I’ve been so excited about this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable topic about therapeutic spaces in the garden! Mostly because my life and career have taken a circuitous route through both therapy and gardens, but usually separately. My father was a therapist when I was in high school and college, and I went to school to become a therapist myself. I never fully went down that road, but chose another and never could have imagined where it would take me. Along the way, about 10 years ago, I developed anxiety and panic attacks–I had a great therapist, wonderfully supportive friends and family, and a perfect dose of medication so see me through. But I also discovered another therapeutic tool–labyrinths. I never really knew anything about labyrinths until my issues with anxiety arose; then I had a good friend who suggested walking one as a calming activity. Sounds kind of hokey or mumbo-jumbo? I sort of thought so, too, but I’m usually open to most experiences and hey, I was desperate. Anxiety is no walk in the park!
So, what is a labyrinth and how does it work? A labyrinth is a flat surface containing an intricately designed pathway, but it’s important to note that it is not a maze. A maze is a left-brained puzzle, full of different pathways containing tricks and turns. Fun, but not therapeutic! A labyrinth has only one pathway that moves back and forth from side to side until you reach the center–no need to figure out where you’re going; you just walk and the pathway will lead you. In fact, a favorite quote of labyrinth enthusiasts comes from the philosopher and theologian St. Augustine (345-430 A.D.) who said, “Solviture ambulando. It is solved by walking.”
There’s a thought that labyrinths are a calming activity because of something called “bilateral movement.” It’s that back-and-forth movement of the body/brain that is said to have a calming effect–think of other back-and-forth movements/activities that calm you: pacing, knitting/crocheting, reading. The side-to-side motion of the labyrinth path can help ease anxiety and depression, aid people with ambulatory/balance issues and supplement meditation or prayer. I used to walk the labyrinth at my church, praying for others as I slowly walked in to the center, while raising up prayers for myself on the walk out.
How can you add a feature like this to your outdoor space? I’d like to show you a number of labyrinths from humble to extraordinary, using a variety of materials. I know you’ll find some inspiration here:
One of the most beautifully humble labyrinths is formed with salvaged rocks.
Incredible detail with pavers outlining the path and what looks like a crushed gravel in between.
How does planting 14.000 bulbs grab you? That’s what students at Cornell University did with The Bulb Project! What an absolutely joyous sight in the spring!
In just this one part of this planted labyrinth, I counted about 100 golden barrel cacti. That’s at least $500 worth of plant material if you get the wee ones–whew! This would be great for our arid environments, but I’d trade smaller ornamental grasses such as Mexican feather grass (Nasella tenuissima) or blue fescue (Festuca glauca) if smaller children will be walking it.
I love this weed-whacked labyrinth! It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
A little more labor-intensive is the mounded grass labyrinth–creators Stephen Endres and Greg Luzt say it takes their client about an hour of string-trimming a week!
How much do I love this beach labyrinth? Environmental artist Kirk Van Allyn created this one on a beach in Encinitas, CA, using, among other items, a casting pole and a hockey stick! I think it’s stunning.
I have no idea how a fiery labyrinth is kept under control, and I think it may be more exhilarating than tranquil, but there’s no denying the dramatic effect!
Ah. This has to be one of my all-time favorites, created by my wonderful and talented friend, Laura Schaub, at a project in New Mexico! Laura used rope lighting to illuminate this labyrinth–it’s just breath-taking. My friends and I would be gathered in this area every night if it was in my backyard.
Late fall or early winter is a perfect time to create a luminaria labyrinth, like this one that I created back in 2005 in my church’s parking lot. We had a live string quartet as people quietly walked the labyrinth, and offered warm comfort food in a contemplative environment indoors. Well over 100 people came to walk.
Labyrinths can be permanently built with pavers or plants, or temporarily constructed of sand, snow or strings of Christmas lights. They can be 75′ across or sized to fit in a tiny postage-stamp backyard. They can be gorgeously elegant or rustically simple. What’s important is to find spaces in your garden that allow you to reflect, center, calm and recreate. It’s why we’re gardeners–there is something soulful in the garden, regardless of religion or specific spiritual beliefs, where we find our peace. I hope your garden is where you find yours.
Check out our other colleagues’ posts on therapeutic spaces:
Naomi Sachs : Therapeutic Landscapes Network : Beacon, NY
Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA
Ivette Soler : The Germinatrix : Los Angeles, CA
Jenny Petersen : J Petersen Garden Design : Austin TX
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Rochelle Greayer : Studio “G” : Boston, MA
For more information: The Labyrinth Society, The Bulb Project
Photos by: laureskew (flickr), Deb Torby, The Bulb Project, soekersof.com, allthingslabyrinth.com, TeleMeditation Retreats, Mercian Gathering, Laura Schaub, Scott Johnson.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Jenny, I love this post, especially with your pictures and comments on the pictures (some of which made me laugh out loud! The barrel cactus labyrinth would certainly make me keep my balance…). I have a terrible sense of direction, and was walking a labyrinth recently in Washington, D.C. and noticed that I was getting stressed out about not being able to find my way. I reminded myself that it was – as you pointed out – a labyrinth, not a maze, and that as long as I stayed on the path, I COULD NOT get lost. What a relief! It was a great moment. Esther Sternberg, author of Healing Spaces; The Science and Place of Well-Being talks about this very thing. I think you’d really like her book. The TLN has a labyrinth page, in case you ever want more links: http://www.healinglandscapes.org/related-labyrinths.html.
Thanks, Naomi! I’ll admit that the first time I ever walked a labyrinth was at a local nursery, The Natural Gardener. I was there with my then-husband and while we began walking one after the other, we somehow in short time came face-to-face! We had to laugh “How did we get lost? There’s only one path!!” Thank you so much for the links and the book suggestion–I’ll definitely check them both out!
