Dear Friends,

As we step into 2026, we want to begin the year by pausing together in gratitude.

The past year has been a beautiful reminder that self-compassion is both a personal practice and a collective one, strengthened by community, shared intention, and mutual care.

We are deeply thankful for your generosity and support during our annual fundraising campaign. Because of you, CMSC can continue advancing our mission to make Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) accessible worldwide. Your contributions directly support scholarships and reduced-cost offerings, ensuring that people from all backgrounds can access these life-changing teachings.

As we look ahead, we're excited for a new year of learning, practice, and connection. We have many offerings on the horizon and hope each one becomes an opportunity for you to deepen your practice, find connection with others walking this path, and discover renewed hope for yourself and the world around you. In times like these, coming together in self-compassion feels more meaningful than ever.

Thank you for being an essential part of the CMSC community and for helping us carry self-compassion forward into 2026 and beyond.

With gratitude and warm wishes,

Elijah Zimmerman, CMSC Executive Director
​

Vielen Dank • Muchas Gracias • Tack så mycket • Veel dank • Merci beaucoup
非常感谢你 • ありがとうございました • Thank you very much
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Highlighting New Insights: How Mindful Self-Compassion Changes the Brain

A recent pilot study published in the Journal of Mood & Anxiety Disorders offers new insight into how an eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program supports emotional well-being. Participants with anxiety or depressive disorders showed meaningful increases in self-compassion and reductions in self-judgment following the program, with especially strong benefits for those with higher levels of childhood trauma.

Brain imaging results suggest these changes are linked to shifts in neural connectivity related to emotional regulation and self-referential processing—providing promising evidence for the neurobiological foundations of self-compassion. This research adds to the growing scientific support for MSC as a powerful, evidence-based approach to mental health and healing.

2025 Year-End Renewal Retreat Soft Landing with Lisa Baylis, CMSC Education Director, Certified MSC Teacher

As we ease into the new year, we invite you to take a few quiet minutes to arrive just as you are. In this short Soft Landing meditation, Lisa Baylis, CMSC Education Director and Certified MSC Teacher, offers a gentle invitation to pause, settle, and soften.

This practice supports a simple transition—from whatever your day has held into a moment of presence. Through small, caring gestures of attention to the body and breath, you’re invited to let go of what you don’t need right now and allow yourself to land with a bit more ease. However you arrive—rested or tired, calm or unsettled—you’re welcome here.

Many people return to this meditation at the start of a workday, in the evening, or anytime a brief reset feels supportive.

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MSC Renewal Core Skills Workshop with Aimee Eckhardt and David Fredrickson

January 23rd & 24th, 2026 | 9:00 am - 4:30 pm PT

As the pace of life continues to pull at our attention and energy, many of us are feeling the need to pause, reconnect, and renew what sustains us. The Renewal Core Skills Workshop offers a supportive space to do just that—by returning to the essential practices of Mindful Self-Compassion.

This experiential workshop is designed for those who want to refresh, deepen, and stabilize their self-compassion practice. Whether you’re returning after some time away or looking to strengthen skills you already use in daily life or professional settings, this workshop offers a gentle and grounding way to renew your practice.

Together, we’ll revisit the core components of self-compassion—mindfulness, common humanity, and kindness—through guided practices, reflection, and gentle inquiry. Rather than striving to “do more,” this workshop emphasis is on restoration and reconnection, meeting yourself with care, just as you are.

In this workshop, you can expect:

• A nourishing review of core MSC practices
• Time to reconnect with your personal self-compassion practice
• Supportive guidance in applying self-compassion to everyday challenges
• A sense of community and shared humanity
• Space to rest, reflect, and renew

This workshop is ideal for:

• Anyone who has previously completed an MSC course or training
• Practitioners and professionals seeking renewal and grounding
• MSC Teachers who want to experience the core practices guided by senior, experienced teachers
• Individuals wanting to reconnect with self-compassion in a gentle, accessible way

Continuing Education (CE) credits are available.

