1Labyrinths have existed for well over 4,000 years.
2Labyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been found in regions as diverse as modern-day Turkey,
3Ireland, Greece, and India
4There are various designs of labyrinth
5but what they all have in common is a winding spiral path which leads to a central area
6There is one starting point at the entrance and the goal is to reach the central area.
7Finding your way through a labyrinth involves many twists and turns,
8but it's not possible to get lost as there is only one single path.
9In modern times, the word labyrinth has taken on a different meaning
10and is often used as a synonym for a maze.
11A maze is quite different
12as it is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of paths.
13Mazes became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe,
14and can still be found in the gardens of great houses and palaces.
15The paths are usually surrounded by thick, high hedges so that it's not possible to see over them.
16Entering a maze usually involves getting lost a few times
17before using logic to work out the pattern and find your way to the centre and then out again.
18There are lots of dead ends and paths which lead you back to where you started.
19The word 'maze' is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion.
20This is where the word 'amazing' comes from.
21Labyrinths, on the other hand, have a very different function.
22Although people now often refer to things they find complicated as labyrinths,
23this is not how they were seen in the past.
24The winding spiral of the labyrinth has been used for centuries as a metaphor for life's journey.
25It served as a spiritual reminder that there is purpose and meaning to our lives
26and helped to give people a sense of direction.
27Labyrinths are thought to encourage a feeling of calm
28and have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures over many centuries.
29The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been found carved into stone,
30from Sardinia to Scandinavia, from Arizona to India to Africa.
31In Europe, these spiral carvings date from the late Bronze Age.
32The Native American Pima tribe wove baskets with a circular labyrinth design that depicted their own cosmology.
33In Ancient Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around 4000 years ago.
34Labyrinths made of mosaics were commonly found in bathhouses,
35villas and tombs throughout the Roman Empire.
36In Northern Europe, there were actual physical labyrinths designed for walking on.
37These were cut into the turf or grass, usually in a circular pattern.
38The origin of these walking labyrinths remains unclear,
39but they were probably used for fertility rites
40which may date back thousands of years.
41Eleven examples of turf labyrinths survive today,
42including the largest one at Saffron Walden, England,
43which used to have a large tree in the middle of it.
44More recently labyrinths have experienced something of a revival.
45Some believe that walking a labyrinth promotes healing and mindfulness,
46and there are those who believe in its emotional and physical benefits,
47which include slower breathing
48and a restored sense of balance and perspective.
49This idea has become so popular that labyrinths have been laid into the floors of spas, wellness centres
50and even prisons in recent years.
51A pamphlet at Colorado Children's Hospital informs patients that
52'walking a labyrinth can often calm people in the midst of a crisis'.
53And apparently, it's not only patients who benefit.
54Many visitors find walking a labyrinth less stressful than sitting in a corridor or waiting room.
55Some doctors even walk the labyrinth during their breaks.
56In some hospitals, patients who can't walk
57can have a paper 'finger labyrinth' brought to their bed.
58The science behind the theory is a little sketchy,
59but there are dozens of small-scale studies which support claims about the benefits of labyrinths.
60For example, one study found that walking a labyrinth provided 'short-term calming,
61relaxation, and relief from anxiety' for Alzheimer's patients.
62So, what is it about labyrinths that makes their appeal so universal?...