Ready for an overnight retreat? Our weekend retreats are a great place to start if you’ve established a mindfulness practice or taken a mindfulness class and you’re ready to take it to the “next level.” A weekend retreat is also a wonderful way to renew and refresh a long-standing practice. Our lives as mindfulness practitioners deepen when we’re ready to enter into the sustained practice of retreat.
This residential retreat will be held mostly in silence at the beautiful Samish Island Campground and Retreat Center and will include a series of gently guided mindfulness practices including sitting meditation, walking meditation, gentle yoga, and the body scan.
Informative talks on the process of being on retreat, mindfulness, stress reactivity, and other topics will be presented by the instructor. Small and large group discussion at the beginning and end of the weekend will center around our experience together walking, sitting, and breathing in the quiet of the beautiful retreat site.
SCHEDULE Details
• Starts Friday with 4pm – 5pm check in followed by dinner and an orientation, after which we will begin our silence.
• Saturday is a full day of silent practice (7:00am to 8:30pm with breaks for meals).
• Sunday we’ll practice until lunch followed by camp chores.
• The retreat concludes at about 2pm on Sunday after lunch and camp clean up.
You can review a typical schedule.
WHO THIS RETREAT IS FOR
- Students of mindfulness interested in deepening and maintaining their practice.
- Those who have taken a course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindful Self-Compassion, or Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals.
- Adults age 18 and over.
NEW TO RETREAT?
This is a silent retreat with supportive guidance from our teachers including significant periods of silence and few distractions or amusements. While a weekend retreat can be a good way to get started with extended practice, some find it helpful to take a more gradual approach through our daylong retreats (offered online and in-person).
If your practice has been primarily at home (guided by apps or recordings, etc.) we do recommend trying longer meditations of 30-40 minutes before signing up for retreat. Take a look at a typical weekend retreat schedule.
FOOD & ACCOMMODATIONS
Simple accommodations and tasty, nutritious meals are included in your registration. The wonderful cooks at Samish can always accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and vegetarian diets. If your dietary needs require bringing your own food, fridge space is available, as is a microwave.
Most rooms are comfortable single-occupancy rustic cabins sharing the campground bathhouses. There is an option for motel-style rooms with a shared en-suite bath for a surcharge. RV and tent camping are also available (water and electrical hookup provided). More information about accommodations here.
ABOUT SAMISH ISLAND RETREAT CENTER
This beautiful campground maintained by the Community of Christ at the east end of Samish Island (the “island” is accessible by road) offers stunning views, deep quiet, and simple accommodations. Mindfulness Northwest has been offering retreats at Samish for many years. More details about the venue can be found here.
CAMP CHORES
Note that Samish is very lightly staffed allowing it to be more affordable than most venues. This helps us to hold registration fees at an affordable level. Every participant helps out with camp chores such as washing dishes and cleaning the buildings at the end of the retreat.
SCHEDULE
October 27 – 29, 2023
Friday 4pm – Sunday 2pm
TEACHER
LOCATION
Samish Island Campground and Retreat Center
COST
Choose what’s right for you on our sliding scale: $290 – $540 ($73 – $135/mo for four months)
- All inclusive – Food, lodging, and instruction are included in the registration tuition.
- Lodging – An additional surcharge applies for some lodging options (available during Registration).
- Scholarships – Scholarships available until filled. No need to apply; choose the scholarship tuition during registration.
- Payment Plans – No interest, 4 month payment plan option available during registration.
Registration closes at 11:55pm on Wednesday, October 25th.
COVID POLICY
Please review our current COVID policy before registering. Overnight retreats involve considerably more interaction and time together. We may require additional steps such as home testing before arrival or masking at retreats.
About the Teacher
Karen Schwisow
Karen has been a teacher of yoga and meditation since 2005. She continues to deepen her understanding of these ancient wisdom traditions and how they are relevant to our lives today. Through compassionate listening, authenticity and humor she empowers you to experience your own innate ability to heal and thrive. She is a Certified MBSR teacher through UMass Medical Center, and Founder of Three Trees Yoga & Healing Arts Center in Federal Way. Karen co-created and serves as Director for the MBSR Teacher Training Program. For over a decade she has delighted in mentoring teachers as they develop their ability to support others in this profound work.
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