How Does Walking the Labyrinth Promote Emotional, Spiritual and Physical Health?

On an emotional level, walking the labyrinth offers an opportunity to slow down and decompress. By simply focusing on the single path in front of us, we gain a brief respite from the stresses of the constant decision-making that is synonymous with every day life. Spiritually, we gain a new perspective. “For many walkers, the Labyrinth becomes a metaphor for the journey of life: although full of twists and turns, each of us is on a single path through his or her life, and yet each person’s journey is a separate and distinct qualitative experience” (from The Labyrinth Company’s brochure).     This combination of de-stressing and new perspective offers many benefits on a physical level as well. Research by Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Medical Institute, has shown walking meditations to be highly effective in reducing anxiety, lowering blood pressure and breathing rates, and reducing depression. And Dr. John Kabat-Zinn, Director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, has used walking meditation programs to treat stress-related disorders, chronic disease, and pain.