Lovely post. I like the peaceful concept of quietly walking back and forth until you reach the end, as a walking meditation. I’d never stopped to consider the difference between mazes and labyrinths, but have always enjoyed the structures of both.
I just LOVE when I learn something new! I never really understood the difference between labyrinths and mazes – thank you so much for clarifying! And what a beautiful, honest post, too. I took my daughter on a weekend trip a few years ago and we stayed at this really beautiful, peaceful retreat in central California. She wandered away and when I found her she was slowly walking through this huge labyrinth, with the morning’s sun shining on her – truly an image I’ll never forget.
Greetings, fellow poster on labyrinths!
WOW, there are some really wacky ones here. Love the ideas, and great to see so many ways of doing the same thing. Also the explanation of how you were helped. Glad you are thru that!
In some ways the temporary labys, like fire, are the greatest lure – that they just live in our memories after or on curling photos on the mantlepiece is quite special.
Best Wishes
Robert
Boy, do kids love them, and not in a contemplative sense. Mine have always loved to run through any that they find, so my experience with labyrinths has always been slightly less than tranquil.
Thanks for that picture of Laura’s light labyrinth in the snow — very cool!
Jenny, I’m not sure I’ve ever walked a labyrinth with any other goal than to ‘get to the end’. Next time I’ll have to slow down and enjoy the experience. I enjoyed all the photos of different labyrinths, especially since some would indeed be easy to modify for modest settings.
You know it’s therapeutic when your breathing starts to deepen just reading about it. I’ve walked a couple of labyrinths and agree, they can be unexpectedly restful. Part of the secret is the “act” — because you have to force yourself to do it at first — of slowing down and allowing yourself to reach the centre. Once you’re there, the return journey isn’t quite as forced. Lovely examples.
Jenny -
this is a fantastic blog post!
What a wealth of information. Thank you so much for your efforts and sharing this with us. I am adding this to my facebook page and linking you to my blog….please check it out:
http://www.Serenity in the Garden.blogspot.com
Jenny–
I’m just getting around to reading the GDRT posts this morning and you were first up…interesting take on the idea of healing. There are so many in churches in Europe–most famously at Chartres. The idea there was much different from what you propose, but the result much the same. Meditation through repetitive movement (although the prayer part was on your knees) . Until today the religious connotation of labryinths put me off…I’ll think about them differently now.
Jenny, this is fantastic. I love labyrinths – when my Grandpa died, my Mom and I walked the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and it was so lovely that we went back and did it occasionally after during tough times or just times when we needed calm and perspective. I didn’t know why it soothed our brains, just that it did.
And I love how you told us how long that mounded grass labyrinth takes to maintain! So many people show lovel things and neglect to mention what comes after that lovely thing is installed. Good on you.
I think I TOTALLY need to walk a labyrinth – but I am so rebellious I know I’d start messing it up just because I could! This is why I am glad you posted images of the barrel cactus and the fire – I need a FIRE labyrinth! Glorious!
XOXO!!!
Thanks so much for your comments, everyone!
Susan, I’ve found people on both sides of the religion issue have had some reservations about labyrinths: the more conservatively religious sometimes get nervous and feel it’s “pagan” or “cult-like” while the more non-religious sometimes think they’re supposed to do it a certain way or that it doesn’t apply to them. The labyrinth is just a serenity tool, I think, like many others.
Jan, thank you! I’ll check your site out.
Debbie/Helen/Gen: I’m so glad you’ve had positive experiences with labyrinths. I find them to be very soothing and tranquil.
Ivette, LOL that totally sounds like you to have a cutting-edge badass labyrinth! Oh my gosh, that was my laugh of the day.
Hey Jenny,
I’ve been reading many personal accounts from the GDRT bloggers about the therapeutic effect of gardening and am happy you found your comfort there too. I always thought of labyrinths as interesting design elements but didn’t appreciate them for their healing properties.
Thanks for enlightening me!
Shirley
Wonderful! Loved all the photo examples that show just how one can match materials to site and personality. And, thank you for the St. Augustine quote, “It is solved by walking.” I was familiar with it, but they are words that I live by.
Good stuff!
Ooops, meant to say that I was NOT familiar with the quote. Doh!
Jenny, here’s today’s blog post, inspired by yours! I quote you a few times:) http://www.healinglandscapes.org/blog/2010/11/labyrinths-in-the-healing-garden/
Jenny – Its was interesting to find my Inca Wall Labyrinth (2nd picture) on your website – Thank you for thinking it was worthy, but where did you get the photo ? – Never Thirst, Gary Kirk
Hi Gary! Your labyrinth is beautiful–I found it on a flickr advanced search; I believe it was in Deb Torby’s stream.
This tells me much of what I want to know. I shall certainly bookmark it. Do you know where else I can find info on this topic? Can you suggest any other topics I can search on? Are there any other sites giving out relevant info?
Hi there! For more information on labyrinths, check out the Therapeutic Landscape Network (http://www.healinglandscapes.org/related-labyrinths.html) and The Labyrinth Society (http://labyrinthsociety.org/).
Thanks so much for your quality article on labyrinths. I learned something new and the photos were pure frosting on the cake! What an inspiration.
One of our local parks has a labyrinth patio. The patio brick pavers are cut to outline the path. It’s amazing.
it-is-solved-by-walking – I have found this attributed to Augustine in a few places, but with no citation. Wikipedia, not the best source admittedly, attributes this saying to Diogenes of Sinope.
It’s awesome in support of me to have a web page, which is useful for my know-how. thanks admin
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