One of the things I appreciate about the process of mindfulness training and living a more mindful life is the way we can learn so much about our human life when we engage the arts. The meditative practices are foundational and essential in this journey, but there is...
“April showers bring May flowers.” Or, as Thich Nhat Hanh put it, “No mud, no lotus.” Trials, which can be hard to bear, often spur growth. Beautiful blossoming, even. Yet when too much difficult stuff hits us all at once, we can feel swamped, sodden, struggling to...
Pain, especially chronic pain, is a complex experience of distressing sensations along with emotions and thoughts that ramp up the pain. By practicing three evidenced-based approaches to chronic pain relief – mindfulness, replacing negative with positive...
I’m on the plane for a brief trip to visit my young adult son. I’m excited about it. I’d left one work task to do enroute. Not ideal, but it happens. I’m usually pretty focused on the plane, I’ll get it done. Opening my backpack to start...
Definition: Reification: to make something abstract more concrete or real; to consider or represent something abstract as a material or concrete thing; to give definite content and form to a concept or idea. We humans come equipped with an amazing mind – a mind that...
Tim greatly enjoyed this conversation with Dr. Jennifer Ghahari of Seattle Anxiety Specialists on the value of mindfulness (and compassion) training for wellness and managing anxiety....
Checking in to the Zoom room on a Saturday morning in August, I could tell the group was nervous about spending the next six hours in silence. Impressively, everyone in my class of health professionals – doctors, nurses, a researcher – had all shown up and...
Recently we were asked to provide a workshop for one of our clients on “Pandemic Fatigue” and I realized: yeah – that’s a thing now isn’t it? It’s been a long hard slog for all of us. For some, suffering the loss of someone close to...
Just over a year ago, a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd. Like so many individuals and organizations, Mindfulness Northwest heard this wake-up call. Instead of an immediate public response, we’ve turned inward, toward self-examination. We wanted to...
Posture is the structural basis of our upright position. And posture supports our upright position in meditation. But it is tricky. We are guided to be upright, but relaxed – not too tight, and not too loose. But what does this all mean? If I’m “relaxed,” I feel my...
The ferry was running late. New to island living, my friend hadn’t planned for the ways wind and water might shape his day. Now he would miss his meeting. Frustrated, he texted a colleague to ask her to cover for him. But wait! They seemed to be speeding up. The boat...
Explore the important role of acceptance in relationships – what it is and isn’t – and how it relates to curiosity, vulnerability, and intimacy. Listen to the Podcast of Tim’s conversation with Wise Compassion’s Michelle Becker below....
