A small group of volunteers took out shovels and gardening gloves at Oakland’s Lake Merritt on Sunday to re-dig an overgrown 300-foot-labyrinth in the hopes of restoring a piece of landscape art they hope can lift the soul through walking in meditative circles.

Oakland resident Carl Singer noticed the labyrinth between the lake and Grand Avenue had gone to pot since it was first created in 1992, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

And he learned the city hadn’t spent any money on its upkeep.

So, Singer got permission from the park’s Rotary Nature Center, the Chronicle reported, and recruited friends and volunteers to dig away.

Early Sunday morning they were out, gaining the attention of joggers and passers by. He told the Chronicle he plans to hold several more get togethers to complete the project.



At one point, the labyrinth's secret passages were used for meditation and spiritual awakenings. Singer and his friends are hoping that to be the case again.