By Kathy Sharpe

MSC Teacher in Training
February 11, 2019

In autumn of 2017, I embarked on a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) journey beginning with a five-day intensive in the Georgia mountains. As each day passed, I noticed a warm feeling in my chest growing stronger, indicating that the practice would serve me well beyond that week. As I would soon learn, this feeling was something I’d want to share with others.

With my home practice, my outlook on life changed and grew, little by little, as did my self concept. Happily, my inner critic begin to soften and I was able to implement boundaries when needed. These insights compelled me to want to learn how to teach this practice to others. I decided that teaching MSC would be my next dream and adventure.

In order to more fully embody self-compassion in preparation for teacher training, I signed up for the Community for Deepening Practice. In the CDP, our group met weekly for 8 months, where together we explored the MSC curriculum at a spaciously paced one month per MSC session. There were many opportunities to learn from our teachers, guest speakers and classmates. The online discussion forum provided endless links to resources and creative initiatives. In keeping with MSC philosophy, each member was encouraged to participate as much or as little as he or she felt comfortable with.

Twelve months later, the teacher training was finally here. I remember feeling both nervous and curious, but within five minutes of arriving, I ran into two classmates from online and felt an immediate sense of loving, connected presence. Because teacher training is an intense week, the inner critic had ample opportunity to rise up, providing an opportunity to get to know it better and meet it with compassion. As such, I felt immense gratitude for the support my home practice and experience with CDP provided throughout the week.

Unsurprisingly, I highly recommend the CDP to anyone who wants to deepen his or her practice and make meaningful connections with other people interested in Mindful Self-Compassion. Is a lifelong exploration, and we need each others’ help along the way.

I am looking forward to what’s next on this journey!