Take a Break: Walk a Labyrinth

This post is dedicated to K, who is in the process of healing from a very rare form of cancer. Our conversation yesterday was a reminder of the twists and turns life provides in order to put us on track with what we should be doing, not what we think we should be doing.

Labyrinths have been in existence for at least 5,000 years, and appear in many cultures. While the terms have been interchangeable, labyrinths are different than mazes, as they have a point of entry and exit, with the participant following a defined path.

Many meanings have been attached to labyrinths. Today they are being used for mediation, spiritual awakening, stress reduction, and a way to focus energy. Veriditas a non-profit organization founded to “pepper the world with labyrinths,” looks at the labyrinth as a personal practice for healing and growth, a tool for community building, an agent for global peace and a metaphor for life.

The labyrinth reminds me of the Ying/Yang symbol as it is very balanced. You don’t do more to the right or to the left. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds its way into the center. The person walking it uses the same path to return from the center and the entrance then becomes the exit. The path is in full view, which allows a person to be quiet and focus internally. It is a good reminder K, that just as we give, we should be open to receive. All things in balance.

Labyrinths can be found all over the world in medical centers, spas, memorial gardens, churches, parks and private back yards. They can be laid out on a beach, to be washed away with the tide. Many hospitals have portable ones, so they can be moved to different units. Temporary labyrinths are set up in the basement of churches, while others are constructed of rock, or even string, in the woods.

Not everyone can walk a labyrinth. You can obtain the same benefit by “finger walking,” drawing one, or even making a labyrinth out of clay, and “walking” whenever you want.

So take a break today (or tomorrow) and “walk” a labyrinth. Below are resources to help you:

Types of Labyrinths

Labyrinth Locator

Download a Labyrinth that you can print and finger walk

Make a labyrinth

Finger walk a labyrinth on-line Veritias

Make a clay labyrinth

Draw a labyrinth video