What is Mindful Self-Compassion?

Mindful Self Compassion, (MSC) is an 8 week, training program designed to cultivate the skill of self compassion – the warm hearted, connected presence we need during times of difficulty and is based on the ground breaking research of Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer.

 Self-compassion provides the emotional strength and resilience needed to offer ourselves the same kindness and understanding we would offer a good friend. 

We develop skills to:
– motivate ourselves with encouragement
– forgive ourselves when needed
– face and befriend our shortcomings
– care for others while caring for self
– live more authentically. 

Research shows that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships.

Kristin Neff's TED talk on Self Compassion vs Self Esteem: Part 1 of 4

Introduction to Mindful Self Compassion with Chris Germer

“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.”
Christopher K. Germer

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Mindful self-compassion

6 WEEK MSC COURSE ONLINE

This 6-week short course in Mindful Self-Compassion course, (SC-MSC), is an online adaptation of the 8 week Mindful Self Compassion programme. The course is designed to begin the cultivation of self-compassion skills – learning to comfort & soothe ourselves and motivate ourselves kindly when facing challenges in life, difficult emotions and learning to embrace who we are.

We learn in a small, online supportive group environment, which offers an opportunity to have a rich and meaningful connection with the practices and group, from the convenience and comfort of your own space.

This online format offers the same practices, exercises, short talks, group discussion, suggested reading/recordings and home practice as you would find in our regular space.

To get the most out of the course, it would benefit you to plan to practice for 30 minutes each day and make a full commitment to attend every session.

Self compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who feel uncomfortable being kind to themselves or those who didn’t receive enough in childhood. It’s a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including the harm that we unwittingly inflict on ourselves through self criticism, self isolation or self-absorption. Self-compassion helps to increase our emotional resilience, admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness and forgive ourselves when needed, relate wholeheartedly to others and be more authentically ourselves. 

The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness.

Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. 

Common humanity opens us to our essential interrelatedness, so that we know we aren’t alone.

Mindfulness opens us to the present moment, so we can accept our experience with greater ease. 

Together they comprise a state of warm-hearted, connected presence..

During the course there will be short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, meditation and home practices.

The MSC is not group therapy, although participants are encouraged to share their experiences with others. The course is aimed to help you enhance your emotional resilience and personal resources.

Sometimes we unconsciously hold emotional distress inside and when you start to learn the skills of self-compassion it is possible that difficult emotions may start to surface. Learning compassion can help you develop the skills to soothe and comfort yourself whilst distressed. Your capacity to embrace and heal them may grow during the course.

I provide a safe, supportive environment for this process to unfold and help make your journey interesting and enjoyable. As we develop the ability to be with ourselves in a kinder, more compassionate way positive change occurs.

Life can be difficult………..
Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) will help you to grow as a person. You will build inner resilience and develop resources to calm and sooth yourself in times of stress and pain.The skills learnt on the course help to:

  • DECREASE anxiety
  • DECREASE depression and stress
  • INCREASE relationship satisfaction
  • INCREASE healthy habits like diet and exercise
  • INCREASE emotional well-being.

You will learn how to:

  •  Motivate yourself with encouragement rather than self-criticism
  •  Relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
  •  Handle feelings of failure or inadequacy with greater ease and understanding
  •  Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
  •  Manage caregiver fatigue
  •  Practice the art of savouring and self-appreciation
  •  Integrate core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises into daily life.

If notified with 48 hours notice a full refund will be given. Non attendance and appointments with less than 48 hours notice will be payable at the full rate.

mindful minds mindful self compassion MSC

6 WEEK EVENING COURSE

When:  Wednesday 31st January –           Wednesday 6th March 2024

Time: 7 pm – 8.30 pm

Where: Online – weekly

Cost: £135

DAYTIME COURSE

When: TBC

(Concessionaries and payment plans available, please get in touch)

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Mindful self-compassion

8 WEEK MSC COURSE

The mindful self-compassion 8 week course is designed to begin the cultivation of self-compassion skills – learning to comfort & soothe ourselves and motivate ourselves kindly when facing challenges in life, difficult emotions and learning to embrace who we are.

