Why Labyrinth Walking Is So Effective at Relieving Stress
A New Experience
Just the act of trying a new activity can go a long way toward improving one’s mental outlook by breaking the routine drudgeries and ruts we all get in from time to time. Gaining a new perspective is always a good idea. I make myself try at least one new thing a week (I’m working on one per day, progress, not perfection) so I decided to travel to the local labyrinth and see what this was all about and if walking in this ancient cyclical pattern did in fact bring the sense of tranquility, peace and harmony that much of the hype revolving around it would lead one to believe. I’ll let you know that in the last article in this series; here I’ll divulge why it can help you reduce
stress and therefore why it is such a worthwhile endeavor.
Studies have shown that walking improves a person’s overall mood and outlook. But the testimony of countless people who swear by regular walking as a contributing factor to their overall health is proof enough. Walking releases endorphins which produce a kind of natural high to the point where a half-hour walk is actually the equivalent of a mild tranquilizer. Let’s face it, feeling good feels good so jump on the shoe leather express and find your way to the center. On the one hand you are walking with the knowledge that that act alone is good for you and on the other hand the benefits of meditation and being in the moment are widely known now so you are accomplishing two things at once.
The meaning of walking a labyrinth is multi-layered in that the meditative qualities associated with being fully present for the act of walking the path can generate inner peace. Moreover, some recommend bringing a personal problem or challenge to mind before entering because they have experienced a solution or new perspective due to all the factors I’ve already discussed which make this so healthy for you. Don’t be surprised if the tension in your neck and shoulders starts to dissipate once you step into the sacred realm.
A New Perspective
We all have our troubles and our proverbial crosses to bear. Exercising, both physically and mentally provides an opportunity to get outside ourselves in both the former and latter sense. Whatever stressors you may be experiencing (which I don’t mean to try and trivialize in anyway) might just not be nearly as bad as they seem when looked at from a new perspective.
There are undoubtedly plenty of people who have it far worse than you and finding some compassion and gratitude is certainly an antidote to stress. Creating equanimity, acceptance, and the proper respect for your own self can only truly be done by yourself. It’s an inside job. Inside a labyrinth may just symbolize the journey within for you if you can free yourself from the shackles of the material world for just a little while.
Therefore, you can plan a little trip, keep an open mind, and go walk the walk that so many others find relaxing and recharging. Caretakers obviously take pride in creating and maintaining these structures for people to experience and enjoy. For me, just finding out that a host of people around the globe were so committed to ideals of global peace by promoting inner peace within other random individuals was stress-reducing in it of itself. Of course one of the greatest benefits here is also that you’re outside communing with nature which poets, writers, and scientists alike sing the praises of.
If you find you really like this activity, building one yourself might prove to be even more rewarding. Not only for the inherent cathartic properties of creating something worthwhile, but when you offer the experience to others you will fulfill the ancient adage that “it is in giving that we truly receive.” There are plenty of resources on the Web to aid you in that endeavor.
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