Washington Health Systems Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center is about to open a new labyrinth, thanks to Scott Township resident Dorit Brauer, labyrinth creator and owner of The Brauer Institute for Holistic Medicine.

Designing this particular labyrinth was remarkably special for Brauer, as it is the first hospital-affiliated labyrinth in Western Pennsylvania, though she also has designed labyrinths in several other locations, too, including Ohio, California and even Germany and Israel.

I love every labyrinth Ive created because the experiences it generated and the connections to the people who walked it are always profound, Brauer says of her work. It is an enriching experience, and every single labyrinth walk has the potential to change how you see the world. It is a spiritual transformation power tool and therefore, every experience contains its own special gift.

Labyrinths are considered sacred circles found in every culture around the globe and date back thousands of years the circle has no beginning and no end. It is a doorway to another dimension, and it allows us to become whole and experience oneness, fulfilling the deepest yearning of the human soul, says Brauer, who also authored the book Girls Dont Ride Motorbikes A Spiritual Adventure Into Lifes Labyrinth. The sacred circle represents our origin and final destination, our divine essence that exists beyond time and space.

Though labyrinths may appear similar to mazes, which became popular during the period of rationalism in the 15th century while emphasizing reasoning and thinking, Brauer says there are distinct differences.

A maze forces you to make choices and reach dead ends, she says, but a labyrinth allows you to reach states of clarity, particularly during troubled times and turmoil, and its single-winding path invites you to give up control and relax.

As you walk through a labyrinth, Brauer suggests considering the three Rs:

Release: Release everything that does not serve your highest good. Exhale all concerns, worries, painful memories, aches from your body and beliefs and perceptions that do not resonate with the light.

Receive: As for guidance to lifes challenges. Be assured that the answers to your questions will emerge in the days following your labyrinth walk. Visualize breathing in and breathing out the light. Let your light shine bright and radiant.

Reflect: Trace your steps back out of the labyrinth. Count your blessings and all the good that you have received throughout your life. Focus on happy memories, moments of joy and love. Reflect and embrace everything that is good and nourishes your soul.

Walking through a labyrinth offers many benefits, Brauer notes. Individuals have noticed stress reduction, clarity, inner peace, self-discovery and much more. Since it is essentially a walking meditation, the positive benefits associated to meditation also apply to labyrinth walking. Labyrinths are even becoming increasingly popular in hospital settings, such as the new one at the Cameron Wellness Center.

Brauer says she first learned about labyrinths when she was growing up in Europe, but became more involved with them when she was planning a cross-country road trip for her 40th birthday in 2006.

I knew that I was embarking on a spiritual journey and that I wanted to write a book to share what I had learned, she says. Then I discovered the Labyrinth Locator and found very interesting labyrinths along my itinerary. I wanted to learn more and participated in a labyrinth facilitator training with Dr. Lauren Artress, who was then the Canon of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice.

Since then, Brauer has created more than 100 labyrinths, many of them temporary that could be found in nature, at churches, or for childrens birthday parties and other events such as Farm to Table Pittsburgh, the Healthy Womens Expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and in corporate settings for team building workshops.

She advises that the best way to find local labyrinths is to visit the World Wide Labyrinth Locator at labyrinthlocator.com and enter your zip code.

To see the new labyrinth that she designed on the walking trail behind the Cameron Wellness Center, stop by the opening ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 10.

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A labyrinth is coming to Washington - Observer-Reporter