Deep Dive Cohort 1

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Aimee
Summary, Week 2: Creating Your Compass of the Heart – As we continue to build the foundation for our tim…

February 6, 2026

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Summary, Week 2: Creating Your Compass of the Heart

As we continue to build the foundation for our time in the CDP, we began by contemplating our intentions. Why this course? Why now? Together, we discovered that:

Intentions are rooted in our dearest-held values and provide a foundation and compass for everything we DO. They help guide our moment-to-moment focus. (Very important if we’re losing focus or motivation during the course.)
Goals move us toward a specific destination or achievement. Lived intentions, rather, move us toward ourselves and our deepest values.
Goals are WHAT we want to do in our lives; intentions are HOW we want to be in our lives.
Goals are focused on the future. Intentions reside in the present moment.

We encourage you to refine your intentions until they feel resonant and pure, simple and true. This may take patience, open-mindedness, and deep listening to your inner teacher.

At this early stage, your intention may be vulnerable and needing some protection. Once you’ve discovered an intention, can you care for and honor it? Here are are a few ways you can nourish it in these early days:

Share your intention(s) with supportive and trusted friends, or here on our Mighty Network.
Make a ritual of regular moments to repeat your intention out loud every now and then. How does it feel when you speak it?
Acknowledge any self-compassion you practice this coming week in support of your intention. It all counts!
Make a visual reminder where you will see it often. There, you can write a key word or two from your intention as a way to live with the intention and see how it fits/feels.

Housekeeping:

Optional class readings can be found here.
Peer Practice Partnerships: The CDP is all about deepening practice, and having a consistent partner or partners outside of class can be an important source of support when integrating experiences. Sign up here if you’d like to consider practicing with other CDP folks. The sign-up will be open for another couple of weeks.
Comfortable on the Mighty Network?: If not, and you’re having struggles, please email admin@befriend-yourself.com.

Core Home Practice:

(If you do one thing before class next week, let it be this.)

Informal practice: Hold your intentions high in your awareness until they feel resonant and clear, simple and kind. It may take time and deep inner listening to refine them. How can you actively nourish your intentions in daily life (ritual, sharing with someone else, sticky note, etc.)?

Supplemental Home Practice:

(The items below can be beneficial but are not required.)

Begin your optional CDP Course Companion.We’ll be slowly, intentionally creating a guiding document for ourselves and our practice starting this week. We will refer to it often during the course and continue to add to it as we go. We begin this week with a simple worksheet relating to the topic of intentions.
Next week’s readings (always optional, course reading list here):
- MSC Workbook, “What is Self-Compassion?” chapter, pp 9-18.
- Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, “The Fundamentals of Self-Compassion,” pp 18-32.

Resources and Enrichment

(Each week, we’ll include some extra resources from trusted sources. Always optional! We also welcome you to share related resources.)

1-hour talk by Tara Brach: Winds of Homecoming: How Intention Frees Our Heart. A gorgeous elaboration on the importance of heartfelt intentions and how the help carry us toward our best good.

Today’s Reading:

“Promise,” by Kendall Rosenberg from All The Candles I Light For Myself: I Light For You, Village of God, 2021

Anonymous!
Meeting Highlights – I love the meeting today

February 5, 2026

Melissa
Testing – jkjsf;j;fjs js;j;ezsjf sfjsdlcgjdfeop' fd…

February 4, 2026

Kier
Welcome to the CDP! (week 1) – Deep gratitude to each and every one of you for yo…

February 4, 2026

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Welcome to the CDP! (week 1)

Deep gratitude to each and every one of you for your participation in our first CDP class today. May our common humanity and warmhearted presence with each other support us in remembering the goodness that we already are. Louise, Marie-Andrée Couture, Leslie Dwyer, and Brigid Butler, we look forward to getting to see you next week. 🙂

After settling and teacher intros, we began our course with the following reflection: What do I need to feel welcome and safe in this space? And what would I like to offer so that others likewise feel welcome and safe? We acknowledged that our responses to these questions, while authentic and heartfelt, are also aspirational; may we be kind to ourselves and each other when we inevitably veer off the path we’ve set for ourselves. When this happens, may we remember both impact AND grace, knowing this is rich territory for growth personally and interpersonally.

