Labyrinths can often make one feel directionless. But some can unclutter your mind, guide you toward your path, and even bring mental peace—much like the morning meditation. Labyrinth walking meditation, a popular Western form of meditation that involves walking a single, winding path to a centre and back out, is now finding its way to India. Wellness retreats are realising that meditation is no longer just about sitting closed eyes and observing breath. It can also be practised while walking and turning—quite literally.
For 28-year-old Sneha Mittal, sitting still is perhaps the toughest thing to do—living with an anxiety disorder meant constantly racing. However, it changed in 2023. During her vacation in the Netherlands, Mittal stumbled upon a labyrinth meditation walk. “While walking the labyrinth, I realised those thoughts didn’t need my attention. I just followed the rhythm of my steps. By the end of it, I felt connected to my body instead of trapped in my mind.”
For many it gives a sense of emotional lightness or sudden clarity. “Reaching the center is less about arriving somewhere new and more about returning home to oneself,” explains Dr Sagar Mahajan, wellness operations manager, Dharana at Shillim, a popular labyrinth meditation retreat.
Though Western wellness culture has popularised labyrinth meditation in recent decades, the geometry itself has deep Indian roots—from the petroglyphs of Goa, the mandala-inspired kolams of South India to circular temple plans found in early Buddhist sites, labyrinth patterns are quite common to spot.
Unlike seated meditation, the practice invites movement as mindfulness, blending rhythm with reflection. “Labyrinth walking adds gentle motion to meditation. You’re not pacing randomly; you’re following a guided path. The body finds rhythm, and the mind focuses, says Mugdha Pradhan, founder, iThrive, a Pune-based wellness platform.”
Physiologically, this deliberate walking produces measurable calm. “It challenges the idea that vitality must mean speed or strain,” says Arushi Verma, co-founder of the fitness and wellness platform FITPASS. “Even low-impact walking can improve co-ordination and cardiovascular health while cultivating a deep sense of calm.”
Scientific research mirrors this understanding. A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Stress Prevention & Wellbeing, Pamela Boardman and colleagues found that while perceived stress levels showed only modest change, participants reported feeling “less agitated and anxious, and more peaceful and relaxed” after walking a labyrinth several times a week.
When 31-year-old, Anamika Sehgal, started moving slowly on a circular maze-like stone path, it “almost felt trivial at first”. But slowly the rhythm took over. She felt like each step, each turn, each loop was helping her declutter. “Somewhere in that repetition, the noise inside me started to thin out,” says the Ahmedabad based marketing professional.
Walking labyrinth, is not just about walking a path that leads to centre and back out again, but walking on a path that fosters a sense of confidence and security. It’s meditation where each step, each turn, brings you not just closer to the maze’s centre but to your own sense of reality.