”

Eventually, visitors should be able to take in these sights themselves: The exhibit is set to run through Jan. 26. And starting next month, government willing, they can also get the assistance of docent/yoga instructor duos, who will lead tours that end with a yoga class. (Sign up for these special events, for $15 per person, at asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/yoga.asp.)

John Schumacher, founder of Unity Woods Yoga, has been helping develop these classes. Normally, students in a yoga studio start out with their heads “full of external day-to-day stuff,” he says. But after walking through the exhibit, he predicts, their attention will be turned inward.

For now, however, attention is focused on this weekend’s events, which have been moved off-site, no matter what.

NPR’s headquarters (1111 N. Capital St. NE) will host a screening of Smithsonian Channel’s “Mystical Journey: Kumbh Mela,” featuring “The Wire” actor Dominic West and yoga scholar Sir James Mallinson, at 4:30 p.m. Friday. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, singer Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon will perform there. (Both events are free; tickets from events.npr.org are required.)

The Diwali Festival scheduled for Oct. 26 is still slated to take place at the Freer and Sackler. That’s a whole day of free activities, including classes, art projects, music performances, storytelling and a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony with Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao.

The exhibit, Schumacher says, is bound to provoke more curiosity in yoga. “It will cause yoga to be appreciated and understood in a broader way.” But first, it needs to open.