We then explored some identities represented in our classroom — both visible and invisible — via the iceberg exercise. And we enquired: which of our identities have benefited us and limited us? This helps us to check our assumptions of others while appreciating the richness of our own lives and identities.

Each person then introduced themselves in the group, sharing one invisible identity as well as a resource that supports them in times of struggle. We concluded with our first small-group breakout sessions and a few words of experience from our returning participants, emphasizing the importance of slowing down, being kind to oneself, and attending class regularly.

Housekeeping

First things first: there is quite a bit to take in the first two weeks of class. We encourage you to return to your Zones of Optimal Learning in which you check in again and again to ask, “How am I?” and “What do I need right now?” Let this graphic be a mental reference for you in class as well as in this Mighty Network. We aspire to stay OUT of overwhelm and inside our challenge zone, where learning most readily takes place. Take it slow and easy, remembering that all that we offer here is for your personal benefit and remain available to you after the course ends.

Other housekeeping:

Please mark your calendars: We will have three rest weeks during the CDP (no class meeting): March 18, May 13, and July 15.
Starting in a couple of weeks, we will begin to offer weekly home practice. For now, settle yourself in the course online and on the Mighty Network and continue any practice that already supports you.
The recording for video replays will always be viewable here. An important reminder: these recordings are to be kept completely confidential and will be deleted 6 weeks after the course ends.
Reflect: Anything more you’d like to add to our list of Guiding Principles? If you have any other guiding principles you’d like to add to the list we co-created during class, please do so in the comments below this post. Reflecting on the questions: “What do I need to feel relatively safe practicing here?” And “What am I willing to offer others in the group so that they may feel relatively safet and welcome here?”
Meditation: While some of you already have a consistent and satisfying meditation practice, we know that for others of you, establishing or stabilizing your meditation practice is part of what brought you to the CDP. For this reason, we’ll offer you both formal and informal practice suggestions each week, starting soon. (See the video below to learn the difference and importance of both.)

Today’s Related Reading:

“Choose Yourself, Again,” by Alex Elle and Fog Chaser

Melissa
I have things to say – and everyone will LISTEN

February 4, 2026

Kier
test non admin – test comment only

February 2, 2026

Kier
test 4 – test 4

December 9, 2025

Kier
test 3 – test 3

December 9, 2025

Kier
test 2 – test 2

December 9, 2025

Kier
test – test

December 8, 2025

👉🏽 Start Here

Welcome & Course Overview

Welcome!

The Self-Compassion Deep Dive is a prime opportunity to revitalize your personal practice, refine your understanding of self-compassion concepts, make friends with practitioners from around the world, and most importantly, nourish your own well-being so that you may be a source of nourishment for others. We celebrate your wisdom, your humility, and your willingness to return to your practice, over and over again.

Know that you are stepping into an experience shaped by many hearts and hands. First and foremost, we acknowledge and thank Kristin Neff and Chris Germer for the MSC curriculum they created together. It is the strong foundation on which the Deep Dive is built.

We also honor the Community for Deepening Practice teachers, participants, and founder/guiding teacher, Aimee Eckhardt, who spent nearly a decade cultivating this long-form, spacious approach to MSC. Their devotion, experimentation, and lived experience helped bring the Deep Dive curriculum into its full expression. This program carries forward that lineage, rooted in warmth, rigor, and a steady trust in the power of community practice.

We also bow to the deeper stream from which so many MSC teachings arise: the wisdom traditions of Buddhist psychology, which have offered practices of compassion, inquiry, and presence for centuries. May we hold these foundational teachings with respect and gratitude. We also acknowledge the many clinicians, researchers, writers, teachers, musicians, poets, artists, and spiritual leaders whose work continue to inform and inspire this course.

