Recently, I attended a workshop hosted by the Center for Women in Enterprise. This is an organization that has been deeply supportive to me as I’ve worked to launch my business. The workshop was called Mindful Self Compassion Training, and boy did I need it! Knowing that I am a mindful coach and educator, you might ask…
Why would you attend something that you likely could teach?
The answer is quite simple, actually.
First, because I don’t know everything – very far from it. And in the spirit of growing myself and lifelong learning, I am always eager to learn from other like minded practitioners.
Secondly, because it is important to show up and support people who are doing this good work.
Additionally, I was drawn to this topic because I have been lax in my practice of mindful self-compassion lately. In short, I’ve been heads down and focused on my work, meaning I have not been as available to my loved ones as I would have liked. There’s a tremendous amount of excitement in launching my business. There’s also quite a bit of guilt when I feel frazzled, time-poor, and not as present with my loved ones as I would like.
The lovely Tosca Braun, who is doing fantastic work on this earth, taught this workshop. Indeed, I’ll admit I get a little intimidated when I see a Ph.D. after someone’s name, but Tosca is as down-to-earth and approachable as she is smart.
Of course, I liked that the workshop started with a meditation, especially since I arrived a few minutes late due to traffic. In addition, the meditation incorporated gentle arm movement, which I appreciated for the somatic experience element. Tosca also explained the basics of mindful self-compassion and the work of Kristin Neff and Chris Germer, who have written the book on it.
I learned that there is a lot of science behind this method developed by some brilliant people. If you take away nothing else, take away this…
“Mindful Self Compassion is treating yourself like you’d treat a beloved friend.”
Think about that and the last time you were kind to a friend. Next, think about the last time you were kind to yourself.
We know that our days are filled with judgments. For instance, we are judging others, but often we are judging ourselves. In my coach training, it was recommended that we start a judgment journal and write down EVERY time we make a judgment. Try it, and let me know how quickly you fill up those pages!
Mindful self-compassion is the purest form of self-care. Someone can charge that the idea of self-care is associated with the privilege of economics and time resources. Only some people can go and get a massage. But, we can engage in these practices. It’s one of the reasons I offer LovingKindness as a style of meditation very often during #MindfulInspirationBreak.
This post barely scratches the surface, but I’ve done my best to highlight the salient points.
Finally, how will you bring Mindful Self Compassion into your life?
Watch this short video to dive deeper into Mindful Self Compassion.
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