Aya Yoga Oasis Mural
Glynn Rosenberg, Seattle mural artist, painted this sea-inspired mural at Aya Yoga Oasis in Burien, WA. The mural connects to the practice of yoga through its focus on marine life movement. Some of the best yoga poses are practices of active rest - like child’s pose - where the practitioner mimics the stillness of a sea star as it clamps to a pier during low tide. Movement and stillness become the interconnected practice of yoga. In the same way, the animals and plants of the sea float, propel, and stay still in their efforts to survive and thrive.
Each animal in the composition was chosen for its unique way of moving. Famously simplistic animals, jellyfish wave and float elegantly through ocean currents. Sunflower sea stars are surprisingly fast, using inflation and deflation of their tube feet to glide over surfaces. Coral, often confused for plants, move in different ways throughout their lifespans. Though they are often observed suctioned to a surface, coral can drift, flip, and wiggle their tentacles. Like coral, chiton don’t look like other animals. They can be confused with rocks because of their tactic of sticking tightly to surfaces to survive the crashing waves at low tide. The only plant in the composition, bull kelp, help create forest-like marine habitats that are essential for the survival of other species. They can sometimes be seen lazily drifting to the surface. Octopi are creatures known for escaping by squeezing through tight spaces, jet propulsion, and even crawling along the beach at low tide. All of these species can be seen throughout Washington State waters.
The Process
