Mindful Self-Compassion Programs
Foundational and specialized programs
to help you cultivate kindness, courage, boundaries, and care for yourself.
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) helps us meet ourselves with greater kindness, understanding, and care — especially when life is difficult.
MSC is the foundation of our self-compassion programming at Mindfulness Everyday, alongside specialized compassion programs for particular communities and areas of practice, such as Fierce Compassion.
Explore our current programs below.
Current Programs
Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course
6-week foundational program
👉 Join the waiting list now
A practical introduction to the core principles and practices of Mindful Self-Compassion, helping you respond to difficult moments with greater kindness, awareness, and understanding while bringing self-compassion more fully into everyday life.
Self-Compassion for GBTQ+ Men
October 24 & November 7, 2026
10:00am – 2:00pm ET
👉 Register Now!
A closed-group self-compassion program exploring masculinity, sexuality, belonging, and self-worth, with practices to help you meet yourself with greater kindness, acceptance, and compassion while staying connected to what matters.
Fierce Compassion: The Essentials
Tuesdays, November 3-24, 2026
9:30 – 11:30am ET
👉 Register Now!
Explore the active, protective side of self-compassion through boundaries, courage, motivation, and purposeful action, while learning to respond to yourself with greater clarity, strength, kindness, and alignment with what matters.
What is Mindful Self-Compassion?
Mindful self-compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported program designed to deepen self-compassion learning and skills. 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.
The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness. Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. Common humanity opens us to our essential interrelatedness, so that we know we aren’t alone.
Mindfulness asks the question: “What is our experience now?“
Self-Compassion asks the question: “What do I need?“
“Rather than wandering around in problem-solving mode all day, thinking mainly of what you want to fix
about yourself or your life, you can pause for a few moments throughout the day to marvel at what’s
not broken. You.”
-Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: Stop Beating yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind.
What to Expect
Self-compassion can provide emotional strength and resilience, helping us connect with our authenticity, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when needed, and relate more wholeheartedly to others.
MSC is primarily a compassion training program. It is not psychotherapy, although people may find the experience therapeutic The emphasis is on building inner resources rather than directly addressing old wounds. Positive change can emerge as we strengthen our capacity to relate to ourselves in a kinder and more compassionate way.
Difficult emotions can sometimes arise while practicing self-compassion. MSC teachers are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment in which this process can unfold, while making the learning experience engaging and enjoyable.
Markus Bohlmann, PhD, certified mindfulness teacher
As MSC grows in the world, I feel we need to foster the growth of communities that hold space for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. This inclusion of diverse, and at the same time, interwoven experiences and histories has become vital to my work with MSC. Guiding people to live from a place of authenticity and full-heartedness – fierce and tender – is what my work is all about.
Our Self-Compassion Programs
- Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course
- Self-Compassion for GBTQ+ Men
- Fierce Compassion: The Essentials
All programs include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. Opportunities for a complimentary 30-minute private consultation will be provided.
Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course (MSC-Short)
Do you wish to:
- Follow your heart?
- Learn to be kind to yourself?
- Be more loving and understanding towards yourself, including your inner critic?
Mindful Self-Compassion offers a pathway toward these capacities.
MSC combines awareness of our suffering with kindness. When we become aware of what is difficult, we have an opportunity to meet ourselves with a loving and connected presence.
Join me for an opportunity to learn and experience practical ways of relating to yourself with greater kindness, understanding, and compassion – including in your relationship with your inner critic.
This live online course supports participants in developing the skills and capacity to relate to themselves in a more befriending and compassionate way.
The program is open to everyone, including people who have experienced marginalization and oppression.
Looking forward to guiding you on your journey.
Markus
About the Short Course
The 6-week course is designed for people who are short on time or are not ready to commit to the longer MSC program.
It is also an excellent introduction for people who are curious about MSC and would like to experience the approach before considering the full program.
The program fulfills one of the prerequisites for becoming a SMART facilitator.
Click here to Learn more about SMART Facilitator Training Certification
The course includes
Six live online sessions of 1.5 hours each, designed to help participants:
- understand the basic theoretical foundations of self-compassion
- develop and apply informal self-compassion practices to everyday challenges
- explore ways to prevent caregiver fatigue
- work with difficult emotions
- align with core values
- motivate themselves with kindness rather than criticism
- build community with other participants and reduce the sense of being alone in difficult experiences
In this course, you will have the opportunity to:
- Explore basic evidence-based theory related to self-compassion
- Practise motivating yourself with kindness rather than self-criticism
- Practise meeting difficult emotions with greater ease
- Develop tools for managing burnout
- Explore what drives you in life and how to embrace your life more fully
- Practise self-compassion in everyday life
Participation
Participants should plan to attend every session and practise mindfulness and self-compassion for approximately 30 minutes per day throughout the program.
