Mindful Compassion for Self & Other

Mindful Compassion for Self & Other (MCSO)A 7-Week Training Course
Start Date - 7th October to 18th November 2026Time - 7 pm to 9 pm
7 x Wednesday - Evenings at the North London Buddhist Centre

"Compassion begins with being present to our own suffering before we can truly be present to another."

In a world that encourages us to look outward for answers, this training invites us to turn inward and develop a more stable, kinder, and wiser relationship with ourselves and others. Compassion means "to suffer with."

Before we can truly be with another's pain and suffering, we must learn how to be with our own struggles, anxiety, inner critic and judge, fears, shame, vulnerabilities, and historical conditioning with understanding, patience, kindness, and the willingness to change.

Most of us lead demanding lives and can become disconnected from ourselves, our families, and those closest to us. Neuroscience shows that people living with unrelenting standards, high self-demand, and a strong inner critic often experience heightened stress responses in the brain and nervous system. These patterns can leave us feeling anxious, overwhelmed, reactive, and disconnected.

Mindful Compassion for Self & Other (MCSO) training helps regulate these patterns by strengthening emotional awareness, calming the brain's threat and survival response, and increasing psychological flexibility. By developing mindfulness and self-compassion, we learn to soften the critical, judging mindset, build emotional resilience, and cultivate healthier, more loving relationships with ourselves and others.Join us for this 7-week journey of compassion, connection, and emotional growth.

What is Mindful Compassion?

Mindfulness is paying attention to our experience in the present moment without judgement. Combined with compassion, it becomes a potent pathway for healing, emotional growth, resilience, and authentic connection.Through guided practices, reflection, and discussion, we will inquire into how to:• Respond rather than react.
• Articulate difficult feelings and emotions with greater clarity.
• Lessen high self-demands and unrelenting standards.
• Reduce anxiety, perfectionism, overwhelm, and self-criticism.
• Understand how the brain and nervous system can hijack thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
• Develop self-compassion and emotional resilience.
• Calm the anxious, critical, and judging mind.
• Improve relationships with yourself and others.
• Develop healthy "good enough" boundaries.
• Resource yourself and build resilience during challenging times.
• Create space for healing, growth, and transformation.
• Cultivate more skilful, loving, and authentic relationships.

All Loving Relationships with self and others are an Inside Job First

Before you can love another, you must learn to turn inward and love yourself.Many of us carry different inner voices and parts that judge, criticise, blame, or hide in shame. When these parts remain unheard, we often live in internal conflict that affects our well-being and relationships.

This training helps you learn to manage, navigate and understand these different parts of yourself with compassion, kindness, insight and awareness.So loving relationships are an inside job first! – manage and understand your different voices/parts. Before you can have better relationships and love another, you have to learn to turn inward and know and begin to care for yourself. The many different parts of yourself can come out of hiding and shame, and learn to be listened to, understood, and find a way into cooperation and collaboration.

Healing can begin rather than living in internal conflict.We can pause and step away to gain insight into our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours – this is what this training is for: emotional growth, intelligence, and the freedom to become "our authentic selves".

What You Will Learn

• How to calm the threat, fear and survival response.
• How to work with self-criticism, shame, blame, and anger.
• Greater emotional intelligence and self-awareness.
• Heart-centred communication and connection.
• Skills for navigating difficult emotions and having better relationships.
• Practical mindfulness and compassion practices.
• Health boundaries.
• Psychological safety.
• Good enough friendships and partnerships.
• How to cultivate healthier and more loving relationships.
• Basic neuroscience understanding of how stress and survival responses affect the brain and behaviour.
• Resourcefulness and resilience.
• Life-affirming wishes for well-being and nurture for self and others.

Weekly Practices Include

• Compassionate Body Mind Practice – audio and PDF guidance.
• Mood check-ins, insight and emotional awareness exercises.
• Self-inquiry and reflective journaling
• Mindful movements.
• Communication skills, tools, and practices to manage heightened feelings, anxiety, and stress responses.

Benefits of the Training

Participants often experience :

Greater self-awareness
Reduced self-criticism
Increased emotional regulation
Improved communication
Healthier boundaries
Greater resilience and wellbeing
Enhanced compassion for self and others

More authentic and fulfilling relationships

An Invitation

Healing begins with the relationship you have with yourself. Mindful Compassion for Self & Other - offers practical tools, embodied practices, and compassionate inquiry to help you bridge your inner and outer worlds.By turning inward first, we cultivate the awareness, courage, and compassion needed to transform ourselves, our relationships, and our communities."The relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship in your life."

The trainers -Course Facilitators - Pippa O'Connor and Andi Stapleton

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