Finally, we thank the many hundreds of practitioners, just like you, whose experiences have taught us how best to serve. Their participation continues to ripple outward into families, communities, workplaces, and classrooms. May our work as individuals and as a collective be of benefit to all.

Whether you’re an emerging or experienced practitioner, it is a sincere joy to welcome you to this community. We trust it will be an adventure.

Course Overview:

In the Deep Dive, we’ll progress sequentially through the Mindful Self-Compassion curriculum and beyond, deepening our understanding and embodiment of these themes through active discussions and experiential practices in a more-spacious timeframe.

Class structure:

Classes meet for two hours per weekly session. There are three rest weeks over the duration of the course: April 20, June 15, August 17, 2026.

Core elements of the course:

Live online gatherings
Course dashboard: This private online space contains all class materials, Zoom links to live sessions, and provides a way to be in touch with classmates and teachers between weekly gatherings.
Weekly enrichment readings and resources (always optional)
Creative invitations and journaling contemplations

Please arrange your schedule so that you have enough time to read any pre-class material.This ensures that you’re prepared for class discussions and can take full advantage of the synchronous time that we have together. When we’re together, let’s be fully together.

Prior to beginning class, please ensure that you’re in a private, quiet space. It will help to minimize distractions if you commit to turning down any notifications or device ringers nearby and closing extraneous browser windows on your computer. If you need to relocate your computer during class, kindly turn off your video to minimize distraction to the rest of the group.

What to Expect in the Deep Dive

There will be ample time for integration and marinating in the course material: Because we spend about a month on each MSC session, (versus 3 hours in a traditional 8-week class) there is more time and spaciousness in which understanding, insight, and embodiment can take root.
Rich practice and connection opportunities: The DD provides the potential for deep, trusting connection and accountability in a group that travels together for eight months. During our weekly live, online classes, we meet in both large and small breakout groups, increasing opportunities for deep sharing. Some participants also choose to create smaller partner practice dyads or triads for connection, encouragement, and accountability outside of class hours.
Greater emphasis/encouragement for ongoing formal practice: Because formal practice strengthens foundations for self-compassion, participants are strongly encouraged to practice near-daily, both formally and informally. We put in place various structures to support people in this journey, whether beginners or established practitioners.
Opportunity to explore self-compassion through varied perspectives: Together, participants will explore the material through a variety of lenses to support deeper understanding and embodiment. You will receive elaborative didactic materials, periodic guest talks by senior MSC teachers and thought leaders.
Chance to explore new topics: Because we have more time to spend together, we incorporate additional topics and approach them through a self-compassion lens. For example, we’ll devote classes to grief, impermanence, forgiveness for self and others, and self-compassion and the body.
A steady personal practice focus: The focus of this course is on deepening personal self-compassion practice. This is not an academic course, supervision, consultation, or practicum experience.
Engaged teachers who work alongside you: Teachers are here to support participants’ experience by holding warm, steady, inclusive space, orienting people toward their own resources, and modeling self-compassion in our interactions with each other and ourselves. Like participants, the teachers’ continued intention and practice is to self-compassion — to continue to evolve along with participants. Together, we will grow.

Topics We’ll Cover

In the Deep Dive, we’ll progress sequentially through the MSC curriculum and beyond, deepening our understanding and embodiment of these themes through active discussions and experiential practices in a more-spacious timeframe. Below is a list of topics we’ll aim to cover:

How to Approach the Deep Dive

Just as you are. Unlike most training experiences, there will be no assessments, no “tests,” no performances, no external pressure — only invitations. This course is for your personal development. You are invited to simply show up and practice just as you are. And because “deepening” follows a non-linear path, we’ll encourage you to draw on your patience and courage during this new phase of your training.
Self-direction and initiative: Teachers provide structure, encouragement, tools, and inspiration to go deeper. We will always invite you to take responsibility for your own learning. This means that you participate in the way that serves your unique needs, within the guidelines set by the community and the teachers. If you can think of something additional that would support you in your journey, let us know directly or via the discussion boards so that we may consider it.
In the Deep Dive, we practice respect for and acknowledgment of both visible and unseen differences. In the DD, difference is welcome and celebrated. These include seen and unseen differences, including varying languages, faith orientations, gender and sexual identities and orientations, differences in physical, cognitive, or mental capabilities, socio-economic differences, occupational differences, political values, and more.
Varied faith perspectives: While this is a non-sectarian course, we welcome on-topic, respectful discussions inspired by all faith traditions. Recognizing that there is great richness possible in exploring ideas of self-compassion through a variety of lenses and experiential frameworks.
Setting down your Teacher’s/Therapist’s hat: While you will absolutely gain insights that will be useful in your professional life, that is not the primary aim of this course. The primary aim is deepening your practice. Setting aside your teacher’s hat will be essential to your growth and evolution. And of course, we will gently remind you along the way.
Beginner’s mind: If you find yourself thinking, “I already know this stuff,” we ask you to note that thought, recalling that as a more experienced practitioner, your relationship with the material will be ripe for evolution and deepening. So please, open yourself to new insights that could arise.
Formal meditation practice: Because formal meditation practice strengthens the foundations of self-compassion, we will encourage you to gently challenge yourself in the Deep Dive. We will not ask you to discard the practices that are currently working for you, but to edge forward, seeing what it would be like to add consistency to your formal practice. Taking care to note that the motivation for your formal practice remains self-compassionate. :)
Sharing course materials: We ask that you not share any curricular materials unique to the DD (with clients or students outside of the course, for instance) without prior written consent.

Mindful Communication

Practice-focused comments: We will have many opportunities for discussion in class. The type of dialogue we have is unique in that it focuses on present-moment, direct experience (How are you actually feeling in this moment? What is happening within you? Where in your body do you feel something?) rather than sharing lengthy stories of past or possible future situations. This may take some practice, but over time, it will become natural.
W.A.I.T. (Why am I talking?): Before raising your hand to speak, please check in with your motives. Is this in alignment with your wishes for your time in the course?
Judicious use of Zoom’s chat feature: Please proceed intentionally when using Zoom’s chat feature during class, maintaining the same guidelines as when you’re speaking verbally: focusing on present-moment experience and refraining from conceptual discussions, which instead can be initiated on the Mighty Network.
Breakout room etiquette:
- Introduce yourself when you get into the breakout room.
- Please maintain confidentiality — don’t discuss outside your group who said what.
- Please practice listening and speaking compassionately.
- Please speak from your own experience.
- Please share the time equally so everyone gets a chance to speak.
- Only share what feels comfortable sharing.
- Do not interrupt or offer advice.
- Feel free not to join a breakout room, and leave if you need to.
- If you only want to listen, please let the others know that as well; you may always “pass.”
Privacy: Please share mindfully, both verbally and in written form. We deeply value the importance of privacy and go to great lengths to ensure it. However, as with any online content, it is impossible to guarantee privacy. If you share others’ information with people outside of the group, that is a profound breach of trust, and you will be asked to leave, with no refund of your course fee.
Introverts and extroverts: In class, we encourage each person to explore the edge of their own preferences. All participants stand in choice at all times, and while you will never be required to speak, we encourage you to come forward if you tend to sit quietly; and if you tend to come forward quickly or impulsively, can you pause and make space for others to come forward?
Participation on the course dashboard: This is first and foremost a participant space designed for enrichment between live classes. This is also where all class materials are stored for centralized access. While teachers may frequently offer new questions on the discussion board, so, too, can participants. Here, participants can share their discoveries with each other, resources, or any conceptual questions that might be on their minds. The teachers will be monitoring the discussion in the course dashboard, but their role is notto lead extensive conversations or respond to every post.

