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"Thank you for your thoughful presentaion on the Labyrinth and the caring and open way you welcomed us to walk it. The entire group has been talking about how meaningful the day was for them." - Nancy, labyrinth walker

The labyrinth at Lynn Valley United Church is modelled after one dating back to the 13th century found on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France and is the North Shore's only indoor labyrinth.

The labyrinth is open during regular office hours, Monday to Thursday from 9:30am to 1:30pm, for individual use and is open Monday nights at 7:00pm for Spiritual Practice Mondays and Soul Spa. A “Sacred Music on the Labyrinth” walk is held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 2:00pm to 3:00pm and features contemporary and traditional hymns and songs played on the piano.

If you have any questions, are interested in scheduling a walk for your group, or want to be notified of the next special event on the labyrinth, please contact the church office at 604-987-2114 or office@lynnvalleychurch.com.

What Is a Labyrinth?
A labyrinth is an intricate, spiralling design with a single, meandering path leading to a center point. Simply by walking along the path, a labyrinth provides time and space to focus or meditate on an intention, inquiry, request, or nothing at all. There is no right or wrong way to use a labyrinth, it is merely a form that a person can overlay their own personal thoughts, needs, or feelings.

Every ancient culture around the globe used some sort of spiralled design as a tool for ritual, ceremonial, entertainment, or connection to the natural world and spiritual realm. As early civilizations evolved and became more complex, the spirals also became more complex, resulting in the intertwining Celtic patterns, the elaborate web of the Greek and Roman forms, and the cosmic swirls of the Pacific Indigenous communities.

A resurgence of interest in using labyrinths as a pathway to enhance overall health and spiritual connection has fuelled research, construction, and inquiry into physical and emotional outcomes. Contemporary studies show that labyrinths contribute to personal, psychological, and spiritual insight and transformation due to how they engage the whole person. Walking a labyrinth has been shown to spark synapses on both sides of the brain with each change in direction, stimulating "cross-hemisphere activation and integration", which all works together with physical forward movement to induce a natural state of calm, introspection, and self-reflection.

The internet has a number of great articles and websites devoted to using and building labyrinths for personal, community and faith use. Please check out some of our favourites below.

Online Resources for Home Labyrinth Exploration