Nestled in the pristine beauty of the Pacific Northwest, SHIR – the Self Healing & Integration Retreat – offers a sanctuary for deep rest, reflection, and renewal. Located on the west side of San Juan Island, in the heart of the breathtaking San Juan archipelago, SHIR sits on sacred land surrounded by towering Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and the graceful Madrona. Here, amidst a living canopy and a vibrant undergrowth of salmonberries and wild grasses, wildlife flourishes – from black-tailed deer and foxes to bald eagles and ravens overhead.

This land holds a legacy of spiritual practice and communal gathering. For over three decades, it was home to Sakya Kachod Choling, a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center that tended this land with such love and care. We honor the Sakya Society for their stewardship and the sacred energy they nurtured here from 1990 to 2025. With deep reverence, SHIR carries forward this spirit of healing and awakening, welcoming all who seek to reconnect with themselves and the natural world.

From San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau:

Let us acknowledge that we reside on the ancestral lands and waters of the Coast Salish people who have called this place home since time immemorial and let us honor inherent, aboriginal, and treaty rights that have been passed down from generation to generation. 

Native American tribes and First Nations of Canada have cared for the San Juan Islands as part of their ancestral territory since time immemorial. Coast Salish people gathered in the Islands to harvest shellfish and salmon from the sea, camas in prairies, berries along streams and in forests, and in other flora and fauna for food and traditional uses. These ancestral lands and waters are still utilized today and are protected under inherent, ancestral, and tribal treaty rights. Linguistically, Coast Salish groups in the area consist of the Nooksack and Northern Straits (which include the Lummi, Klallam, Saanich, Samish, and Songhees dialects). 

Visit the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau and learn more about their culture, traditions, and heritage.