A Purposeful Path

Click to tour a web-based labyrinth!
Hosted by and special thanks to Labyrinth Online.

Can walking in circles actually be good for you? It can if those circles are contained within a labyrinth. An ancient symbol of healing dating back more than 3,000 years, a labyrinth is basically a circuitous path that ends where it begins. It can be built on ground for people to walk through, or made symbolically on walls, paper and even online.

 
“Unlike a typical maze, a labyrinth isn’t meant to be difficult to navigate. Its single path begins from an outside point to the center and back out again. Spiritually this connotes the idea of visiting one’s individual “center” and then returning to the outside world. The journey is a right-brained activity meant to facilitate meditation and healing. The more open and reflective the individual is during the labyrinth walk, the more apt he or she is to experience the emotional release it’s designed to encourage..

 
Health professionals all over the world have embraced the idea of labyrinths in helping to reduce anxiety and ultimately resolve such maladies as insomnia, high blood pressure and chronic pain. In the past 10 years, labyrinths of all sizes have begun to pop up in several U.S. hospitals, such as Johns

photos.com
 

Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore. Educational institutions such as Boston College and Harvard University have installed labyrinths at their facilities as well. Not surprisingly, many spas and wellness centers are incorporating labyrinths into their gardens and spare spaces. Experts say it’s surprisingly easy to do. To find out more, go to The Long and Winding Road.

Go to last month's Wellness feature