Lessons from a Labyrinth
Hoping to catch sight of a bald eagle rumored to be nesting in the woods near the yoga retreat center last week, I headed out into the early morning Maine mist. As I hopped onto the damp lawn and strode purposefully toward the gateway into the woods, I spied a labyrinth in the grass and veered over to inspect it.
Dating back 4,000 years or more, these meandering paths in modern times are intended as walking meditations, meant to inspire psychological or spiritual transformation.
“OK”, I thought, “I’ll give it a go!”, and paced purposefully inward along the intricate path, arriving at the center point deliberately directing me to look at the sea. So I stood there…and listened to the sea, and wind and birds and my thoughts and waited for something profound to occur.
Nada.
Oh well.
As I hit the first hairpin turn on the trip out, something stopped me in my tracks.
There, separated only by the two-inch grass "wall" that describes the labyrinth path edges, was the EXIT. "I could just HOP over and head out," I thought, but then these words appeared in my mind…
There are no shortcuts.
Ha! I continued back through all the turns, contemplating this notion. There are NO SHORTCUTS.
No shortcuts to work through discomfort - physical or emotional, no shortcuts to personal development, no shortcuts to solving most of life’s challenges, no shortcuts out of uncertainty, and most definitely no shortcuts to solving that 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle on the table in the retreat center!
Upon exiting, I turned and looked back at this mysterious labyrinth, smiled and gave a little bow of thanks for this moment of clarity, this reminder about patience, mindfulness and deliberate engagement glowing inside me.
I continued on to the woods, the trail eventually dropping me out by the cove where low tide had revealed many previously hidden features. I meandered to the water’s edge and did a slow 360º turn to take it all in. A loud rustle from the woods' edge caught my attention and there, flying out toward me, was the bald eagle.
I think I might become a morning person!
Interested in a yoga retreat?
Join Rosie for a week of good company, intelligent yoga practice, inspired outdoor activities, and delicious local food at Jungle Bay on Dominica, the “Nature Island of the Caribbean”.
