It's no surprise that learning how to cope with the stress and fears of a pandemic does not come easy. Times like these test our peace of mind and ability to focus on what's important.

The important thing to remember is to learn how to let go of the busyness of life.

That from Joan Stumborg, the designer and curator of the Labyrinth of Peace. The labyrinth is a small shaded garden located on MacDonald St. right beside Vanier Collegiate that is designed to help people let go, embrace the sacred, and then carry that light out into the world.

Stumborg says that the layout of the twisting pathway was quite a chore to work out.

"It was a fairly big project...there were no existing templates out there. So to create a labyrinth pathway that had the same entrance and exit, and where you journey from the outside to the middle then back out, all while not removing any of the mature trees, required a lot of planning."

Throughout the labyrinth are eleven meditation stations, each created by a local artisan. Visitors can follow the path at their own pace or allow themselves to be guided by a recorded meditation.

"We've written a journey for children, a journey for youth, and one for teens and adults as well. We've set up QR codes so you can just scan and go. All you need is a QR code scanning app on your phone and then you listen to it on your headphones."

Stumborg and her team wrote the journey themselves and the accompanying music was composed by local musicians.

"I'm so thankful for having gifted musicians like Josh Carley and Cam Church who did all the original soundtracks."

She says that after years of designing and fundraising she's satisfied that the project is doing what she set out for it to do.

"There's hardly a day that I go up to work on it that I don't see people walking through it or just sitting and being still."

The Labyrinth of Peace is completely free for everyone and welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds to come and find peace. You can learn more here.