A dear friend who knows me well, and understands my connection with labyrinths, informed me that today, May 6^th, is World Labyrinth Day! So, of course, in honour of this amazing metaphorical symbol of life’s incredible journeys, I HAD to blog about it.

First of all, some of you may be asking “What the heck is a Labyrinth anyway?” or maybe, if you are an 80s child like me, it brings to mind Jim Henson characters and David Bowie in tight pants. Many people confuse a labyrinth with a maze – mazes tend to have many choices with possible dead ends and paths that lead nowhere (ironically, like the maze in the Labyrinth movie), whereas Labyrinths have one path, with many twists and turns, but it is impossible to get lost as the path leads you to the center and back out again. Making it through a maze is very much a critical thinking, left brain activity – you have to make choices, and try to figure out the best route to go. Alternatively, walking or finger tracing a labyrinth engages the instinctual right brain, and is often used as a meditative practice.

The Labyrinth is a centuries old symbol found all over the world – in caves, in ancient churches, on pottery and tapestries. It is considered a sacred symbol of life.

I was first introduced to the Labyrinth symbol at my introductory Birthing From Within workshop in 2009 where it was used as a metaphor for the journey of labour, birth and postpartum. When finger tracing a labyrinth, often one becomes disoriented, confused by the twists and turns, feeling as if you are almost to the center until an unexpected twist seems to take you away from where you intend to go. Those that have experienced walking a labyrinth know to trust the process, and each twist and turn is part of the journey. Labour and birth can be embraced in the same way – trusting that you, as a labouring woman, cannot truly get lost (even though you may feel like you are at times), and even with the unexpected twist and turns that may occur, you WILL make it to the center.

I teach expectant parents how to draw a labyrinth (see ‘Laborinth’ link below) in my classes, and it becomes our map for childbirth preparation. Once the labyrinths are drawn, parents are encouraged to finger trace their labyrinth and we draw parallels to the experience of labor. During one class, I was quietly observing an expectant mother finger trace her labyrinth quickly and without mindfulness. I watched as she, without realizing, ‘jumped over’ a labyrinth wall and missed the center completely. She realized is must have made a mistake, and started over. Again, I observed her unknowingly ‘jump a wall’. She looked up at me, and said “I don’t get it! What am I doing wrong?” I asked her, “What were you thinking about when you were finger tracing?” and she replied, without hesitation, “I was thinking about how I had to get to the center!” I smiled knowingly – “Try again, only this time, don’t focus on where you are going, but only where you are in each moment.”

Again, I observed her as she finger traced, this time much more slowly and mindfully. She made it to the center without a hitch, and I watched her take a deep breath and then look up at me with tears in her eyes. “I totally get it now..” She said.

Because you see, a big part of coping well in labor is staying in the present moment, taking it one contraction at a time, and bringing your attention into your body and out of your head. When we focus too much on where we are headed (the destination, the birth of our baby), we can sometimes find ourselves feeling lost and overwhelmed. We can get caught up in the stories we tell ourselves; “How much longer is this going to take?” and “I’ve already been doing this forever!” and even “There is no way I can keep doing this if I’m only half way there!” These stories cause suffering and erode our ability to cope. But when we take it one breath at a time, bringing our focus to where we are at present in the journey, it can provide us with confidence, reassurance, a sense of peace and calm and then, at just the right time, we find ourselves in the center of where we want to be.

Pam England (author of “Birthing from Within” and “Ancient Map for Modern Birth”) wrote a lovely detailed article on her take on the Labyrinth, and coined the term ‘Laborinth’. It includes the ‘seed’ of how to draw your own labyrinth. I encourage you to check it out. She also wrote a wonderful book called “Labyrinth of Birth”, filled with all things labyrinth. I highly recommend it.

Before I say adios,  I want to give a special shout out to Dominique Hurley who painted the beautifully serene labyrinth paintings featured in this post. I have gifted myself the originals in celebration of World Labyrinth Day and Mother’s Day. They will serve as a reminder for me to be mindful in each moment. Prints and other labyrinth originals are available on her site.

So, Happy World Labyrinth Day everyone! I wish you peace and mindfulness on our own sacred journeys!