Ontopo tulum: Birth of Sky Mangrove Meditation
We lead a workshop for our friends at Ontopo in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere in the Yucatan penninsula. The area is named for a Mayan word which roughly translates to Birth of Sky.
Like all plants, Mangroves breathe out Oxygen and breathe on Carbon dioxide. Research from Dr. J. Boone Kaufmann has estimated that the mangroves in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere capture close to 50% of Mexico's yearly carbon dioxide emissions while only occupying 0.19% of Mexico's landmass.
Extra Terrestrial's Tara Mei lead a tree meditation with these magical plants, following the cycle of our breath as it circulates out of our body and into the mangroves, where the carbon is absorbed as stored as energy. Using the PhotosynQ, we measured the photosynthetic efficiency and absorbed carbon of these magical plants, and then transformed as we swam through a Mayan carved mangrove canal.
Rhizophora mangle, Red Mangrove. image by Nicole Lenzen.
all images by Naoko Maeda unless otherwise stated