By Sarah Kuper
At the beginning of January, it can be impossible to get a treadmill at the gym.
Driven by New Year’s resolutions, people dig for their gym membership cards and start using phrases like “muscle confusion” and “moisture-wicking.”
But local therapy and spiritual professionals said New Year’s resolutions should have more to do with mindfulness, inner calm and awareness.
Physical therapist and meditation guide Margaret Pittenger has been taking care of clients for 45 years.
“You see so many people working out at the gym and they never give themselves a chance to rest,” she said.
Pittenger works alongside a team of six therapists at Embody, a wellness center in Mountain Brook. Each therapist has a specialty, but Pittenger said they all treat the whole person.
Clients come to Pittenger or one of her colleagues for help after an injury or for relief from chronic pain. While she has decades of training in physical therapy and the Feldenkrais Method, Pittenger said a key part of wellness is getting to the emotional root of pain and discomfort.
“We all have habits based on thoughts and feelings and what is happening in the world. The demands of our job and family create habits that lead to stiff neck and tight shoulders, among other things” she said.
Pittenger said that, in her physical therapy sessions, she doesn’t just treat the leg that aches; she also finds and treats the underlying cause, which may be a shoulder injury. She said most pain is a “whole body issue,” and that includes the tension or pain in a client’s thoughts.
To truly resolve and prevent discomfort, Pittenger suggests meditation. She bases her belief in its power on years of research, even citing University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Dr. Edward Taub.
Taub is a prominent expert and pioneer in neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change and improve. As director of the CI Therapy Group at UAB, his research explores behaviors that help the brain heal and protect itself. One of these behaviors is meditation.
Pittenger said meditation can improve circulation, change thinking patterns and relieve stress. She said it isn’t just about sitting still and being quiet. It’s about being aware and appreciative of the details of everyday life.
“If you eat an orange by peeling it and shoving it in your mouth, that’s not mindfulness. When you take time to be mindful, you experience gratitude and appreciation,” she said.
While the word “meditation” may bring to mind yoga or other eastern philosophies, the practice of meditation also is part of many religions, including Christianity.
Dr. Doug Dortch, pastor at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, said meditation is an integral part of the Christian faith.
“Meditation is a Bible-based discipline and not merely a new age phenomenon or psychological technique,” he said.
He cites the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Psalms, which says “blessed are the ones…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates upon it both day and night.”
Dortch said spiritual renewal is something that should be at the top of any New Year’s resolution list. Like Pittenger, Dortch believes many people struggle with self-awareness and mindfulness.
“The major deficiency most folks struggle with in their personal development is a lack of awareness of their deepest needs,” Dortch said. “Most of us aren’t aware of our most acute shortcomings, and our ignorance in this regard prevents us from making progress.”
Dortch said that, for a Christian, meditation goes hand in hand with prayer.
“Too many Christians pray in 10-second blocks and never find the strength that comes in deep centered meditation upon God’s direction,” he said. “In prayer, Christians are awakened to those areas where work must be done, and in the process they find power to help them to grow.”
Dortch recommends memorizing short passages of scripture and remembering them throughout the day as a way to pray and meditate. Selecting a passage from the Bible and asking, “How does this apply to my life?” is another useful prompt for meditation and spiritual growth he said.
Whether meditating to relieve stress and ease physical pain or to find spiritual renewal and grow closer to God, Pittenger and Dortch both suggest getting involved with others on a similar journey.
“Just as we are created spiritual beings, so we are created social ones,” Dortch said.
Embody offers movement and meditation classes and Mountain Brook Baptist Church has two Sunday services and weekday studies.
