Great question! 

This program is for:

• recovering perfectionists and over-functioners looking for a more creative and sustainable way to meet the uncertainty of everyday life
• someone who's tired of doing all the right things but still struggling to be kind to yourself in everyday life
• someone who is open to new and creative possibilities, and willing to experiment
• someone who will commit time each day to practicing self-compassion

This program is not for:

• someone looking for an overnight change
• someone who wants to be fixed (You aren't broken, so you don't need to be fixed.)
• someone who's unwilling to be a beginner. Learning to be kind to ourselves isn’t graceful ~ sometimes things may get a little awkward and uncomfortable. That’s how it is when we’re learning to accept our real human selves.

You do not have to be a "real artist" to enjoy art journaling. These practices are very simple! Essentially, if you know how to write, you have the skills you need to be successful. I break down each drawing in a simple way. You will follow along with me as I demonstrate on an overhead camera, so you will know exactly what to do!

While the art we create through art journaling may be beautiful, meaningful and healing, it is not the same as fine art. I will encourage you to keep what you create simple so that you are more connected to your process, your heart, and your younger self ~ the one who drew and painted in an intuitive and untrained way. The one who ~ somewhere along the way ~ likely learned to criticize themself for not getting it right. At first glance, art journaling may seem "juvenile" or basic, but the whole point is to free yourself up to create something on the page that is healing and just for you. There will be no critiques of your technique or anyone else's. And you are always welcome to adapt any of the practices if there's a different way you'd like to do it! The most important thing is that you learn to listen to and trust yourself as the expert on what you most deeply need.

Yes, I will record our classes and retreat, and those recordings will only be available to members of your cohort. Alumni from previous cohorts will not have access to these recordings.

You don't need any previous experience with mindfulness or meditation to enroll in and benefit from Everyday Self-Compassion. Most of the meditations will be guided, and Lea will offer instruction.

No, Everyday Self-Compassion is a nurturing self-compassion training program, not therapy. We focus on cultivating emotional skills and creativity, in a gentle way. Growth and positive change occur organically as we develop and deepen the capacity to be present and responsive with ourselves. We focus on being in the moment in a compassionate, creative and joyful way.

I taught MSC for several years and love the program. At the same time, I had a lot of other things I wanted to teach regarding self-compassion and I felt like I had to only teach the MSC curriculum if people were signing up for MSC. So, in Everyday Self-Compassion I get to share what feels more comprehensive to me ~ in terms of how I practice, teach and understand self-compassion. That means that I integrate art journaling and creative practices throughout; I focus on the importance of coming into a more accepting relationship with uncertainty; I put a lot of emphasis on the community connections; we spend time in understanding the connection between feelings, needs and boundaries; and I share my unique understanding of the inner critic and how to work with it. My framework is different, too. I do incorporate and/or adapt some practices from MSC (with the blessing of the Center for MSC and with attribution that this is where they come from). 

Class is in a Zoom meeting format, so we can all see and interact with each other on video. I want the time together to be as interactive as possible, so I have everyone watch a brief (most are no more than 15 minutes) video before we meet each week. This way, the theme has already been explained and explored a bit before our live time together. We usually start each class with a meditation, and then we check in together. Often I suggest a one-word check-in, just so we can hear from everyone. If anyone wants to check in more or ask any questions, there’s time for that. Then we go into more depth on the theme and there’s time for questions and discussion. We have a break at the half-way point, and then we do an art journaling practice and sometimes have discussion in breakout rooms, as well as discussion/Q&A as a larger group. We close with a review, suggested home practices for the week, and a poem. ❤️

Yes, each week there will be a video and reflection to complete before class. These conceptual foundations will help you make the most of our live online classes, where you'll have space and time to ask questions, process the material, and share meditations, exercises, community discussion and connecting in small groups. You'll also have home practices each week, including meditations, reflections and art journaling.

There are some best practices for balancing our needs for connection and our need to rest our eyes ~ because Zoom fatigue is real. My request is that we each avoid multitasking during class and do our best to be fully present. We will have a 10-minute break in the middle of each class meeting, and if you ever need a break, you're welcome to take one. Students are also invited to turn off their cameras when we're meditating or doing an exercise where we keep our eyes closed, as many folks feel safer knowing that they will not be observed at those times. We also can help each other by having a simple, neutral background, if possible, to reduce the amount of information we each are visually processing.

Each week, we have a two-hour class, and I recommend attending class live if at all possible.  I recommend that you practice 30 minutes each day, and I will share a menu of possible practices to try in between classes. These are soothing and fun practices that you will likely want to do! That said, students have shared that even when they did the bare minimum of attending class, they were surprised by how much kinder they were to themselves.  ❤️

You will need simple supplies that you can easily find in an art store or online:

• watercolor set
• waterproof black pen
• spiral-bound mixed media or watercolor pad

I will share a suggested materials list when you register.