Sessions may be recorded for training purposes.
Prerequisites
No previous mindfulness or meditation experience is required to attend MSC.
To support participant safety, people registering for the program are asked to provide some background information during registration.
Recommended Reading
Participants may wish to read one or more of the following before or during the program:
- Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself — Kristin Neff
- The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion — Christopher Germer
- The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook — Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff
Participants are also encouraged to bring a journal to the course for reflection.
Self-Compassion for GBQT+ Men
For gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who love men
Our central question is:
What happens when we stop fighting ourselves and start standing beside ourselves?
Self-compassion is not something passive or sweet. It can be a way of becoming more alive, embodied, connected, and free.
In this program, we will explore self-compassion in the context of the lives of men loving men.
This is not another self-improvement project asking us to fix or repair ourselves so that we can become “better men.” It is an opportunity to loosen some of the pressures that can come with being a man who loves men — and to practise staying on our own side.
Our themes include:
Belonging
Where do I feel at home — and where do I still feel I have to perform?
Shame
What happens when shame tells me I’m too much, not enough, too feminine, too masculine, too old, too fat, too sexual, or too needy?
The body
Can I inhabit my body with less judgment and more kindness?
Masculinity
What does being a man mean to me when I don’t fit traditional expectations?
Desire & sexuality
Can I meet my sexuality with curiosity rather than judgment, comparison, or shame?
Intimacy
Can I let myself be seen, touched, loved, and cared for without having to earn it?
Self-worth
Who am I when I stop measuring myself against other men?
Community
How might I move from “Do I belong here?” toward “I belong to myself, and I can find my people”?
Come as you are.
Bring your body.
Bring your sexuality.
Bring your shame.
Bring your longing.
Bring your strength.
Bring your tenderness.
Upcoming Program
Dates: Saturdays October 24 & November 3, 2026
Time: 10:00am–2:00pm ET (live on Zoom)
Fierce Self-Compassion: The Essentials
Self-compassion isn’t only about being kind and gentle with ourselves. Sometimes self-compassion also calls for clarity, courage, and strength.
Fierce Self-Compassion explores the active, protective side of compassion — helping us stand up for ourselves, protect our boundaries, and take action in ways that are aligned with our values and well-being.
In this short course, we will explore what it means to:
- Say no when we need to, rather than automatically people-pleasing
- Set clear and healthy boundaries and protect what matters to us
- Recognize patterns or behaviours that are not serving us, and make choices that better support our well-being
- Give ourselves what we genuinely need — mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually
- Work with emotions such as anger as a source of information, energy, and constructive action
- Motivate ourselves through encouragement rather than criticism and pressure
Fierce Self-Compassion brings together the tender and fierce qualities of compassion: the warmth to care for ourselves and the strength to act on that care.
It invites us to meet life with an open heart, clear boundaries, and a strong sense of what matters.
This course is ideal for those who already have a foundation in self-compassion, such as through the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Short Course, the 8-week MSC program, or comparable self-compassion training.
Upcoming Program
Dates: Tuesdays, November 3–24, 2026
Time: 9:30–11:30 am ET
What Our Programs Include
All programs include:
- meditation
- short talks
- experiential exercises
- group discussion
- home practices
Opportunities for a complimentary 30-minute private consultation are also provided.
Financial Accessibility
In the spirit of generosity, spaces are available to people who genuinely cannot afford to participate.
Alternative payment options may also be considered.
Please contact Natanya.Mandel@mindfulnesseveryday.org to discuss options.
Registration & Refund Information
Mindfulness Everyday Refund Policy for MSC Courses
We are confident that participants will find our classes enjoyable and beneficial. We also understand that circumstances sometimes require someone to withdraw from a course.
A full refund, less a $50 administration fee, is available when a written request is received at least five business days before the course begins.
For written withdrawal requests received after that deadline but up to 48 hours before the second class begins, the course fee will be refunded less $100 to cover costs incurred up to that point, excluding materials already received.
Course fees are not refundable after that point.
To request a refund, email payments@mindfulnesseveryday.org and include:
- your name
- the name of the class
- the reason for requesting the refund
- a telephone number where you can be reached if there are questions
Prices may change without notice in response to market changes beyond our control.
Insurance
MSC is not therapy or medical treatment.
However, some insurance plans cover health education and wellness classes. If your insurance plan covers an MSC program, Mindfulness Everyday can provide the information required for you to request reimbursement directly from your insurer.
What Our Participants Say.....
