Sunrise Meditation and Labyrinth Walk lead by Alejandro Chaoul and Jay Stailey

We celebrated sunrise on the summer solstice with a labyrinth walk on the Rothko Chapel grounds. Houston labyrinth creator Jay Stailey constructed a 9-circuit Chartres labyrinth on which we declared our intentions as we enter this new season. The morning began with an intention setting meditation by Alejandro Chaoul and brief introduction to labyrinths by Jay Stailey at 6:20am, then we entered the labryinths as the sun's rays began to light up the sky.

In observation of the Summer Solstice, the Rothko Chapel was open from sunrise to sunset (approximately 6:20 AM-8:25 PM).

About the presenters: Dr. Alejandro Chaoul is an assistant professor and director of education at MD Anderson's Integrative Medicine program where he conducts research using mind-body techniques with cancer patients, holds group and individual meditation classes, and directs the education initiatives on integrative medicine. He is also an associate faculty member at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Medical School, where he teaches medical students in the areas of spirituality, complementary and integrative medicine, and end of life care. Alejandro is also an advisor for the Rothko Chapel and lectures regularly at The Jung Center of Houston, the Asia Society, and the Esalen Institute.

Jay Stailey, a Rothko Chapel Guild founding member, and former Houston-area public school administrator discovered the power of the labyrinth as a tool to focus his thoughts, clear his mind, and tune his inner being. His curiosity and interest broadened as he became a Veriditas trained and certified labyrinth facilitator, and leading him to become Houston’s first labyrinth coach. He has emerged as a fixture in the Houston labyrinth community, facilitating monthly labyrinth walks at the Historic Freedmen’s Town Labyrinth, guiding Houstonians on discovery walks and bicycle tours, and facilitating the construction of temporary and permanent labyrinths with Houston-area churches and schools. He has recently installed labyrinths for Core Dance performances in Atlanta, Georgia, and for the past two summers, on the Fourviere in historic Lyon, France, and on the equator in the cloud forests of Ecuador. He presented at The Labyrinth Society Fall 2016 Gathering in Houston, on “Building Community through the Labyrinth Experience.” Future labyrinth projects in Ireland, Mexico, Ecuador and Italy (in partnership with the Houston Grand Opera) loom on the horizon. This is Jay’s second year creating the turf labyrinth for the Rothko Chapel Summer Solstice celebration.