A group in the Hunter, meeting at Rainbird Gardens in Heatherbrae on Saturday, joined thousands of people around the world in a moving mindfulness meditation for world peace. The aim of the walk was to help create a rolling wave of peaceful energy passing from one time zone to the next around the globe.
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World Labyrinth Day (May 1) became an opportunity to inform and educate the public, host walks, build permanent and temporary labyrinths, make labyrinth art, and explore this archetypal symbol in many ways and celebrated labyrinths as a healthy strategy for positive community cohesion.
Walking the labyrinth path engages both the mind and the body. Research has shown that walking the labyrinth assists mental health and stress reduction (aln.org.au/research).
Research has also shown that encouraging individuals to participate in labyrinth activities that involve moving in-time with others may be an effective tool to help improve positive cognitive and social connections.
Like many sports activities keeping in time with others may be a better means to feel good about ourselves than moving to our own beat, that coordination not only influences interpersonal outcomes affiliation and cooperation but can also affect one's self-esteem.
In 2019, the Australian Labyrinth Network (ALN), in collaboration with the US-led Labyrinth Network TLS initiated World Labyrinth Day in schools. This encourages school communities to participate in the worldwide movement of walking for peace. An ALN workgroup created and maintains extensive resources for carers of children anywhere in the world.
My aim is to foster interest in the labyrinth in the Hunter because they are a strategy that can help everyone feel better and we all need that at some time in our lives. Global interest in labyrinths has ebbed and flowed, but there is something about these ancient symbols that keeps revitalizing interest.
Labyrinth carvings and constructions from hundreds to thousands of years old are found in numerous places around the world. A photo library and information can be found at labyrinthos.net.
For more Australian information visit aln.org.au or contact myself, Elizabeth Schiemer, at admin@aln.org.au. To learn more or join labyrinths in the Hunter go to facebook.com/labyrinthsportstephens.