When: 1 Oct 2025 - 19 Nov 2025 About: What is Compassion? Compassion is the capacity to be sensitive to the suffering of ourselves and others and the willingness to relieve and prevent it (Paul Gilbert, 2014). It is a capacity inherent in all of us but for many reasons does not always come to flourish. Fortunately, it can be trained, developed and deepened through practice. Compassion is characterised by kindness and receptivity as well as courage and responsibility. Many believe compassion should be directed towards others rather than ourselves but self-compassion is not selfish. Research increasingly shows that self-compassion is – like mindfulness – key to mental health and goes hand in hand with greater openness and empathy towards others. What is Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL)? MBCL is a mindfulness-based programme that supports the development and training of compassion (including self-compassion) to enhance physical, emotional and relational health and well-being. It is grounded in science and integrates the work of Paul Gilbert (Compassion Focused Therapy) and Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer (Mindful Self-Compassion) as well as elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology. The MBCL programme is suitable as an advanced course after having followed a mindfulness training (MBSR, MBCT or equivalent). It is similarly structured and consists of eight weekly sessions of 2.5 hours, offering explicit exercises to nurture compassion for oneself and others. The training can be particularly supportive for people struggling with shame and self-criticism, social isolation, depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain or illness. It was originally developed in a mental health setting but the scope of its application extends much further. It can be helpful to anyone – care-seeker or care-giver – wishing to deepen mindfulness with ‘heartfulness’. What does the online MBCL programme offer? In this online course, participants will experience key features of the eight sessions of the MBCL curriculum, including the main themes and major exercises. Themes include: the evolutionary perspective and multi-layered brain; the three basic emotion regulation systems and the value of training our soothing system; expanding the stress theory with the psychological equivalents of fight, flight, freeze and their antidotes self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness of suffering; tend and befriend; cultivating a compassionate mind and an inner helper rather than an inner bully; overidentifying and disidentifying; Four Friends for Life: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. Practices include: soothing breathing rhythm, compassionate imagery (safe place, compassionate companion, embodying compassion); dealing compassionately with resistance, desire and unhelpful patterns; loving kindness towards ourselves and others; compassionate breathing; a compassionate bodyscan; walking and moving with kindness; compassionate letter writing; practicing sympathetic joy, gratitude, forgiveness and equanimity; informal practices in daily life. During the online course, relevant scientific insights underpinning compassion training will be interwoven in the teaching. Who is it for? Learning Aims: MBCL Teacher Training: Completing this course meets the prerequisite requirements for MBCL Teacher Training. Teacher training seminars are increasingly offered across Europe, either in 2 modules of 3 days or in one residential retreat of 6 days (without translation; 2x4 days or 8 days with translation). Click here for dates of the MBCL Teacher Training in English or other languages. Click here for the 2026 TT organized by the Mindfulness Network with co-founder Frits Koster and Alison Evans. To become an MBCL teacher one should be a certified mindfulness (MBSR or MBCT) teacher. However, many professionals who are not mindfulness teachers can benefit from the seminars to deepen mindfulness-based and compassion focused interventions and enhance their therapeutic skills in individual or group work. About the trainers: Click here to find out more about Erik van den Brink Online information: Online, via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent nearer to the start date. Please check you have the best internet connection possible. Use of an ethernet cable can improve the quality of the connection. Timings: Eight weekly sessions on Wednesday: 5.30 – 8 pm UK time, starting 1st October and ending 19thNovember. Please note All times are UK (GMT). If you are attending from a different time zone, please check equivalent timings in your time zone. Preparation for the event and what you will need: In order to participate in the training, you will need: -A room where you can close the door and engage in the training away from family distraction. It is particularly important that confidentiality is maintained by ensuring that those who are not on the training cannot see your screen or hear the audio. It may be helpful to use headphones. -Log in via a computer which is resting on a hard surface and which has audio and webcam. Please don’t use handheld devices. -A space for practice, a mat, cushion and blanket may be helpful for your comfort. The Zoom meeting link for the whole training will be sent prior to the start date. Workbook: Participants will be requested to buy the MBCL workbook: A practical guide to Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living - Living with Heart by Erik van den Brink & Frits Koster, with Victoria Norton, 2018. London/New York: Routledge. More literature on MBCL: The MBCL programme is also extensively described in Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living: A new training programme to deepen mindfulness with heartfulness by Erik van den Brink & Frits Koster, 2015 London/New York: Routledge. For a concise chapter, see: Our rates: Standard rate – £449 Bursary-assisted places are available on this event until 6 weeks before the event starts, we encourage early applications. If you would like to apply for a bursary-assisted place less than 6 weeks before the start date of the event please get in touch to discuss if an application is possible. When applying for a bursary-assisted place, please first register on the event and select the fee ‘I’m applying for a bursary-assisted place’. Once you have registered for the event you will also need to complete and return a bursary application form. To find out more about our bursary schemes, criteria for bursary applications and to complete the bursary application form please visit: https://home.mindfulness-network.org/bursaries/ Employer’s rate: Recognising the administrative overhead of dealing with employers, there is a £50 surcharge if the employer is paying directly; where possible we would advise applicants to pay themselves and reclaim on expenses to avoid the charge. Application and payment process: Our application and payment process involves the following steps: Payment and cancellation policy: Please read our Terms and Conditions for information regarding payments and cancellations. Contact us: Please email us at retreats@mindfulness-network.org
Where: Online Event
Tutor: Erik van den Brink
Van den Brink, E., & Koster, F. (2021). Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living – Cultivating Relationality with ‘Heartful Mind’ and ‘Mindful Heart’. In: Aristegui, R., Garcia Campayo, J. & Barriga, P. (Eds.) Relational Mindfulness, pp. 123-144. Springer, Cham.
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