Concession tickets for Self-Compassion: Freeing the heart for joy

Workshop: Exploring the power of tender and fierce mindful self-compassion to let in beneficial experiences more fully

13 June 2026 at 10:00 to 17:00

This experiential workshop explores how joy and pleasure can strengthen resilience and wellbeing.

What is covered?

Research consistently highlights the crucial role of joy and pleasure in building inner resilience and overall wellbeing. Positive experiences are vital for counteracting chronic stress and promoting feelings of safety, connection, and satisfaction. However, numerous internal and external barriers often prevent us from embracing these nourishing experiences. The rising rates of burnout at work and at home underscore the urgent need to address this. Maybe this is true for you, your patients or people you care about? Drawing upon the principles of Mindful Self-Compassion and the insights of Rick Hanson, this experiential workshop will provide practical exercises, meditations, and contemplations designed to foster joy, prioritise self-care, and unlock inherent wisdom and wellbeing.

Workshop objectives

• To cultivate a deeper sense of connection, wisdom, and understanding through an enhanced capacity for joy.
• To understand and address the common blocks that prevent us from experiencing joy e.g. Fear of vulnerability and loss, fear of addiction, habits, internalised culture, perfectionism and misunderstandings about mindfulness and Buddhist psychology with regard to aversion and clinging.
• To learn mindful self-compassion informal practices that support letting in positive experience and ‘hardwiring happiness’ (ie. sense and savour, self-compassion in daily life, gratitude, mindful eating) and working towards greater fulfillment and providing for one’s own needs (the Compassionate Friend, Fierce Self-Compassion gestures, the Providing Self-compassion Break, core values exercise).

Participants will leave with a greater understanding of the importance of joy in their lives, practical tools for cultivating it, an increased awareness of what gets in the way and approaches to encourage more openness to positive experience.

The format

The workshop will be interactive and practice-based, incorporating discussions, reflections, and experiential exercises. The aim is to create a supportive and nurturing environment for participants to explore their relationship with pleasure and delight, and leave with tools and skills they can weave into their existing meditation practice or informally into daily life.

The workshop will last six hours:

• Morning session from 10am to 1pm
• Lunch break
• Afternoon session from 2pm to 5pm

Who is this for?

This workshop is suitable for those who have some experience of mindfulness or Mindful Self-Compassion, as well as teachers and trainee teachers.

The facilitator

Zoe Shobbrook-Fisher

Zoe is an accredited counsellor/psychotherapist, Certified Mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher, Trainer and Supervisor. She has been delivering beginner and deeper-dive mindfulness-based programmes and popular retreats since 2009. She is a teacher trainer and mentor at the Centre for Mindful Self-Compassion and a retreat lead and supervisor for the Mindfulness Network. Based in south-west London she specialises in trainings that are accessible, inclusive and creative in the workplace, community settings, mental health charities and the NHS. She has always been dedicated to paths of the heart and authenticity and her own practice includes wild swimming and conscious dance.

Certificates

This masterclass is valid for ongoing personal development in mindfulness or as part of the Sussex Mindfulness Centre teacher training pathway. Certificates of attendance can be supplied on completion of the day’s training, if requested.

Ticket prices*:

Standard ticket: £40

*We try to keep prices down as low as possible so everyone can come. Please contact us if you would like to come but the price is prohibitive.

For enquiries: spft.smc@nhs.uk