Self compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who feel uncomfortable being kind to themselves or those who didn’t receive enough in childhood. It’s a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including the harm that we unwittingly inflict on ourselves through self criticism, self isolation or self-absorption. Self-compassion helps to increase our emotional resilience, admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness and forgive ourselves when needed, relate wholeheartedly to others and be more authentically ourselves. 

The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness.

Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. 

Common humanity opens us to our essential interrelatedness, so that we know we aren’t alone.

Mindfulness opens us to the present moment, so we can accept our experience with greater ease. 

Together they comprise a state of warm-hearted, connected presence..

During the course there will be short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, meditation and home practices.

The MSC is not group therapy, although participants are encouraged to share their experiences with others. The course is aimed to help you enhance your emotional resilience and personal resources.

Sometimes we unconsciously hold emotional distress inside and when you start to learn the skills of self-compassion it is possible that difficult emotions may start to surface. Learning compassion can help you develop the skills to soothe and comfort yourself whilst distressed. Your capacity to embrace and heal them may grow during the course.

I provide a safe, supportive environment for this process to unfold and help make your journey interesting and enjoyable. As we develop the ability to be with ourselves in a kinder, more compassionate way positive change occurs.

Life can be difficult………..
Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) will help you to grow as a person. You will build inner resilience and develop resources to calm and sooth yourself in times of stress and pain.The skills learnt on the course help to:

  • DECREASE anxiety
  • DECREASE depression and stress
  • INCREASE relationship satisfaction
  • INCREASE healthy habits like diet and exercise
  • INCREASE emotional well-being.

You will learn how to:

  •  Motivate yourself with encouragement rather than self-criticism
  •  Relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
  •  Handle feelings of failure or inadequacy with greater ease and understanding
  •  Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
  •  Manage caregiver fatigue
  •  Practice the art of savouring and self-appreciation
  •  Integrate core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises into daily life.

If notified with 48 hours notice a full refund will be given. Non attendance and appointments with less than 48 hours notice will be payable at the full rate.

mindful minds mindful self compassion MSC

When:   TBC
Where: TBC
Cost:     TBC

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Mindful self-compassion – One to one

Book a session

I provide one to one mindful self-compassion sessions in a calm and relaxed environment for those who cannot commit to an 8 week course, find groups challenging or prefer a more individual approach. 
This can be in-person or via Zoom.

Often, people have read books and often say to me that they feel they need more support from an experienced teacher to embed the practice into their life. One to one sessions provide an opportunity for exploration of your experience in the moment and help you to embed self compassion into your life.

The sessions allow for flexibility and can be specifically focused around your needs, whether you are experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, emotional difficulties, chronic pain, long term health conditions, sleep problems or for those who would like to learn more about mindfulness for their to improve their quality of life.

Normally, we meet for an initial session of an hour to discuss your needs and find a way forwards that will suit your lifestyle. I am not restricted to helping you learn mindful self-compassion with the eight week programme, I am flexible to work with your needs.

Together we can work through the 8 week mindfulness course on a one-to-one basis, by meeting in Lea, Malmesbury. Usually this would be done eight times over a time period to suit you. If you prefer to learn mindful self-compassion in a more flexible way to suit your needs I am happy to meet and discuss this with you.

During the eight weeks we would work through the weekly sessions of the course together and reflect on the home practice. It takes time to embed mindful self compassion into your life, by attending individual sessions you can explore and ask questions around how mindful self-compassion and fit it into your personal circumstances and life.

Each session of the eight week format will be 50 minutes, covering the theme for each week of the course, reflecting and setting home practice and exploring in more depth your experience of the practices. You will be given a folder with handouts from the course and CD’s or downloads with the practices on.

If notified with 48 hours notice a full refund will be given. Non attendance and appointments with less than 48 hours notice will be payable at the full rate.

mindful minds MSC mindful self-compassion

Where: Face-to-face, or online session.
(Please indicate preference in the ‘comments’ box during booking)

Cost: £70

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