When we feel like giving up, there is something heroic and necessary in simply standing and finding our feet, steadying our hearts and minds the way we would do this for another, and beginning to put one foot in front of the other on a renewed life journey of redemption, forgiveness and release of the ill-fated wish for something else. Writing this article was my first step on that journey. What will be yours?
Letting go gave me just enough space to realize that love and wisdom, which were the essence of what we were teaching, were a circular flow, rather than unidirectional from me to the participants. That this essence was already the nature of all beings, and my role was to give space to this unfolding, rather than “saving the world.”
In a recent study by Dr. Greg Serpa and colleagues, it appears that teaching Veterans to meet their emotional and physical suffering with kindness had an impact on their medication use. “Our treatment system has medicalized pain management and then blamed and marginalized those who suffer for seeking the very thing our system has trained them to see as their best path for relief. Humans have used compassion to alleviate suffering for millennia. Isn’t it time to support those who are suffering with compassion training?”
“Existence will rush to fill us and overwhelm us if we don’t meet the outer world with an inner life.” -Mark Nepo In a world struggling under the burden of…
Compassion is relational. And perhaps the most complicated of these relations at times are within our family. Families are the very foundation of this human experience, and so many threads of the tapestry of our life may well be family relations. Bearing the complexity of this in mind, I humbly offer my story of the caring relation-shipping that I had with the four elders in my life: my parents and my husband’s parents. And if you are in the time of your life where you are caring for an elderly parent/s, my wish for you is to include yourself in your caring. Know that the caring goes on long after they die and that loving relation-shipping is eternal.
I was touched today upon reading this beautiful poem by Micky ScottBey Jones, and it inspired me to reflect on how we might be sure our MSC teaching spaces are…
Online retreats can be a loving refuge amidst chaos in the time of global pandemic. Beth Mulligan shares that by gently challenging our expectations for what a retreat “should” look like, we open ourselves to seeing that one need not travel to “get away from it all.” Indeed, the potential for connection, insight, and ease are right here at home.
As we support our participants during the COVID-19 pandemic, our key guiding principle as teachers is empowerment. Our role is to help participants restore a kind of “inner authority.” We…
Teachers can focus on three components of inquiry, which we refer to in MSC as the “three R’s,” as a guide for how to engage in inquiry. Radical acceptance is the overall attitude of the inquiry process; resonance is the primary mode of engagement; and resource-building is the desired outcome of inquiry.
Parenting a child with an illness or disability is very common yet remains a silent plight for many. Close to 20% of parents have a child with a chronic condition or disability, which is defined as any condition that has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months.
An introduction to a series on DEI issues that we hope to explore and share with you in the year ahead. Our deepening intimacy through conversation provided us with fertile ground to unpack how the forces of oppression and privilege have impacted us in unique and shared ways. Specifically we hope to explore (a) our experiences with privilege and oppression, (b) an awareness of the ways we benefit from our privilege and have harmed others and/or been harmed by it, (c) awareness and reflection of oppression and the ways it impacts us and those around us, and (d) practices to assist us in our journey as we explore these challenging issues.
Another excerpt from, “Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals”, this time about working with groups and specifically Trauma survivors. ““Safety first” is a general rule of MSC training and it applies particularly when working with trauma survivors. Like everyone else, trauma survivors like to challenge themselves, but they also need special instruction in how to titrate the intensity of their experience and return to safety.”
Project Huruma has emerged with a vision to support caregivers and survivors of trauma around the world with mindfulness and self-compassion skills, starting with the Mt. Elgon community in Western Kenya. Here, we offer you the first in a series of articles on the project’s progress.
“… A knowing arises in me that I need an anchor, a way to find balance for my nervous system. This anchor is what gives me some stability to hold onto. Without that I become a mess and am unable to be of service to myself or anyone else.”
The updated Teacher Guide for 2020 is now available for purchase. This version more seamlessly incorporates yang self-compassion, speaks more clearly to diversity and inclusion, and includes even more safety enhancements.
CMSC is seeking experienced MSC teachers who are either current or former classroom teachers, or people who have extensive experience in working with educators in a professional capacity who might be interested in being a paid facilitator for an online program in early 2020, helping teach self-compassion to teachers.
Marcia Burton, an MSC teacher in Canada, shares how teaching with an assistant helped her to deepen her connection with and expression of her core teaching values.
Healthcare providers have unique challenges in the workplace. For MSC teachers who wish to bring self-compassion training to this group, we invite you to join us in starting in November for a Teacher Training for the 6-week MSC adaptation for healthcare pros: Inner Resiliency Training for Healthcare Communities.
While we may begin training in self-compassion to ease our own personal pain, the transformation that follows is a deeply practical, radically counter-cultural state of being which directly benefits the world at large.
CMSC, Karen Bluth, and Lorraine Hobbs are pleased to announce that Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens is now being solely managed and directed by CMSC. We expect that this move will provide a boost to this unique program that is already touching and inspiring teens around the globe, with over 200 MSC-T teachers having been trained thus far.
June 16-19, 2020 North Carolina, USA Oceanfront, Trinity Episcopal Retreat Center CMSC is excited to announce a retreat for MSC-T teachers in the summer of 2020 on the North Carolina…
Please join us in Bordeaux, France in October 2020, to share, practice, and learn together with other MSC teachers from around the world. The Sense & Savour retreat is a safe, fun, and creative haven for Mindful Self-Compassion teachers from all around the world who wish to exchange ideas and best practices, refresh personal practice, and learn new ways to promote and market our programs.
There are few things that can bring out our common humanity more than the maddening struggle with sleeplessness. Trained mindfulness expert and MSC teacher, Catherine Polan Orzech, teams up with behavioral sleep specialist, William H. Moorcroft, to offer evidence-based meditations and an four-week protocol to address the root of sleep issues.
After a devastating attack on over 300 women and children in Elgon, Kenya, a team of MSC teachers aspires to guide and support affected families as they begin to turn toward their grief and suffering. Your financial support helps make the trip possible.
This incisive and thoughtful commentary teaches how self-compassion, mindfulness, and relationship can support us in coping with tragedy and violence
I can remember my very first MSC training experience from several years ago like it was yesterday. There was definitely a surge of internal experiences that I observed as I…
Self-compassion doesn’t come to life in the land of concepts. It breathes in the unchartered and uncomfortable expanse of living, especially during difficult moments of life. My practice is to remember—pause, breathe, love. As it turns out, when teaching self-compassion to others, I don’t have to know what to say or say the right thing. My job is to open my heart, which opens a door. The rest is not up to me. The door is a portal and often, courageous souls walk through.
As teachers of MSC, our own embodiment serves as a living model for those whom we teach. In this article, Beth Mulligan shares a touching narrative written by one of her participants as his deep practice in retreat made way for his own inner ally to emerge.
I can remember my very first MSC training experience from several years ago like it was yesterday. There was definitely a surge of internal experiences that I observed as I…
While it might be difficult to imagine an online learning experience being as effective as a traditional classroom experience, we’ve found over the years of teaching MSC online we can come close. If you cannot make it to a live class due to your life circumstances, we invite you to try out online learning for yourself.
