Never before has there been a more important time to learn the skills of mindful self-compassion. As uncertainty continues, anxiety grows and isolation heightens emotions it is vital to increase our inner strength and develop our self-care skills.

This online course will give you practical skills to meet difficulties and personal struggles during COVID-19 lockdown and beyond!

The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) 8-week course is the perfect way to learn all the remarkable tools and valuable skills to cope with the challenges every-day life brings so that you can live a self-compassionate life.

MSC is an empirically-supported course designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. It is based on ground-breaking research by Dr Kristin Neff, integrated with the clinical perspective of Dr Christopher Germer. MSC teaches core principles and practices that enables you to respond to difficult moments in your life with kindness, care, compassion and inner strength.

Good news!!! Self-compassion can be learned by anyone. No previous meditation, mindfulness or compassion practice is required. All that is necessary is a willingness to be as open as you can and to go at your own pace.

Training activities include formal meditation, informal practices, educational discourse, experiential exercises and group discussion. You will directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in your daily life. Both have been proven to support your mental health and increase your well-being.

MSC provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing you to acknowledge your imperfections, help you to begin motivating yourself with kindness, learn to be more forgiving of yourself, relate more easily to others, and live more authentically as yourself.

Self-compassion is powerfully linked to well-being. It is strongly associated with fewer negative states like depression, shame and negative body image and it is strongly linked to more positive states like happiness, life satisfaction and optimism. It is also linked with better physical health.

Research by Kristin Neff demonstrates the proven benefits of Mindful Self-Compassion safely and effectively improves health by

• enhancing emotional well-being
• building resilience
• boosting happiness
• reducing anxiety
• reducing depression

These benefits are sustained even one year after the completion of the MSC programme. Your teachers are living proof of this!

THE COURSE & WHAT'S INCLUDED

Begins Tuesday 20 April 2021
Completes Tuesday 08 June 2021 

• Weekly 6:30pm - 9:30pm (BST)  (London, UK Time)

CLICK HERE to double check your local start time

• 24 hours of Mindful Self-Compassion training

• 8 Sessions, 3 hours per session - Tuesdays 6:30pm - 9:30pm (BST)

• Weekly online resource material - audios, videos, summaries - to reinforce learning & support home practice. We are passionate about MSC in everyday life!
  
  Optional private course support group

• Opportunity to attend the Half Day Online Retreat - date and times to be confirmed. Usually the Sunday between sessions 5 & 6.

POST COURSE BONUSES (HOW DOES IT GET EVEN BETTER?!)

• Member of the Kind Mind Academy Graduate Alumni

• Ongoing access to the online resource materials on the Kind Mind Academy membership portal

• Invitation to the private Kind Mind Academy Graduate support group

• Access to Kind Mind Academy's daily live MSC morning meditation practice online - FREE to you as a graduate

• Exclusive graduate special offers & £25 Kind KA$H Voucher on graduation

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer is highly recommended (but not required) and will be referenced during the course.

• Recapping of any missed sessions with the facilitators - you will have access to the session resources via the Kind Mind Academy membership portal.   Please note, this does not include the full session recording.

• Equipment (laptop / ipad etc) plus internet connection to access the course or online resources

• Refreshments :0) Pop the kettle on. We love a good tea break!

HOW SELF COMPASSIONATE ARE YOU?

Take the Online Self-Compassion Survey:  www.SelfCompassionScale.com

PRE-REQUISITES & QUALIFICATIONS

This course is for anyone wanting to learn or develop mindfulness and self-compassion skills.

You DO NOT require any previous mindfulness, meditation or compassion-practice experience to attend the course.

If you are a professional or in the care giving field, this 8 week MSC training officially qualifies as one of the pre-requisites for the MSC Teacher Training.

HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS...

Kind Mind Academy Mindful Self Compassion Graduates share their experience:

WHAT IS THE COURSE FEE?

We have a number of ticket options available (click on the 'CLICK HERE to Book Your Place!' button to check availability).

Please note, the VAT tax element will be refunded for ALL participants who live OUTSIDE the UK & EU.

We NEVER want finances to be a barrier to you accessing the course. If you would like to pay by instalments we are able to arrange this, - please contact Liz on Liz@KindMindAcademy.com if you wish to arrange this payment method. NB there is an administration fee for this service.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Although we do not receive any official funding to support our concessionary places, we continue to offer a number of scholarships places.  If you would like to apply for one of these places please - CLICK HERE. to begin the application process. Please only apply for these if you are genuinely unable to pay the very reasonable fee.

BOGO

If you blessed to be in the position to comfortably afford the course, we warmly invite you to BUY ONE, GIVE ONE!  We and all our scholarship applicants, greatly appreciate your support and generosity.  Please contact Liz, Liz@KindMindAcademy.com if you would like to help someone less financially able to attend a course. All contributions are warmly received.

QUESTIONS

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to get in touch. A FREE 15 minute pre-course telephone consultation is available to explore if this MSC course is right for you and if it is the right time.

To book your pre-course consultation and to discuss any questions...please email Kathryn@KindMindAcademy.com or call Kathryn on +44.7941.247.460.

MEET THE TEACHERS...

