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Center for Mindful Self-Compassion

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United States
San Diego, CA
Center for Mindful Self-Compassion

CMSC offers training in Mindful Self-Compassion based on research & established teaching methods. Founded in 2012 by Kristin Neff, PhD and Christopher K.
(3)

Germer, PhD, the center is a place where people can access self-compassion resources, discover MSC programs in their area, and explore MSC teacher training.

02/25/2026

💞 Self-Compassion Phrase: "May I seek out moments to savor today."

Today, let’s take finding sweetness and joy in our day a step further by seeking out moments to savor. This means actively looking for the small, beautiful things around us, whether it’s the taste of your morning coffee, the colors of the sky, or the sound of a friend’s voice, and give them extra time, awareness, and warmth.

Savoring doesn’t just happen—it requires a willingness to pause and truly experience the joy in these moments. When we seek out opportunities to savor, we intentionally invite more loving, connected presence into our day. This practice can nourish our hearts and help us build resilience when difficult moments arise.

As you move through your day, see what you can savor and allow it to fill you with appreciation and gratitude. If you haven't already, you might even consider making this a daily evening reflection and written record as a way to anchor self-compassion into your life.

02/18/2026

🌿 New Workshop: Self‑Forgiveness — Steps to Healing Shame with Chris Germer

If you’ve ever struggled to let go of past mistakes or felt weighed down by shame, this workshop is a gentle invitation to begin healing.

Join Chris Germer, co‑developer of Mindful Self‑Compassion, for a powerful live online session exploring how self‑forgiveness can open the door to emotional freedom, resilience, and deeper self‑understanding.

✨ Learn practical tools for:
Softening self‑judgment
Understanding the roots of shame
Cultivating compassion toward yourself
Taking meaningful steps toward healing

This is a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the leading voices in self‑compassion. If you’re ready to move toward greater kindness and inner peace, this workshop is a beautiful place to start.

🗓 February 25
💻 Live Online Workshop

Learn more & register link in bio or at centerformsc.org

02/11/2026

✨Healthcare work can be rewarding — but it’s also demanding. Join the 6-week Self-Compassion for Healthcare Communities (SCHC) course starting February 25, 2026, and learn practical, evidence-based self-compassion skills tailored for healthcare professionals and caregivers. 🩺💙

This compassionate training helps you:
✨ Understand and strengthen self-compassion in daily life
✨ Reduce stress, burnout & secondary traumatic stress
✨ Increase resilience, mindfulness & satisfaction in your work
✨ Practice skills that support you while caring for others

📅 Wednesdays, Feb 25 – Apr 1
⏰ 9:00–10:00 am PT
📍 Online with Adrienne Gaudet, Certified MSC Teacher

Whether you’re on the front lines or behind the scenes, this course offers nourishing tools to sustain you in service and life. 🌱❤️

➡️ Register now link in bio or at: https://centerformsc.org/products/schc_2026

02/10/2026

A Soft Landing for Black History

This offering from certified MSC teacher Sydney Spears invites us to pause, breathe, and honor Black History through compassion, presence, and care. Not as something to rush through or summarize—but as something to hold gently, with respect for lived experience, resilience, and humanity.

May this be a moment to listen, reflect, and let compassion guide how we remember and move forward. 🤍

02/06/2026

💞 Self-Compassion Phrase: "May I notice and welcome the sweetness of life’s moments I might otherwise miss."

Life is a beautiful mix of highs and lows, and it’s easy to get caught up in the challenges. Yet, it’s important to pause and savor the good moments, as they help us stay connected to joy and hope.

Our minds tend to focus on problems, but with intention, we can shift our attention to the positive experiences and qualities that nourish us, build resilience, and sustain the energy we need to move through life with compassion.

Take a moment today to celebrate the sweetness in your life, however small—the warmth of sunlight on your face as you step outside, the sound of a bird chirping outside your window, the smile of neighbor... Make a note of it somewhere you'll remember—in your journal, your calendar, a handwritten post-it, a text, email, voicemail, or postcard to yourself. It’s a simple way to remind yourself of the goodness that is present when you take the time to notice.

02/02/2026

What if shame could be met with care instead of criticism?

Join us March 22–27, 2026 in Sedona for an in-person Self-Compassion for Shame Intensive—a condensed version of the 8-week program developed by Dr. Chris Germer and the SC-Shame team.

This advanced MSC course for those with previous MSC experience explores shame gently, non-pathologically, and compassionately—offering tools to stay connected, soften self-criticism, and bring kindness to even the most hidden parts of ourselves.