Self-Care in Class

Bring to class: Each class, we encourage you to make yourself as comfortable as possible (within standards of social decency and respect for your coursemates and teachers). :) You’ll need a journal and pen for each class, plus you may wish to bring special comfort items, like a drink or tea, a soft sweater or shawl, or a lit candle to remind yourself of this precious time devoted to your highest good and the good of others with whom you come into contact in daily life as your practice continues take root.
Monitor your emotional capacity during each class. Some of the material we explore in class could bring up difficult emotions.Please use the chart below to ensure, as best you can, that you remain in either “safe” or “challenge” zones. If you find yourself nearing “overwhelm,” rest back.
Wisely monitor your time commitment in the course overall: Please keep your involvement in the Deep Dive sustainable. We aim to marinate in the material slowly, over the long term. We welcome you wherever you are; can you do the same for yourself? We name striving and gently hold the pain that drives it. This course is designed to fit into a variety of schedules. Participation can range from only coming to the live class once a week, while others may prefer to participate in more available/optional offerings. You may find that you may wish to participate less or more, depending on what is happening in other areas in your life. We welcome and celebrate this customization as you continue to return to the quintessential question of self-compassion: What do I need right now?
Breaks and pacing: We’ll always offer at least one 5-minute break in the middle of the session, but if you need more, please take care of yourself as needed, just as in a physical class.

Logistics

Important Dates, Links, and Contact Info

Course title: Self-Compassion Deep Dive (Cohort 1) with Aimee Eckhardt and Amy Noelle
Course Dates: Feb. 23 – Oct. 12, 2026 (Mondays, weekly)
Times: Mondays at 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Central US time
Rest weeks (no class): April 20, June 15, August 17, 2026

We meet for wo hours each week. (Check the class time in your area.) Note that the Deep Dive is anchored to Central Time in the US.

We will use the same Zoom room from class to class, unless otherwise noted. Please bookmark this link and keep it handy for the duration of the course.

Zoom Details:

https://zoom.us/s/91232901526?pwd=EouwsDbppoqYlDWjsFvJ1qaV3gimrd.1

Meeting ID: 912 3290 1526
Passcode: 119976

Teacher Contact information:

Teachers are both reachable via the course dashboard or email. Please allow up to 48 business hours for response. Teachers can assist you in navigating curricular or logistic questions; however, their roles are not to be therapists (even if your teacher is a therapist by profession) or emergency mental health care providers. f you are having a mental health emergency, please call emergency services in your area.

Aimee Eckhardt: aimee@self-compassion.org
Amy Noelle: amy@self-compassion.org

Payment or tech inquiries: S CTeam@self-compassion.org

Community Agreements

“The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed — to be seen, heard and companioned exactly as it is. When we make that kind of deep bow to the soul of a suffering person, our respect reinforces the soul’s healing resources, the only resources that can help the sufferer make it through.”

— Parker Palmer

Below is a selection of class agreements, some of which will explore in class during our first meeting, and others of which derived from the accumulated wisdom collected over the years by participants and teachers in the Community for Deepening Practice (the Deep Dive’s original name).

From time to time, despite our best intentions and efforts, we will fail to adhere to these agreements, or one agreement may appear to contradict another … in which case we may be asked to make a compromise. We ask that first and foremost, we exercise generous assumptions when an agreement is somehow compromised, and we practice deep listening, wise speech, and grace when we or others misstep. We are learning together.

•••

1. Kindness

Extend and receive welcome. People learn best in hospitable spaces. In this community, we support each other’s learning by giving and receiving hospitality.
Nurture belonging. A sense of security, respect and support is needed for people to feel like we belong. Daring to bring our whole selves to our experience, receiving each other warmly, and celebrating our differences can help us feel welcome, included, and valued.
Assume good intentions and recognize impact also matters. When in doubt about someone’s intentions, assume that just like you, they are doing the best they can in that moment. If you require clarity about something a classmate has shared — whether due to language differences or otherwise — feel free to gently inquire. When harm is caused despite good intentions, work toward repair by acknowledging the impact, apologizing, and learning from mistakes.
Allowance of where you find yourself at any given moment. Be here with your doubts, fears and failings as well as your convictions, joys and successes. Open to the fullness of your human experience with a good dose of kindness and patience.