Register by Monday, January 12, and save $100
with early-bird code: RENEWAL100

February 25, Self-Forgiveness Workshop: Steps to Healing Shame with Chris Germer

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 8:00 am - 11:00 am PT

When people think of self-compassion, they often think of self-forgiveness. However, self-compassion is only one step on the path to self-forgiveness. Self-forgiveness is delicate and complicated. We can create the conditions for self-forgiveness to occur, but when self-forgiveness happens, it happens quite on its own.

This 3-hour workshop will consist of talks, exercises, and discussion. Participants will learn the 5 steps to self-forgiveness and have a direct, personal experience of each step. To open the door to practice, participants will also learn some key aspects of the theory and research on self-forgiveness.

In this workshop, you can expect:

• Research summary on self-forgiveness
• Five key steps to self-forgiveness
• The role of self-compassion in self-forgiveness
• The skill of self-forgiveness to alleviate shame in daily life

This workshop is ideal for: Everyone is welcome to attend. Some experience with self-compassion may be helpful.

SC for Shame 5-Day Intensive at Sedona Mago with Chris Germer, David Fredrickson, & Carolina Bautista-Velez

March 22nd - 27th, 2026

Join us in beautiful Sedona for a transformative, in-person intensive version of the 8-week Self-Compassion for Shame program, developed by Dr. Chris Germer and the SC-Shame team. This advanced MSC course offers a compassionate, non-pathological approach to understanding shame—and how self-compassion can be a powerful antidote.

Through teaching, inquiry, and experiential practices, participants explore the personal and cultural roots of shame and learn practical ways to meet shame with care, clarity, and connection in daily life.

Who Should Attend:
​This advanced course is open to those who have completed a full MSC program (8-week MSC, LOMSC, or 5-Day Intensive) and maintain a daily MSC practice.

Early Bird Pricing ends February 22

Questions about eligibility? Contact hello@centerformsc.org

Live Online Mindful Self-Compassion (LOMSC)

Learn the full practices and theories of self-compassion in our 10-week, live online programs! These courses are taught by certified MSC teachers around the world and help you establish a consistent self-compassion practice founded in research and science. You'll learn how self-compassion can lessen anxiety, depression, and stress and improve your relationships, health, and resilience. Join a course today. Courses available monthly. Explore all upcoming LOMSC dates.

Register

Register

Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP) Training Pathway 2026 Applications Open

The SCIP pathway supports psychotherapists in deepening their personal and professional integration of self-compassion through a progressive, experiential process.

Bringing self-compassion to the heart of therapy, SCIP offers training and support for psychotherapists that helps them embody self-compassion in their self-care and integrate it into their clinical practice.

2026 MSC Teacher Training Options

In-Person Training - Canada
​February 7–13, 2026 — Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Live Online Teacher Training (LOTT-28):
Tuesdays, April 7 - June 23, 2026 | 8:00–11:00 am PT

Live Online Teacher Training (LOTT-29):
Wednesdays, July 1 - September 16, 2026 | 4:00–7:00 pm PT

Men’s Circles of Practice Retreat — 3rd Anniversary Gathering

Live Online | January 17, 2026 | 90 minutes

This special Men’s Circles of Practice gathering marks the third anniversary of our Men’s Practice Group. To honor the journey and the community that’s grown over these years, this 90-minute live online retreat will be co-facilitated by all three MSC Teacher Facilitators — Jon Walker, MD, Joel Grow, PhD, and David Teitelman, Circles of Practice Men’s Coordinator.

Together, we’ll create a spacious, grounded circle for practice, reflection, and connection, weaving together different voices and perspectives while staying rooted in mindful self-compassion. This extended session offers time to slow down, practice together, and acknowledge the shared commitment that has carried this men’s community forward. All men are welcome to join us in marking this meaningful milestone. If you are not already registered for the Men’s Circles of Practice sessions, sign up here.

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The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion is an international nonprofit organization that serves over 250,000 people in our global community. We are dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving the collective well-being of the planet through scientifically researched self-compassion training and practice. Our vision is a world where each person matters and everyone belongs. Your donations allow us to share self-compassion training around the world and keep Circles of Practice free to those in need. Thank you in advance for any support you are inspired to donate.