Self Compassion
I fell into the exploration and teaching of Self-Compassion almost by accident in January of 2018 when I wanted to teach compassion to a group of high school students. I discovered Kristin Neff’s book, Self-Compassion, and have been hooked ever since. For me, the practices of Self-Compassion have become one more way I can live out my faith. They help me daily remember that I have been created in the image of God and therefore deserving of love. They remind me of Jesus’ call that I need to love God and love my neighbor as I love myself. It is explicitly clear to me, that Self-Compassion’s invitation to love myself is an invitation to experience God who is alive and well in me, in everyone, and all of creation.
Enjoy the self-guided exploration and practices of Self-Compassion on this page.
Please reach out to me if you would like to explore planning a weekend-long Self-Compassion retreat or a 5 or 6 week course (meeting 90 minutes, one day a week). I would love to put something together for your group. (I lead classes/retreats for adults and youth.) Virtual options are available for either format.
Self-Compassion Exploration and Practices
As we become practitioners of Self-Compassion, there are three doorways we walk through that help us in our practice. One of the doorways is Mindfulness. Mindfulness helps us because it invites us to recognize what we are feeling as we are feeling it. This is essential for self-compassion because as we recognize that we are feeling hurt, anxious, like a failure, not enough, or inadequate, that is our clue to activate love and compassion for ourselves to come sit next to our suffering.
This video is a helpful tool and way to envision the link between mindfulness and self-compassion. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzKryaN44ss
Check back here often for more mini-lessons and practices around Self-Compassion. Check the archives to the right for things you may have missed.