2. Acknowledge and Welcome Diversity

Respect for and acknowledgment of both visible and unseen differences. In the CDP, difference is welcome and celebrated. These include visible and unseen differences, including varying languages, faith orientations, gender and sexual identities and orientations, differences in physical, cognitive, or mental capabilities, socio-economic differences, occupational differences, political and social values, and more.

3. Non-judgement

Refrain from advising or correcting. We are all enough as we are, and we all are here to deepen our learning. We best nurture this belief of “enough” in each other by bearing witness, supporting, and encouraging one another.
When judgment arises, turn to wonder. Approaching communication and the course itself with curiosity and a beginner’s mind. If you feel judgmental or defensive, ask yourself, “I wonder what brought her to this belief?” “I wonder what he’s feeling right now?” “I wonder what my reaction teaches me about myself?” Note unhelpful habitual responses, and as best you can, truly listen to others (and to yourself) more deeply.

4. Attunement to self and others

Attune to your own inner wisdom. It will guide you in choosing for yourself when and how to participate. Asking earnestly and often: What do I need? What would a loving response be to what’s arising? What would I offer a dear friend in this situation?
Speaking from the heart; what is your felt experience? Honesty. We encourage you to attune to your own present-moment experience and share from that place, as opposed to dwelling in the past or racing toward the future when sharing.
Welcome stillness and a gentler pacing. “Giving each other time to unfold.” Trust and learn from naturally slower pacing. Stillness is a gift in our noisy world, a way of knowing in itself. Treat stillness as a member of the group. After someone has spoken, take time to reflect without immediately filling the space with words.
Make space for all who wish to speak. Please stand back if you tend to jump in first, and if you tend to defer to others who wish to speak, we invite you to step forward when you are willing. Also, please refrain from interrupting each other.

5. Respect

Your presence is the greatest gift you can give to your classmates. Prior to coming to class, please set aside ample time to settle yourself, your space, and your duties at home or work. If you are unable to attend a class due to extenuating circumstances, kindly notify the group on the learning dashboard.
Observe deep confidentiality. Nothing shared in class will ever be repeated to other people. This includes not disclosing others’ sharing from within the small groups. Materials shared on the Mighty Network remain confidential.
Deep, active listening. Allowing people to have their experience, whether in silence, in tears, or somewhere in between. We actively listen to understand, not to respond. In this way, we hear each other into wise speech.
Sacredness. Treating your practice and this compassion cultivation journey with deep respect, both in class and out.
Accepting all respectful means of expression: Some of us employ humor when expressing ourselves. Others may become actively tearful. Still others may speak haltingly or prefer to sing their expression. Can we open to it all?
Respect of the body: Giving ourselves permission to be the wiggly humans that we sometimes are, tending to our unique biologies and bodies as needed so that we can remain as present, alert, and comfortable as possible during class.
Wise and judicious use of the chat options. The chat function is a true value to the Zoom platform, but as with all forms of communication, it can also be a distraction. So we are all asked to use it wisely and intentionally.
Wise and judicious use of your video. If you do ever opt to turn off your video, please do so thoughtfully so that we can all be in attendance with one another. Some examples of times when you may need to turn off your video are: when you’re needing to reduce distractions for fellow classmates, when your internet connection is slow, or when you feel that you need some privacy (such as when you’re meditating or having a moment of strong emotion you’re not quite ready to share).

Thank you for your compassionate care of yourself and others in class.

Absences

Please be intentional and communicative about your absences. You are a part of a community, and your presence matters. We also understand that family, health, and work obligations can cause unanticipated need for absences, we create weekly recordings and a written summary of each session for you to view. If you need to be absent for a session, please notify the group via the course dashboard. If you need to be absent for an extended period of time (ie., in case of a need for inpatient care, unexpected travel commitments, etc.), please notify the teacher. You will have “completed” the course if you attend 75% of the course sessions.

🕊️ Practice Tools

Peer Practice Partnerships

Click here to request a practice group

One of the consistent aspirations we see on your applications to the course is a wish to develop a more consistent practice. Having a steady partner or practice group outside of class can be an especially important source of support when integrating material of this depth.