✨ Early Bird pricing ends Feb 22
✨ Led by Chris Germer, David Fredrickson & Carolina Bautista-Velez

Learn more at link in bio or here: centerformsc.org/products/shame-5-day-intensive

01/26/2026

We are all caregivers to some extent, helping to meet others’ needs, either professionally in the helping fields or personally, with family, friends, our communities, and pets. Self-Compassion helps us respond to others' needs with tenderness and care while recognizing our needs matter too.

Giving ourselves permission to set boundaries acknowledges that our needs are just as important as those of others. Actions like saying no, clearly communicating our limits, or taking time for ourselves are examples of boundary-setting. These actions help us create space to care for ourselves while caring for others without feeling guilty or selfish and ensure that we can be present for others without depleting our own energy.

The next time you need to set a boundary, try also pausing and offering yourself a physical gesture of kindness—a hand on your heart, a deep breath, or a comforting hug. Being a loving human isn't always easy, so remember to be kind to yourself, too.

01/12/2026

We all need little resets—especially the ones that bring us back to ourselves.

Take a 60-second Self-Compassion Break today:
💛 Breath
💛 Acknowledge what you’re feeling
💛 Remember you’re not alone
💛 Offer yourself kindness

One minute. Big impact.

01/07/2026

Why take the The MSC Renewal Core Skills Workshop?
Because even the most well-intentioned self-compassion practices can fade when life gets full. The MSC Renewal Core Skills Workshop is a chance to pause, reconnect, and nourish what supports you most.

Join Aimee Eckhardt & David Fredrickson on January 23–24, 2026 for two restorative days, live online, dedicated to returning to the heart of Mindful Self-Compassion. This experiential workshop offers a gentle space to refresh your core skills, deepen your practice, and remember that you don’t have to do it all alone.

✨ Why it’s worth renewing now:
• Revisit and strengthen foundational MSC practices
• Reconnect with the qualities that sustain your wellbeing
• Get supportive guidance for applying self-compassion to daily challenges
• Rest, reflect, and cultivate clarity
• Experience community with others on a similar path
• Ideal for previous MSC participants, professionals, and teachers

If you’re feeling stretched, tired, or simply ready to come home to yourself, this workshop offers a grounding reset.

Save $100 when you register by January 12 with code RENEWAL100.

💙 Registration now open, link in bio or at centerformsc.org

01/04/2026

💞 Self-Compassion Phrase: "Anger is a feeling that arises sometimes. May I create the space to know what my anger is telling me."

Relationships lie at the heart of our emotional lives, and they can bring both joy and pain. The relational pain of disconnection, including feeling unseen, misunderstood, or betrayed, often triggers the challenging emotion of anger. Anger is a natural response of self-protection, and a rich source of information about ourselves and what we truly need and value.

In MSC, we begin exploring anger with mindfulness by noticing and validating the anger. A simple acknowledgment like, "Oh, I'm feeling angry right now," or "This is what anger feels like," can help release some of its negative energy. Then, when we have a little more breathing space, we can ask what the anger may be protecting us from. What underlying soft feelings may be too painful to touch yet: is there disappointment, sadness, or grief that needs attention? What unmet needs might we be yearning for others to fill, even when they are unable to do so?

Self-compassion helps us meet anger as a friend who reveals our deeper needs and supports our healing with less reactivity and more equanimity, so that it can serve us rather than hurt us.

If you would like to explore how self-compassion can help you better understand and respond to anger and other challenging emotions, join us for a Live Online MSC courses or Workshops. We'd love to support you and share our safe and nourishing community with you.

12/18/2025

🌟 Start the New Year with Renewal & Self-Compassion 🌿

Join us in January for the Renewal Core Skills workshop—an empowering space to deepen your Mindful Self-Compassion practice as you step into the year with clarity, courage, and care.

✨ This interactive workshop emphasizes the core capacities of mindful awareness, self-kindness, and a sense of shared humanity, inviting participants to revisit foundational practices with fresh perspective.

This adapted Core Skills workshop offers an immersive, retreat-like experience designed for participants who already have some familiarity with Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Live Online MSC (LOMSC), or other contemplative self-compassion practices.

📅 January 23rd & 24th, 2026
💻 Live Online
👉 Learn more & register link in bio or:
https://centerformsc.org/products/renewal-core-skills

Let’s begin the year with compassion— for ourselves, and for the world around us. 💗

12/15/2025

✨ A Looking Back at 2025 with Gratitude ✨

As we reflect on this past year at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, we’re filled with appreciation for our global community of teachers, participants, volunteers, and supporters.

This video offers a glimpse into the moments, practices, and connections that shaped 2025—and reminds us that none of it would be possible without you. Thank you for being part of our journey and for carrying self-compassion into the world. 💛

With gratitude,
The CMSC Team

Address

San Diego, CA

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 7pm
Sunday	9am - 12pm

Website

http://www.centerformsc.org/

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