From exercises designed by Marina Abramovic, a Serbian performance artist, for student workshops that she taught in the 1990s. Abramovic’s memoir, Walk Through Walls, was published in October by Crown Archetype.

Hold a tree and complain to it for a minimum of fifteen minutes.

Sitting in a chair, look at a sheet of paper printed with one of the primary colors for one hour. Repeat with the other two colors.

With your eyes closed, extend your hands in front of you toward another participant. Never touching the other person, move your hands around different areas of their body for one…