Meditation and Mindfulness

Friend and colleague, Dr. Marti Peter-Sparling, will be facilitating a 9-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course beginning on January 23, 2022 (learn more here). A recent conversation with her generated the following insights about meditation, mindfulness and wellness. - by Wendy Fritz, RN, R.Ac., MSTOM, Dipl.O.M.

“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Coming out of the holidays, I find that I am torn between a strong desire for stillness, rest, and the drive to hurtle forward with goals, resolutions, activity. It is the juxtaposition of holiday recovery, and the need to “get back to normal life”, whatever that may mean. I find myself anxious about what I want to accomplish and what I need to accomplish. Being a human on this planet is often hard. Real world problems do not have easy solutions, and can be daunting. How to manage?

Meditation is helpful for most, if not all, of us. Studies have been done and continue to be done showing this. But what is meditation? Merriam-Webster defines meditation as: 

med·i·ta·tion /ˌmedəˈtāSH(ə)n/ noun

1. To engage in contemplation or reflections. 
2. To engage in mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.

The word meditate comes from the Latin meditatum meaning “to ponder.” It has its roots in Asia. Its beginning is hard to nail down, in part, because it can be hard to define exactly what meditation is. Records that talk about meditation-like practices from India date back as far as 1500 BCE.  Lao Tzu, the legendary Taoist master, describes meditation practices such as Bai yi—embracing the one and Bao pu—embracing simplicity in the Taoist text the Tao Te Ching. Meditation-like practices are part of many traditions from Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, Judaism, Taoism, etc., making it clear that time to find a way to step out of the activity of life to rest or transcend mind and spirit were important very early on.

There are, of course many ways to meditate.  One way that has gained a lot of attention in the United States since it was studied in the early 1970’s by Jon Kabat-Zinn is the practice of Mindfulness. Kabat-Zinn started his Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts.

Marti Peters-Sparling, MD

Marti Peters-Sparling, MD/Medical Director at SWMI Health Matters has experience with this practice. I spoke with her to gain more understanding of Mindfulness as a meditation practice. I wanted to know what Mindfulness is and how it differs from other forms of meditation. She explained that Mindfulness is a practice of taking time to simply be aware of ourselves, our thoughts and our actions as opposed to avoiding our thoughts or being distracted, because we often exist in very distracted states.

She further explained that some other forms of meditation are used to distract the self in a healing way, such as guided meditation. These practices can be useful especially in times of distress such as when we are experiencing heightened, acute anxiety and need to focus on something other than what we are currently experiencing. Guided meditation may give a visual cue or a word to focus attention on to take us out of the moment. With Mindfulness, one focuses on the moment and being in the moment. It is noticing that we have an inner dialogue and what that chatter may be saying.  It is recognizing that these are only thoughts, not necessarily reality. It is recognizing how we are feeling. It is doing this without resistance or judgement; just noticing it and being with it.

“The New Year is a natural time of reflection...winter can naturally be a time of rest and renewal – all make it a great time to make Mindfulness practices part of a wellness plan.”
— Marti Peters-Sparling, MD

Dr. Marti first learned about the practice of Mindfulness on the Headspace app. She had already been starting to meditate. She heard the word and was curious. She stated that such apps or books or other similar resources are great ways to get started, but taking a class, whether in person or on-line, is the best way to really begin. It offers the benefits both of shared energy and a sense of commonality, as well as a facilitator trained in the practice.  Some of the benefits that make a facilitator helpful, if not essential, are support when one feels like their practice is not going well, but also, such meditation can put one in touch with strong emotions and memories. A trained facilitator can help guide one through past traumas or uncomfortable emotions that may surface during practice.

I have often heard of people spending hours a day meditating. When I asked her about this, Dr. Marti explained that this may be a goal for some, but really what is important is to be committed and consistent, spending even just 5 minutes a day in the beginning. What does she tell people who say they can’t meditate? That there are a lot of misconceptions about Mindfulness, and that it is really about awareness not control. I wanted to know how she finds time in her busy schedule to fit meditation in as this is something I struggle with, and I know it is for many of my patients as well. She admits that it can be hard.  For her, early mornings are best before the rest of her family is awake.  Sometimes she has to fit it in during her work day on small breaks.  The most important thing is to carve time out for it.  Make it a priority.

What are the benefits of Mindful Meditation?  Studies by Dr. Judson Brewer show that Mindfulness practices can decrease anxiety, depression, help with addiction recovery, weight loss, insomnia reduction, pain reduction, and a general sense of well-being.  What has Dr. Marti noticed for herself?  She says she is better able to recognize when she is feeling anxious and to hear her own inner dialogue (that chatter that goes on in all of our own heads and can have a profound effect on our emotions and reactions in any situation,) and recognize it for that.  She feels since making this a regular part of her own wellness practice, she is a better listener and more in-tuned with the healing space.

I asked Dr. Marti if there was anything about winter that would make it an ideal time to start or renew a meditation practice. Her thoughts are that we are often home and inside more, that the New Year is a natural time of reflection, and that winter can naturally be a time of rest and renewal – all make it a great time to make Mindfulness practices part of a wellness plan.

Finally, some of Dr. Marti’s favorite resources for those interested in making Mindfulness part of their own wellness practice include:

Insights, Tips & TechniquesJim PerryMeditation, Mindfullness, SWMI Health Matters, Marti Peters-Sparling, MD