The Mindfulness Network – Mindful Self Compassion Retreats and Mindfulness-based Compassionate Living Training Courses

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Compassion is the capacity to be sensitive to suffering in both ourselves and others, accompanied by the desire to alleviate and prevent it. Although compassion is a natural human capacity within all of us, it is often not very well developed. Indeed, many of us find it easier to be kind to others than to ourselves. Courses that combine mindfulness with compassion training can help this natural human potential develop and deepen, so that we can be kinder to ourselves and others. As well as equipping us to meet life’s challenges, compassion is also a gateway to increased happiness.

In compassion-based courses, kindness and compassion are taught more front and centre than they are in MBSR and MBCT, and there is more focus on developing these qualities. Our ability to meet challenging experiences with compassion – instead of criticism and judgment – is gently developed through particular practices and exercises, alongside a focus on pleasant experiences and development of positive emotions.

The Mindfulness Network is pleased to offer courses, training and retreats in:

Mindful Self-Compassion

Developed by Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff in the USA, who have both written books on Self-Compassion and founded the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. This course focuses mainly on developing the resources of kindness and self-compassion, upon a foundation of mindfulness training and practice. It is taught as an eight-week programme and also offered as a five-day intensive. It is not necessary to have taken a mindfulness course before training in MSC.

Its three bases are: recognising when we suffer; understanding that suffering is part of human life; and learning how we can best bring kindness to ourselves. It gives information about the different elements that are taught, and fosters resource-building through reflective exercises as well as short formal and many informal practices.

To learn more about MSC and if you are interested in training to teach, please visit our Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training page.

Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living

MBCL was developed by Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster in the Netherlands, who have written ‘MBCL: a new training programme to deepen mindfulness with heartfulness.’ This graduate training course builds on already established mindfulness skills for those who have previously taken MBSR or MBCT, and offers exercises in cultivating compassion for both ourselves and others. MBCL is recognised as a follow-on course following foundational mindfulness-based programmes (MBSR, MBCT or equivalent) by BAMBA and VMBN (the Netherlands based mindfulness teaching network). It is taught along the same principles as other mindfulness-based interventions. Some practices are secular adaptations from traditional practices, such as metta and tonglen, others use compassionate imagery, such as that adapted from Paul Gilbert’s Compassion Focused Therapy, folded into mindfulness practices. As practical alternatives to the eight-week course, a three-day foundation course or a seven-day retreat also provide familiarity with the formal meditations. Those who wish to teach MBCL to groups of MBSR or MBCT graduates must already be trained as mindfulness-based teachers.

For more information, visit www.mbcl-international.net.

We look forward to seeing you on one of our events in the near future.