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In Praise Of Uselessness
Article by Tim Burnett | September 2026I 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 birding action. There are just…
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Four Ways to Work with Pain
Carolyn McCarthy – 30 minute audioHere’s a guided meditation, recorded live in one of our MBSR classes. This practice walks through four ways to work with physical or emotional pain. The steps are listed here, but you can just follow along. 1. Pause, shift mindfully. 2. Turn towards with curiosity and kindness (quality, duration, nature of sensations). 3. Move attention somewhere neutral/safe. […]
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R.A.I.N
Carolyn McCarthy – 20 minute audioThe 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) allow, (3) investigate, and (4) nourish + non-identification. We’ve been amazed by how often people report a shift in their feeling and new insights towards a life challenge through the process of RAIN. To learn […]
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Listening for the Bell
Article by Karen Schwisow | August 2026Fifteen 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 meditation hall, waiting for the bell to ring so I could finally stand up and walk. Ding. I…
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Taking Reactivity Offline
Article by Beth Glosten | July 2026I 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 my short temper was something I inherited from my dad – an inevitable trait I had to live with and try to…
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Noting/Labeling Physical Sensations
RJ Rongcal – 18-min audioThis meditation uses sound as an anchor to the present moment. It may be a particularly useful alternative for those who find that focusing on the breath increases anxiety or tension.Mindfulness Northwest Resources These practice recordings, videos, and descriptions are provided to the community for your personal use free of charge. Our mission at Mindfulness Northwest is […]
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Help for the Heart
Article by Carolyn McCarthy | June 2026There 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 Day. It’s lifting kites high into the air,…
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Noting, Labeling Awareness of Breathing
RJ Rongcal – 11-min audioThis meditation uses sound as an anchor to the present moment. It may be a particularly useful alternative for those who find that focusing on the breath increases anxiety or tension.Mindfulness Northwest Resources These practice recordings, videos, and descriptions are provided to the community for your personal use free of charge. Our mission at Mindfulness Northwest is […]
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Noting, Labeling 5 senses + mind
RJ Rongcal – 16-min audioThis meditation uses sound as an anchor to the present moment. It may be a particularly useful alternative for those who find that focusing on the breath increases anxiety or tension.Mindfulness Northwest Resources These practice recordings, videos, and descriptions are provided to the community for your personal use free of charge. Our mission at Mindfulness Northwest is […]
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accepting an uncertain world
Article by Tim Burnett | May 2026A 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 process and responding to acute issues, but there’s no reversing things.…