So … how to proceed, especially as we’re just getting to know each other? Simply opt in below, and in the next few weeks, we’ll match people who have compatible timezones and interests and send an email to each group. From there, you can self-organize, using the practice ideas below or something different that you invent.

45 min-1 hour: Gather together on one of your Zoom accounts and listen to a meditation related to the week’s topic (all freely available on this website), then process your experience of the practice in your small group.
30 minutes in dyads: Tara Brach’s R.A.I.N. practice protocol, as gently modified for MSC by Tina Gibson.
30-45 min (five people or less): “Give me 5.” Everyone brings an inquiry related to the month’s material. A place where you’re struggling or a question you’re walking with. The job of the group is not to fix or advise, but simply to bear witness and hold space for what is shared. Feedback within Community Agreements may be offered with permission and as time permits. (Thanks to Michelle Becker for the name of this practice.)
5 min: You may also wish to connect asynchronously for quick weekly touch-ins using the group chat feature of WhatsApp.
Time is variable: Cultivating positive experiences. The format would involve a brief daily asynchronous sharing of one or two moments of positive experiences via some form of technology (WhatsApp, Viber, etc…), with a possibility of a brief weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly live check-in about how the process is going (learnings, challenges, observations). Examples of shared moments could include gratitude (big or small), savoring, self and others’ appreciation, or “taking in the good”.

If you are open to practicing with a partner, please indicate your availability on the spreadsheet. And know that signing up doesn’t commit you for life. :) You may simply be curious to give it a try once and see how it goes, in which case you can make a note of that on the sign-up sheet.

Audio Meditations

(Would all need to be updated w/Kristin’s more recent recordings and references.)

Below is a growing list of audio recordings of MSC meditations and practices. You can also find MSC audio meditations in a variety of languages on CMSC’s SoundCloud page. Finally, you may wish to use the audio files that accompany your MSC Workbook or visit the Center for MSC website for the most up-to-date offerings.

Session 1. Discovering Mindful Self-Compassion

Self-Compassion Break

- Tina Gibson (4:05)

- Kristin Neff (5:20)

- Chris Germer (12:21)

Protective Self-Compassion Break

- Kristin Neff

Breathing Yin and Yang

- Dawn MacDonald

Session 2. Practicing Mindfulness

Affectionate Breathing

- Tina Gibson

- Chris Germer

- Kristin Neff

Session 3. Practicing Loving-Kindness

- Loving Kindness for a Loved One (Chris Germer, 14:50)

- Finding Loving-Kindness Phrases (Chris Germer)

Session 4. Discovering Your Compassionate Voice

Loving-Kindness for Ourselves

- Chris Germer (20:40)

Session 5. Living Deeply

Giving and Receiving Compassion

- Tina Gibson (24:29)

- Chris Germer (21:20)

Retreat Session

Compassionate Body Scan

- Tina Gibson (16:46)

- Kristin Neff

- Chris Germer

Session 6. Meeting Difficult Emotions

Labeling Emotions

- Chris Germer

- Kristin Neff

Soften, Soothe, Allow

- Tina Gibson (19:03)

- Chris Germer (14:11)

- Kristin Neff (16:01)

Self-Compassion Break for Shame

- with Chris Germer

Session 7. Exploring Challenging Relationships

- Compassionate Friend
  - - Tina Gibson (17:15)
  - - Chris Germer (15:05)
  - - Kristin Neff (18 min.)

- Compassion with Equanimity
  - - Chris Germer (14 min)
  - - Kristin Neff (9:34)

- Forgiveness of Others (Chris Germer)

- Forgiveness of Ourselves (Chris Germer)

Session 8. Embracing Your Life

- Compassion for Self and Others (Chris Germer)

Class Readings

The following readings are not mandatory, but they will be included in discussion during the CDP, and we believe you’ll find them very supportive of the self-compassion journey. If you are limited for time, please select the ones that are most applicable to your personal interests.

