Marcey Shapiro, MD

Walking meditations are time-honored in many traditions. They include meditative movement and movement sequences, as well as walking in particular places such as labyrinths. Walking and movement meditations are great for squirmy people, children, and others who find that they are too distracted during siting mediations.

Movement meditations do not always require walking. Patterns can be traced with the finger, or a pen, or even the eyes. Movement can be in a scooter or a wheelchair. Or there can be a meditative program of movements, as in tai qi or bagua.

Labyrinths can be found throughout the world. Each has a starting point and a center. Although the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, labyrinths are different from mazes. Mazes are puzzles that allow the participant to choose between several routes. In order to complete a maze, a solution is required. On the other hand, the object of walking a labyrinth is spiritual contemplation and inner harmony. There is only one path into and out of a labyrinth; no choices or decisions are required.

Labyrinths figured prominently in the spiritual practices of earlier eras, among the Minoans, Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, to name a few cultures that used them. Later they were widely incorporated into cathedrals and sacred sites throughout the world. The most famous is the great labyrinth of the Chartres Cathedral in France. Its design provides the template for many others.

Most people who walk a labyrinth for inner harmony will ask a question or set an intention at the outset. Upon entering the labyrinth, the participant walks slowly and deliberately, pacing the breathing and foot- falls in a meditative manner. In the center of the labyrinth, a few meditative breaths are taken. Sometimes a participant will sit in the center of the labyrinth and meditate or pause there quite a while. That is fine too—there are no rules. When ready, the individual reverses course and walks the path, slowly and contemplatively, out of the labyrinth. Often people meditate just outside of it as well. Many people consider a series of three passes into the center and out again a perfect number for an inward journey. Pay attention to any insights you notice during or after your labyrinth experience.

It is easy to make a small outdoor labyrinth. Labyrinths can be drawn with a stick on a sandy beach, mowed in tall grass, drawn with chalk on a tennis court, or laid out on a flat patch of earth. They do not need to be permanent structures. There are also a number of labyrinth-locating websites that can assist in finding a labyrinth in your area. There are lots of them all over the world, and it is likely there is already one near you.

One simple, free way to explore labyrinths is to trace a path with a finger or with the eyes. When doing so, try the same slow, deliberate meditative pace that you might use if walking a labyrinth.

Excerpted from Freedom From Anxiety: A Holistic Approach to Emotional Well Being by Marcey Shapiro, MD, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2014 by Marcey Shapiro. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

Stay tuned for more thoughts from Marcey Shapiro, MD,  on “Transforming Health” and Heart Centered Living