Dear Friends of Mindfulness Northwest, A group of 25 people is gathering for a day of mindfulness at Semiahmoo County Park, north of Bellingham. The park is situated on a mile-long sandspit extending into the Salish Sea, with water on both sides. It’s just...
Dear Friends of Mindfulness Northwest, As the year turns, I find myself reflecting on the journey and adventure Mindfulness Northwest has been and thought I’d share a bit this month. Sometime in 2009 a dream started to take shape in my life. I was starting to...
by Carolyn McCarthy Photo by Judy Beth Morris On a recent morning in early November, my stomach was in knots. My head was spinning, a thought storm tumbling through. I’d managed to get myself out the door and was walking to yoga class, mat tucked under my arm. But my...
What happens when you take stock of your day, your life, your purpose? What is the nature of the language you use with yourself? Most of us tend to be harsh and critical of how we are conducting our life. We easily spiral into self-talk of “shoulds:” I should be more...
Before applying to work at Mindfulness Northwest (MNW), I added up the time I’d spent in MNW programs: over 200 hours, most of those in 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction classes.Ask anyone in my life, and they’ll tell you I’ve...
In our classes, when we turn toward difficult emotions, we often say, “This is where the rubber meets the road.” In other words: This is where it gets tough, but also, this is why we’re doing this practice. I have five parents: two in-laws, two birth, one step. In the...
The practice of forgiveness is both a practical and deep exploration in a world where we humans regularly cause each other harm, and can even harm ourselves. This practice is based on one described by American Insight Meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Gina...
I have to admit that I didn’t like loving kindness meditation at first. I took to silent meditation pretty readily. I found it challenging at times, but generally calming and refreshing, and I treasured the simplicity and silence of it. Loving kindness just...
I remember the first time I took a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course. I had just finished Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and wanted to keep learning all I could about the subject. MSC was described to me as taking a bit of a turn from MBSR: I would...
In this video practice, Catherine walks us through the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Gestures, which are positions and movements that can help us sense and physically embody the different qualities of Mindful Self-Compassion. The first three gestures correspond with...
A tonglen (“giving and receiving compassion”) meditation with an emphasis on being relaxed and alert in our practice. You can learn more about tonglen meditation at Tim’s introductory recording. Delivered at the Winter 2023 MSC II: Roots of...
A meditation oriented around developing the quality of heart-mind the Buddhists call “bodhicitta” – the altruistic mind of awakening. This practice is based on an article by Ven. Thubten Chodron. Delivered at the Winter 2023 MSC II: Roots of...
