Meditation walk and labyrinth at an empowerment center offering nature access

The surrounding meditation pathway features outdoor drum and chime sounds, raised flower beds and, soon, a maze being constructed by Custom Landscapes Inc.

“The maze was kind of a collaborative project between myself and Missy (Missy Melton, Senior Services Coordinator),” said Michelle Witherspoon, Director of Early Childhood Services. “She brought the idea up because it could be used by both seniors and children, and there was a grant opportunity, so I took it and wrote the (grant) application.”

The Lumpkin Family Foundation in Mattoon, which focuses on improving wellness through interaction with nature, approved the grant but declined to disclose the amount. Custom Landscape owner Dave McLaughlin specializes in such complex projects, and his team also includes Kaius Pagel, a third-year architecture student at the University of Illinois.

Witherspoon told the men what she had in mind, and Pager took their ideas and refined them into the final design, which McLaughlin said she thinks will be ready in about a week.

Custom Landscapes also helped create the meditation walk.

“When[McLaughlin]first got here, it was a blank slate,” Witherspoon says, “just a sidewalk and some trees. I had ordered some musical instruments, so I gave him an idea of ​​what I wanted and he started designing.”

McLoughlin said he has had a lifelong interest in landscape design and later taught agriculture and horticulture at Richland Community College before going full time with his landscaping company.

A labyrinth can be a confusing maze or a winding path that leads to a center, like this maze, and is often used as a means to focus, pray, meditate or practice calming exercises. Thought to have originated in the Middle Ages, the most famous labyrinth is at Chartres Cathedral in France, and the closest one to Decatur is at Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic in Urbana.

Witherspoon said the meditation walk and maze will be available to the public, and children who attend the Empowerment Center’s Anna Waters Head Start and Baby Talk already use the meditation walk on days when the weather is suitable for outdoor activities.

There are four play areas for children, but a meditation walk and soon-to-be maze will provide more outdoor space so two more classes can be held outdoors, she added.

The senior programs offer transportation, social activities like dancing, and field trips to places like Scoville Zoo to seniors who meet income criteria. The gardens also provide outdoor spaces for seniors to enjoy.

“That’s the (senior citizens’) garden, so we put more benches on that side,” Melton said, pointing to raised flower beds by the building that were built by Custom Landscapes. “It’s good for Alzheimer’s, it’s good for stressful jobs, it helps you stay focused, it’s good for your mental health.”