Mindful Self-Compassion

A live, online four-session course exploring the theory and practice of being truly kind and loving towards ourselves in the context of our relationships and the larger world

in partnership with Temenos Rising

January 2023

Wednesday Evenings

5:00-6:30pm PST

Online via ZOOM

We live in a culture where many of us have been taught to put others’ well-being before our own. Most of us did not learn to be kind and gentle with ourselves and to offer the same support and love to ourselves as we would to a friend. The stories we tell ourselves about the ways we fall short, are inadequate, or are not enough are incredibly destructive to our individual and collective well-being. Until we offer kindness and compassion to ourselves, we are not free to be our authentic selves or to love and care for others to the extent that we are capable.

This series will explore compassion and self-compassion practices through the lens of mindfulness. We will widen our window of tolerance for stress and difficult emotions by connecting to inner resources and developing self-compassion, while exploring compassion as the antidote to the challenging times we are living through. This series will weave together modern scientific insights with traditional practices and give you tangible tools for not only self-care but to expand your capacity for living a more authentic and loving life.

This course will include

  • Cultivating beloved community through deep conversation, mindful listening, intentional activities, and group reflection

  • Specific and practical mindful self-compassion techniques that we will practice together and between sessions

  • Exploring how self-judgment impacts our nervous system, and how mindful self-compassion can help us to increase our capacity for tolerating difficult emotions

  • Making connections between mindful self-compassion and caring for others

By the end of the series, you will have specific tools and practices to bring self-compassion into your day to day life. Through active practices of self-compassion, you will take important steps toward a more loving relationship with yourself while building your personal capacity to be with the challenges of life and the suffering of others.

  • "Irene and Jo provided a welcoming space to delve into self-compassion . They both led powerful meditations and were very nurturing as we moved through the class. It felt more like a conversation than a class."

  • "I enjoyed being vulnerable and introspective with others seeking healing. Particularly in an isolating society rendered more isolating by the pandemic, it was healing to do this kind of work in community."

more Info

  • We will meet for four Wednesdays in January, from 5:00-6:30pm Pacific Standard Time. The dates that we will meet will be January 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. A Zoom link will be sent out via email to those who register for the course.

  • Each session of this course will include a group circle discussion, an interactive talk or activity, and a guided mindful self-compassion practice followed by a group reflection conversation. Home practices to try between sessions will be made available, but are not required.

  • A certificate of completion is available for those completing this course as a professional development training. Teachers can receive up to 6 PDUs when they participate in all four sessions.

series cost: $150

Scholarships are available. Click here for more information and to apply.

Facilitators

  • Jo is an educator, facilitator, writer, and naturalist who has been working with diverse groups for over a decade. She crafts experiences and creates spaces that meet the deep human need for connection and belonging in varied contexts, from schools and organizations to online and retreat settings. She holds a Master’s of Science in Education and has studied impacts of and responses to developmental trauma through Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model. She is currently completing coursework for her mindfulness teacher certification with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

irene bailey

  • Irene has been designing and facilitating experiences that connect people more deeply to themselves, their community, and the natural world for over fifteen years. She is a certified guide with The Association for Nature and Forest Therapy, has trained with the Sati Center as a Buddhist eco-Chaplain, and holds a MS in Leadership for Sustainability Education from Portland State. Irene believes wholeheartedly in the transformation and deep healing that is possible when we allow the more than human world to be our wise teacher and cultivate a felt sense of interbeing.