Introduction to Mindful Self-Compassion

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

― Gautama Buddha

About Event

This three hour program will introduce some of the key concepts of being compassionate to yourself. Studies show us that people who can be self-compassionate are more resilient, experience more happiness and have an increased capacity to weather difficulties with equanimity.

We will use meditation including breath awareness and loving kindness meditations to explore our own self talk and increase our ability to be kind to ourselves.

This introduction to Mindful Self Compassion is based on the longer, 8 week training program in Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) which is designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Based on the groundbreaking research of Kristin Neff and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, MSC teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care and understanding. Self-Compassion can be learned by anyone and is a key ingredient in healthy self-care.

What to Expect

Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion and home practices. This Introduction to Mindful Self Compassion is a workshop rather than a retreat. The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life.

About Your Instructor

Jill Goldsmith, Esquire is the owner of Workplace Solutions NW, a firm offering neutral services to organizations in conflict. Jill offers neutral fact finding, facilitation, mediation and coaching as part of her services in addition to teaching mindfulness and compassion. Jill’s work is focused on helping people in organizations work through conflict in a healthy, respectful and productive way. Jill is a Trained Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher in the program developed by Christopher Germer, PhD and Kristin Neff, PhD with a graduate certificate from UCSD and is also a teacher of Stanford’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program. Jill is also a certified teacher of Self-Compassion for Healthcare Communities (SCHC). Jill serves on the Board of Mindful Medicine, a non-profit whose mission is to enhance coping skills, resiliency, empathy and compassion while reducing and preventing burnout in health care professionals. Jill also services on the Board of NWEEO, a non-profit whose mission is to provide education and resources in the area of equal employment opportunity, diversity and affirmative action. Check out Jill’s websites here: www.jillgoldsmith.com (mindfulness and compassion focused) and www.workplacesolutionsnw.com (conflict resolution focused).

How to prepare for the workshop:

1. This is a virtual meditation workshop that integrates meditation practice, education and discussion. Please plan ahead and find a comfortable, distraction-free space to attend this event.
2. Since we will be meeting on Zoom, please make sure you have an internet connection, and please make sure you have the latest version of Zoom installed on your computer or mobile device.

Cost of Retreat:

Offered on a donation basis. No one is turned away for lack of funds. Click here to make a donation.

About Recovery Dharma

This is a recovery community that uses Buddhist practices and principles to heal the suffering of addiction. We are a peer-led movement and community that is unified by our trust in the potential of each of us to recover and find freedom from the suffering of addiction. We believe that recovery means empowerment, and we support each other as partners walking the path of recovery together.

Our program uses the Buddhist practices of meditation, self-inquiry, wisdom, compassion, and community as tools for recovery and healing. We believe that recovery is about finding our own inner wisdom and our own path.

Recovery Dharma welcomes anyone who is looking to heal from addiction and addictive behavior, whether it’s caused by substance use or process addictions like codependency, gambling, eating disorders, relationships, technology, or any obsessive or habitual pattern that creates suffering. We’ve found that this Buddhist-inspired path can lead to liberation from the suffering of addiction, and we support you in finding your own path to recovery.