Oct 12, 2026
In October 2026, Mindfulness Northwest Senior Teacher Teacher Tim Burnett co-led, with Sonia Sahay, a 3-day retreat on the teachings on loving-kindness at Samish Island Retreat Center. The talks were rooted in both the happenings at the retreat itself where a mishap...
Oct 1, 2026
I don’t think it takes much. Maybe just being able to get out of our own way. I remember going for a walk while on a silent meditation retreat. I was scraping the gravel beneath my feet, looking upon the rural midwest landscape. There was nothing particularly...
Sep 6, 2026
I was out on a bike ride in the Skagit Valley near the church camp we rent for our overnight retreats on Samish Island. I’ve really come to appreciate this area for its beauty and peace. I’m also a birdwatcher and I know that mid-summer is a lull in the...
Jul 29, 2026
Fifteen years ago, during a weeklong silent meditation retreat, our days were punctuated by the sound of a single bell. We moved between sitting meditation and walking meditation, following its invitation from dawn until evening. I remember sitting in the...
Jul 4, 2026
I can get annoyed at the smallest things: impossible-to-open plastic packaging, IKEA furniture assembly, or software instructions written in an alien language. My overblown reaction to these frustrating experiences feels out of my control. I always believed...
May 27, 2026
There are whales flying through the air. A big wind is coming in off the water, powering (and toppling) small sailboats as they race through the bay. It’s tangled in our hair, my mom’s and mine, as we make our slow way through the park on Mother’s...
May 1, 2026
A friend recently experienced a difficult medical diagnosis. The medical system corrected the immediate problem, but the whole thing was a shock. And there is reason for concern about the road ahead. Like so many medical conditions, there is some amount of slowing the...
Apr 1, 2026
Loss and transition have a way of reshaping us from the inside out. They can shake what once felt certain, ask more of us than we think we can handle, and leave us searching for steadiness in what feels like a frightening wilderness. And yet, the cavern created by...
Mar 31, 2026
by Tim Burnett, March 2026 In March 2026, Mindfulness Northwest teachers Tim Burnett and Sonia Sahay led a weekend retreat at the Samish Island Retreat Center with focussed on how mindfulness is also a way of meeting the challenges of a larger world. Tim gave a talk...
Feb 27, 2026
There were memories of arguments lost, fears of what would become of me, and someone’s sickly cough rummaging through the meditation hall. My jaw was clenched, as I screamed at myself mentally, fighting back knee pain. And it was only day 2 of 7. Often when I tell...
Jan 26, 2026
In January 2026, Mindfulness Northwest Senior Teacher Teacher Tim Burnett co-led, with Nikki Dvorak Larsen, a 5-day retreat on the Buddhist inspired teachings on compassion at Rainbow Lodge near North Bend, Washington just below Snoqualmie Pass. Tim explored the...
Jan 25, 2026
I was convinced I had no business being in the room. I did not know enough. I had not practiced enough. I fell flat on my face too often. I did not have the right letters after my name. I was not even sure how I had been allowed to come to this MBSR teacher training....
