Into the Labyrinth

Exploring breath in the heart of the labyrinth

Labyrinths have fascinated humans for millenia, evidenced by spiral symbols traced by ancestral hands in many ancient cultures. Some of the oldest labyrinths are over 4,000 years old. Labyrinth forms have been used as symbols, as tools for walking meditation, for rituals and ceremonies. Thay have become synonymous with mystery, pilgrimage, mindfulness and even heroic quest. They are tools for psychological and spiritual development and transformation, stimulating right-brain activity. Not to be confused with the maze where one might get lost with confusing twists and turns, and blind alleys, you won’t get lost in the labyrinth, as the path always leads inwards to a central point, and retracing your steps it leads safely out again.

Over centuries the forms of labyrinths have become ever more complex, leading to the Chatres shape and it’s descendants, where paths meandre in complex forms. Even in these complex patterns the path leads inwards to a central point, and then back out again.

Even in it’s most simple form – the spiral, it calls us to make a journey to the centre. The centre of a vortex, spiralling inwards. As we observe a spiral form our eyes are drawn to the centre. It calls us to make a journey inwards to our own centre. So this is a powerful tool to take us on a journey deep into our inner world, our personal centre, towards the core of our beings. It gives our mind a focus, a distraction for the monkey mind as we follow a path, enhances our right-brain activity as we explore.

I have been fascinated by the spiral form since childhood. Fascinated by the perfection of the geometry, especially when found in nature in so many forms – from the curled leaves of ferns, the chambered spirals of shells, fossilised Ammonites and the vortex passage of water down a plughole, to forms on a grander scale like the spiralling galaxies of stars.

A few years ago, I worked with artist Linda King, who creates wonderful temporary labyrinths in nature, and in our Amatesh workshop offerings we combined voice and energy work with the labyrinth form. What that work resulted in was what I can only call ‘magic’, such a healing and transformational experience for all involved. It confirmed for me the profound power of working with the labyrinth form, especially the spiral.

When I walk a labyrinth I like to journey inward, and with focused intent often experience a life review … as I tread mindfully back in time. That was a key ingredient of the Amatesh work, revealing and clearing burdens of past trauma, with some dipping into past life experiences – clearing within the labyrinth and leaving unhelpful burdens behind. We also called in benevolent ancestors and guides for support and for me it felt that we walked with the ancestors in this ancient pattern, as many of them will have walked the labyrinth path before us.

I am now drawn to offer conscious breathwork in the labyrinth – to support a really deep inner journey experience. A breathwork facilitator’s role is to create and hold a space, and trust that whatever comes up in the breath is exactly what is needed in the moment. I am excited to explore creating and holding the labyrinth space, and facinitating breathing at the heart centre of this sacred space.

Initially this is an online offering, with guided visualisation, but I’m exploring the possibility of breathing in a physical labyrinth space when we are allowed to resume being in physical proximity with people in due course. I hope the labyrinth is calling to you too, and that you will join me in that sacred space to breathe in the heart of the labyrinth.