Take a self-reflective stroll on church grounds

THE stone labyrinth on the grounds of Buninyong Uniting Church is now the site for weekly mindfulness walks.

The events take place Friday mornings and are hosted by South Ballarat Uniting Church minister Reverend Paul Sanders.

He said the aim of the walks are to give attendees a chance to take some time to meditate.

“The labyrinth is designed for walking. The idea is to walk it in a thoughtful and reflective ways,” he said. “They’ve come into popular use from about the 1980s and 1990s.

“They provide a very visual way of demonstrating the need to enter into an embodied experience of quietness.

“We want to reconstitute the labyrinth for our Friday morning walk. It hasn’t been getting as much use because of COVID but it’s in town, people know it and I’ve seen people walk it before.”

The featured labyrinth is a miniature version of the Chartres found in the eponymous French cathedral, and was built about 15 years ago.

Reverend Sanders said people are welcome to attend and that the walks are not a religious occasion.

Each walk will begin with a basic instruction from Reverend Sanders who has been building labyrinths for years with his wife, Pauline.

Buninyong resident Dorothy Hall attended the inaugural walk and said it provided an important moment of reflection for her.

“I was pretty distracted by other issues that morning, but I came out of the walk in a different space of stillness and peace,” she said.

“The rhythmic effect and the slowness of the walk took place in me.

“There was a bit of socialising but it was more an individual centring and grounding activity.”

The labyrinth walks will run from 9.30am. For more information, call Reverend Sanders on 0407 833 515.