How an ancient practice may benefit you now

By Natasha Lovato

In the midst of a pandemic, there is a need for self-care more than ever. COVID-19 has created anxiety worldwide but our response to the disease can help us determine our fate.

Washing hands and common surfaces are vital. But in an effort to social distance yourself and help alleviate stress, labyrinth walking could be the perfect cabin-fever reliever no matter where you are in Colorado.

Labyrinth walking is an ancient practice created by civilizations long ago in parts of the world that would later become Turkey, India, Greece, Ireland and other countries. Labyrinths dating back 12,000 years have been unearthed and used by many different faiths for spiritual centering, contemplation or prayer.

A labyrinth – often made with steppingstones or outlined using gardening techniques - has only one path to the center that is used to enter and exit, which is called a “unicursal.” Unlike a maze, it does not have blind alleys or dead ends. The path twists and turns back on itself many times before reaching the center. Once at the center, there is only one way back out, which typically symbolizes a journey to a predetermined destination. This could represent a pilgrimage to a holy site, a spiritual awakening or the journey through life from birth to death.

Today there is no set ritual for walking a labyrinth and while there are books, videos and lectures to assist you in performing the walks, the general practice of labyrinth walking is to begin the slow-paced journey on the serpentine pathway by quieting the mind and focusing on a spiritual question or prayer.

One approach is to open your senses and focus on the process of taking slow and deliberate steps that could include bringing to mind a prayer or spiritual question to contemplate during the walk. Upon reaching the center, pause to reflect, pray or listen for a deeper revelation. On the return journey, contemplate further and upon leaving the path, absorb the experience with continued reflection, prayer or journaling.

For some, walking a labyrinth in this way can be calming and clarifying. Whether you’re spiritual, religious or bored out of your mind in self-quarantine, this meditative exercise allows for a level of focus that can be incredibly cathartic.

The World-Wide Labyrinth Locator helps find the closest location to you and although they are outside and away from most, if any, human life, you can also create your own labyrinth by using a basic labyrinth pattern and laying out stones, sticks or drawing it in the sand.