Explore the readings found here

Journaling as a Support to Deepening Your Practice

Regular journaling practice can be so supportive of your process in this course. Regardless of the form you may choose to practice, it can surface personal themes, support clarity of thought, encourage heart-mind integration and meaning-making, and can create a chronological record of your experiences for future reference.

There are so many known benefits, but it’s no problem if writing isn’t your thing. There are a variety of formats and mediums that can be explored, some of which are listed below.

Ultimately, the best format for you is the one you’ll engage in. :)

A dedicated journal can be bought or hand made and is absolutely great for this course. What’s helpful is to find a journal that pleases you to interact with. And don’t underestimate the importance of a pen that flows nicely and is a pleasure to write with.
If you’re an online journaler, we recommend a “Rosebud Journal,” which is an AI-powered digital journal app that uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized feedback and guidance while you write, acting like a supportive mentor to help you gain insights into your emotions and mental health by asking targeted questions and offering tailored prompts based on your entries.
If you wish to journal visually, art journals are generally larger, and their bindings lie flat (as in coptic-bound journals) to allow full creative expression across a spread. A simple sketchbook will also do nicely.
An active gratitude journaling practice can help you to cultivate greater awareness of the goodness in your daily life via your journal. Read some of the many tangible benefits of gratitude here.
Bullet journals and list journals may also be great options for those who have a more minimalist approach to journaling.
Unsent letter journaling. Writing to others (or yourself!) is a helpful way to access various perspectives and clarity on your experience.
Morning pages. A powerful daily technique pioneered by Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way.
Photo journaling: You may wish to use photography in response to contemplation questions or personal inquiries during the course. This can be done digitally, via an app (Instagram, for instance) or other program on your computer.
Video journaling. You may wish to record a scene around you in response to a course prompt. You may also wish to video yourself speaking your response to a prompt, contemplation, or experience.
Self-compassionate letters. Your journal practice can consist entirely of compassionate letters to yourself about topics you are grappling with.
Adjacent to self-compassionate letters are Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Letters From Love,” in which a single question guides your inquiry: “Love — What would you have me know today?”
Songwriting can be a natural and powerful form of journaling for some.
Movement journaling. For those who relate with dance or other forms of movement as powerful modes of expression, you may consider this type of journaling in response to a particular contemplation or experience. Video record your expression if you wish to reflect privately on it later.

Whatever you choose, we encourage you to let it be simple, fun, and easy. Eventually, the practice itself becomes the reward. Enjoy!

💻 Tech Help and How-To

Use of Technology

Internet problems: At some time in the course, we will all probably struggle with technology. Know that if you do struggle, you are not alone! We are here to help each other. If your internet cuts out, simply log back on, and we’ll be there to welcome you back. It is yet another opportunity to practice self-compassion!
Video camera: Please keep your video camera on as often as possible. We realize there will be exceptions from time to time if you need a moment of privacy or to minimize temporary distraction to the group, but LOMSC is a reciprocal/shared experience in which everyone’s presence is seen, felt, and valued.
Stable internet connection: Before class, please confirm that your internet works well in the room where you plan to do your course.
Distractions: Think of our live class time as a dedicated time for your growth. During class, please close other browser windows and mute your cell phone and notifications if possible. Remembering that distraction can be a form of resistance, which we will try to meet with tenderness and skillful boundaries.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Unexpected tech challenges will be an ongoing companion. If your internet is unstable or you drop out of session, no problem. Just do your best to log back on. It’s a great opportunity to practice common humanity and self-compassion!
View on desktop: The best way to participate in Zoom and website discussions is on desktop (not phone). The site isn’t optimized for small screens.
Tips for good online visibility:
- The best lighting for video visibility is diffuse lighting positioned high and roughly 45 degrees to each side of the camera in front of you.
- Headphones are extremely helpful for confidentiality and audibility.
- If you wear glasses, turn down the brightness on your monitor to the lowest level where you can still see it. Check your image for reflections and try to move yourself or your lights to avoid reflected glare.