Loving-kindness stengthens the natural human desire that you and others be well. A core part of our Mindful Self-Compassion program as well as other compassion cultivation programs, loving-kindness meditation uses a combination of imagery and language to open the...
For much of my life, I have sought well-being through external validation and stimulus. Winning the big game, getting good grades, finding the right job, and so on. I was chasing a fleeting experience while ignoring the heart that’s longing for it. It has been its own...
You are so excited to prepare dinner for three of your friends. You’ve planned a menu, gone grocery shopping, and spent several hours slicing and chopping, sauteing and mixing to bring forth a delightful meal. Your guests arrive to share your culinary efforts. They...
by Tim Burnett, March 2025 In March 2025, Mindfulness Northwest teachers Tim Burnett and Carolyn McCarthy led a weekend retreat at the Samish Island Retreat Center with focussed on the power of awareness for healing We offer three weekend residential retreats each...
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...
The simple answer sounds shocking: yes, it can be.The fuller answer is more nuanced. We all know that, much as we all need safety and protection, there is nothing that’s completely safe. Even our mindfulness practice can be harmful. It can trigger difficult internal...
The R.A.I.N. practice is a 4-step process for meeting the challenges of life in a spacious, curious, reflective way. The four steps of rain are: (1) recognize, (2) accept and allow, (3) investigate, and (4) non-identification with the challenge. We've been amazed by...
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...
Something that occurs to me regularly at our mindfulness retreats is: “I never would have thought of this!”It never would have occurred to me that being quiet and sitting still with a group of people for days at a time would bring so much benefit. That it would lead...
THE ROOTS OF MINDFULNESS 2024: Practicing in a Body In August 2024, Mindfulness Northwest teachers Tim Burnett and Carolyn McCarthy co-led a 5-day retreat on the the essentially embodied nature of our mindfulness practice. Tim and Carolyn wove in Buddhist teachings,...
