Our eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion course teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to challenges and difficult emotions with care and understanding.

Monday evenings, from 5 to 7.30pm. The orientation is on 21 September followed by the eight-week course from 28 September to 16 November.

Overview​
How we respond to those around us is fundamental to a happy life. We are often encouraged to be kind to people. But in trying to show compassion towards others, we may forget to look after ourselves. Can we truly be kind to anyone else if we cannot be kind to ourselves?

In the Mindful Self-Compassion course we offer ways to meet our own challenges with greater care. Through the course we will learn how to be more mindful of our own feelings in response to others. And we learn how this can help us to be more resilient in difficult situations. We also learn to be less judgemental and more caring. We will learn how this can reduce anxiety, leaving us more open to making helpful changes in our lives.

The course creates a safe, supportive environment. There are three core components:

mindfulness (being present with whatever is happening)
self-kindness (treating ourselves with care, rather than criticism)
common humanity (recognising our suffering as part of the shared human experience)​

The weekly sessions include:

– meditations
– short talks
– discussion, including in small groups
– experiential exercises
– resources to support home practice

The course creators are Kristin Neff, researcher in the field of self-compassion. And Christopher Germer, leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy. They have each published books on the subject. You can find out more about our Mindful Self-Compassion course here.

Who is this course for?
This course is designed for the general public, so you do not need to have attended a mindfulness course before. Please note, this courses may not be suitable for everyone. If you are experiencing mental health issues, you should talk to your GP about being referred to the appropriate clinical service.