Kathryn Lovewell

Kathryn is a dedicated Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Senior teacher. She first experienced MSC in 2015 after a long and deep search for self-acceptance and peace with her ability-challenged body. MSC was the key she had been looking for. Since that day, every challenge, every moment of pain, every sadness has been an opportunity to practice self-compassion and come home to kindness.

Kathryn is the Co-Founder of Kind Mind Academy and an award-winning emotional health and wellbeing specialist. Since 2007 she has combined meditation, mindful awareness, therapeutic practices and positive psychology to create personal and professional development programmes in the UK, USA & Australia.

She is a bestselling author and international speaker, sharing accessible ways to be kind to yourself no matter what your perceived ‘difference’.

The Little Book of Self-Compassion is a lovingly crafted introduction to self-compassion for adults and young people.

The Voices in my Head is a charming and superbly illustrated book to help primary-aged children discover their compassionate voice.

Every Teacher Matters; Inspiring Wellbeing through Mindfulness provides practical ways to develop self-care and increased mental health for educators under ever-increasing and prolonged pressure.

Kathryn is also the co-author of The Positive Edge Journal, sharing mindfulness skills to support mental health in a 52 week positive psychology journal.

Kathryn is an experienced Senior Journey™ Therapist, having trained with and supported, Brandon Bays, internationally acclaimed mind/body healing expert for over 15 years. Compassion Consciousness Coaching combines these therapeutic methods with self-compassion skills to provide a unique, confidential 121 programme for all those ready to let go of their deep-seated suffering.

Kathryn volunteers for the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion (CMSC) giving weekly meditation for the Global Circles of Practice and writes articles for the CMSC. She provides a free Compassion Hour every Friday morning (8am UK time) to support those struggling with isolation and overwhelm during COVID and offers an extensive Graduate Programme to help sustain and nourish their practice. Kathryn also offers a weekly online self-compassion conversation on Face Book Live called MSC Bitesize. Each week she explores a relevant topic where MSC can support every-day living, especially helping us face the challenges of 21^st century life.

Her mission is to inspire a kind way of living with oneself, with compassion, acceptance and tenderness for all people, across the globe.

Kathryn is a Senior Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher and has taught MSC courses, workshops and retreats in the UK, Ireland, Australia and online. She is an active member of the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion and MSC UK.

Liz Walker

Liz Walker is an enthusiastic Mindful Self-Compassion qualified teacher. She spent the first three years of her MSC experience gently deepening her personal practice whilst supporting Kathryn and their participants. Witnessing the dramatic change in her own inner landscape and the profound life-changes in the participants, Liz took up the baton to teach in 2018!

Liz is the Co-founder of Kind Mind Academy, the skilful ‘behind the scenes’ Operations Manager and queen of all things technical. She has created a unique members platform for all Kind Mind Graduates providing all the resources for Kind Minders to continue their self-compassion adventure. Liz has also curated the new KMA website, making it easier to access all the free resources for newcomers to begin their self-compassion voyage with ease.

Liz is the director of Kind Mind Publishing, having published both The Little Book of Self-Compassion and The Voices in my Head story book and colouring book. (Liz loves her colouring books!) She is now underway with her next ambitious project. Watch this space!

Liz is the creator of The Kindness Band™. A silicon bracelet that shares the message of self-kindness and serves as an anchor for all graduates of MSC. She has created a beautiful gift-set that invites you to “wear one and share one”. Liz hopes these bands will serve as a reminder that kindness and compassion is the key to circumnavigating the ups and downs of life. Her dream is that these bands will be available for all people in all sectors of the community to support them on their adventure called life!

Lovely Lizzie (as she is known by her Kind Mind Academy Community) is a grounded teacher, fun-loving and exquisitely patient both with herself and her participants. Prior to being introduced to the concepts of MSC in 2015 she had a very strong inner critic which would stop her from sharing her insights. Having supported educators for over 15 years in the well-being arena, Liz is now perfectly equipped to support all those embarking on a self-compassion programme, whether they are from the education, healthcare or the corporate sector, Liz has the experience, aptitude and understanding to guide her trainees with acuity and wisdom.

Having previously served as a hotel manager, Liz has a natural gift of providing amazing, memorable experiences for her participants, where comfort and joy are the key ingredients. She is exceptional at creating, organising and running inspirational events, in-person and online. She loves learning, laughing and having fun with all those she supports.

Liz supports Kathryn behind the scenes when giving weekly meditation for the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion Global Circles of Practice. She co-leads a free Compassion Hour every Friday morning (8am UK time) to support those struggling with isolation and overwhelm during COVID and offers an extensive Graduate Programme to help sustain and nourish their practice. Liz supports Kathryn each week during MSC Bitesize. She ensures that all links and questions are answered and followed up during the online Face Book Live. Liz ensures all online provision runs smoothly and gracefully.

Liz is an astute and insightful teacher. She loves holding a kind, light-hearted and nurturing embrace for all participants.

Her mission is to inspire mindful self-compassion in every-day life.

Liz is a Trained Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher and has taught MSC courses and workshops in the UK, Australia and online. She is an active member of the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion and MSC UK.