As an MSC Graduate you are invited to join our free self-compassion practice circles created specifically for MSC Graduates (LOMSC 10-Week, MSC 8-Week, 5-Day Intensives).

What is it all about?

MSC is a heartfelt, nurturing course, enriched by its emphasis on the shared experience among participants and it has become a truly international program. Connection is an important part, which is facilitated during the course but what happens when the course is over? What support is available for a continued practice?

Are there others who have taken part in MSC who would like to continue with their practice, be they close by and abroad? These questions prompted the conception of the MSC Circles of Practice…

The MSC Circles of Practice is an invitation to come together from all over the world with like-minded individuals who have completed an MSC Course (usually 8 weeks), MSC Intensive (5 days) or Live Online MSC (LOMSC).

You might find it challenging at times to maintain a regular self-compassion practice or to include yourself in the circle of compassion after the course, or simply just enjoy practicing with others. The MSC Circles of Practice wants to support you in your intention!

The MSC Circles of Practice offers an opportunity to take part and reflect on the direct experience of a self-compassion practice in an easily accessible space online, on a weekly basis, as time permits, – and within a supportive community.

Practical details:

  • The MSC Circles of Practice is a weekly, donation-based, online practice group offered by the Center for Mindful Self Compassion. Sessions are free and to keep them free, we ask participants for a voluntary donation of $10 (US) per session. However, we invite anyone whose application has been accepted to attend, regardless of ability to pay. Thank you for being a member of our community.

  • All participants must have completed a full Mindful Self-Compassion course, either in the 8-week, 5-day intensive or 10-week Live Online MSC (LOMSC) course formats. (shorter workshops are only introductory and do not qualify you for attendance). Learn more or register for an upcoming CMSC sponsored full course here or visit the MSC Teacher Directory to locate an MSC teacher near you.

  • Each session will be an hour and will be facilitated by highly experienced and/or Certified MSC teachers from around the globe.

  • A session will consist of a practice and optional sharing about the direct experiences arising from the practice.

You can register to attend online here. Once your application has been processed we will let you know how to join the session. 

While you are waiting for approval, you are also welcome to attend our free Circles of Practice Public Offering sessions and can sign up here.

For inquiries, please contact Circles of Practice MSC Graduate Coordinators at circlesofpractice@centerformsc.org. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.

Current Schedule

For our global community, please double-check the course times with your particular timezone for how Daylight Savings impacts the schedule. Check your timezone.

  • Mondays at 8AM PDT
  • Tuesdays at 12:30AM PDT
  • Tuesdays at 8AM PDT
  • Thursday at 9AM PDT
  • Fridays at 3AM PDT
  • Fridays at 8AM PDT
Apply Here

Support the Circles, Pay It Forward

This offering is made out of our sincere desire to support humankind.
We would ask that you consider, if you can, giving a contribution to CMSC so that we can continue to share self-compassion with the world. Follow this link to make a contribution of any amount, and we completely understand if this is not possible for you at this time.

Circles of Practice is a donation based program, supported by your generous contributions and sponsors. If you or your organization is interested in sponsorship, please contact us at hello@centerformsc.org

Community Agreements and Policies

Purpose of the Public Offering

Purpose of the Public Offering:  The purpose of these sessions, which are open to anyone, anywhere in the world, is to offer the resource of mindful self-compassion as widely as possible. We hope that participants will use the practices of mindful self-compassion in their daily lives and share them with others.

Please note that the session schedule is based on Pacific Time in the United States.  We will do our best to inform you when there is any change in the schedule.  You will only receive these notices if you have signed up. This also helps us to gauge the popularity of specific sessions 

What do I do when there is no Teacher?

WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE IS NO TEACHER:  We always do our best to make sure every session is led by one of our most experienced MSC teachers. Sometimes, there is no teacher present for the session. We apologize for that. When there is no teacher, we invite those who wish to sit together silently for 10-20 minutes or to listen to one of the approved MSC recording from the CMSC Soundcloud (only these recordings). We also invite you to leave the meeting and use that time for another self-compassionate activity offline.   

To preserve safety and well-being, no participant may lead the practice and no participant leads a discussion.Any participant who plays a recording for the group may begin by sharing these words:  “On behalf of CMSC, welcome to this practice session. No teacher is able to be present and these are our guidelines. We are all welcome and none of us is leading this session or leading a discussion.  We will play a recording from the approved list. Each of us is welcome to be here or welcome to leave and take loving care of ourselves in whatever way works best for that person.  Each of us is responsible for our own well being." 

Teacher guidelines:  We want you to be aware that we have asked teachers to guide practices from the mindful self-compassion course and practices relating to self-compassion only.

Empowered Self-Care and Emotional Safety Responsibility

EMPOWERED SELF-CARE AND EMOTIONAL SAFETY:  These sessions include participants from around the world including people located in dozens of different countries.  Participants are responsible to manage their own self-care, just as they already do in their daily lives.  The essence of self-compassion is giving yourself permission to have (even just a little) of what you need right now. Since we have all have different needs which also change from day to day, we encourage every participant to monitor your own safety and comfort. Our community is a global community of people from different countries all over the world with different cultures and very different needs. When a session is not offering what you need at the moment or when it does not feel safe to you, please give yourself permission to do whatever is best for you. Please give yourself permission, without self blame, to close up compassionately, leave the meeting and give yourself what you need; for example by using the time for any other offline self compassionate activity such as having a nice cup of tea, taking a walk, reading, listening to music, writing, singing, and so on.

Additional Information and Resources

  1. JOIN THE MSC COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOKClick here to join the global MSC public community on facebook to receive inspiring messages and share more with others about living with Mindful Self-Compassion.  This is also a space where you can sk questions and share concerns.  
  2. COORDINATORS & FEEDBACK:  When you have a question or concern, you can always email our volunteer coordinators for these sessions: Laila Narsi and Ben Weinstein at circlesofpracticepublic@centerformsc.org (Please remember that Laila and Ben are also volunteers!)
  3. SUPPORT THE CENTER:  It is an honor to offer these sessions to the world.  The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion is a non-profit with no full-time staff.  Should you feel the wish and are able to, please consider support the center by making a donation of any amount.  
  4. SHARE THE RESOURCE:  Please let your family, friends, coworkers, and social networks know about this offering.  Let’s all share this wonderful resource with whoever needs it, wherever they are…