Continuing the spirit of International Self-Compassion Day, CMSC invites you to join us for our free annual Midyear Renewal Retreat.
Renewal: Belonging to Ourselves and Each Other
Saturday, July 25, 2026
8:00-11:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm Pacific
Attend one or both retreat blocks, or join for as many individual practices as you’re able.
Belonging is one of our deepest human needs. We long to feel accepted, connected, and part of something larger than ourselves. Yet during times of stress, loss, change, or uncertainty, that sense of belonging can feel distant and unavailable.
Self-compassion offers a pathway back to belonging—with ourselves and with one another.
Grounded in Mindful Self-Compassion, this retreat day offers a chance to sit in companionable silence, calm your mind, rest in loving-kindness, and reconnect with your sense of belonging. Through practices that cultivate mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness, you’ll be invited to sit with uncertainty and disconnection while also leaning into moments of acceptance, belonging, ease, and joy as they arise. Together, we’ll strengthen our capacity to meet life’s challenges in a welcoming community.
Featuring MSC co-founders Kristin Neff and Chris Germer, along with MSC teachers from around the world, including Susan Gitau (Kenya), Dennis Johnson (Germany), Adrian Wan (Hong Kong), and Anna Friis (New Zealand), with hosts Lisa Baylis (Canada) and Ben Weinstein (Thailand). We’ll explore how self-compassion can help us deepen connection with ourselves, one another, and our shared humanity.
This event is free and open to all. Register today and join us from anywhere in the world.
Not sure you can attend live? Register anyway and you’ll receive free replay access for 7 days after the retreat.
Date & Time
Saturday, July 25, 2026
• 8 am – 11 am PT (Europe/Americas Session) Check your time zone here.
• 4 pm – 7 pm PT (Australasia/Americas Session) Check your time zone here.
Attend one or both retreat blocks, or join for as many individual practices as you’re able.
SCHEDULE
Europe/Americas Session
Morning Sessions • 8:00 am – 11:00 am PT
• 8:00 am — Host Lisa Baylis opens the session and leads a soft landing
• 8:15 am — Kristin Neff: Self-Compassion as a Shift in Perspective
• 9:00 am — Susan Gitau: Belonging as a Path to Healing a Wounded World
• 10:00 am — Dennis Johnson: Moments of Belonging, Just for Now
• 11:00 am — Morning Session closes
Australasia/Americas Session
Evening Sessions • 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT
• 4:00 pm — Host Ben Weinstein opens the session and leads a soft landing
• 4:15 pm — Chris Germer: Caring for Ourselves Is Caring for Others
• 5:00 pm — Adrian Wan: Connecting, Remembering, and Discovering Ourselves Through Self-Compassion
• 6:00 pm — Anna Friis: Breathing Each Other Home: The Physiology of Belonging
• 7:00 pm — Evening Session closes
ABOUT YOUR TEACHERS
Morning Session
Lisa Baylis, MA, has been sharing well-being strategies for 20 years. A natural-born connector, she is a teacher, counselor, speaker, and mother. Lisa authored Self-Compassion for Educators and created the AWE Method (Awakening the Wellbeing for Educators). With a master’s in Counseling Psychology and a bachelor’s in Physical Education, she has taught across British Columbia as a school counselor. Currently, she is Education Director for CMSC, the nonprofit founded by Drs. Kristin Neff and Chris Germer to spread self-compassion worldwide.
Kristin Neff, PhD, is the Co-Founder of CMSC and a pioneering researcher in self-compassion. She conducted the first empirical studies on self-compassion and authored Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. Alongside Dr. Chris Germer, she co-created the Mindful Self-Compassion program and co-authored The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Kristin’s work continues to influence the global self-compassion movement through teaching workshops and her creation of the Self-Compassion Community.
Susan Gitau, PhD, is a counseling psychologist, trauma-healing expert, and founder of Compassion Corps in Kenya. Specializing in trauma counseling, mindfulness, and MSC, she trains therapists and educators to address youth suicide and mental health challenges. She delivers MSC-based programs across Kenya and Rwanda, facilitating workshops and retreats that foster resilience, self-kindness, and community support. Based in Nairobi, Susan integrates self-compassion into schools, village elders centres, and healthcare settings in slum villages, impacting thousands of young people and building a culture of healing and resilience.
Dennis Johnson, MA, is a mindfulness teacher, mentor, and researcher whose work integrates contemplative wisdom, psychology, and trauma-informed care. Trained in MBSR, MSC, Effortless Mindfulness, and transpersonal psychology, he has worked as a counselor in mental health settings and as a research assistant at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Dennis also serves as a translator and international collaborator, helping bring mindfulness-based programs to German-speaking audiences. Drawing from both professional training and personal experiences of transformation and healing, he creates grounded, compassionate spaces for inner growth and connection.
Evening Session
Ben Weinstein, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, lecturer, and trainer serving expatriate and local communities across Southeast Asia since 2003. Ben is a certified MSC teacher and has taught the MSC course to participants from more than 20 countries. He is inspired by the limitless possibilities of integrating mindfulness and tender and fierce self-compassion into the fabric of clinical work in many contexts. He regularly teaches mindfulness and self-compassion in English and Thai for healthcare professionals and therapists across Southeast Asia. One of the original expert faculty for the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy training course, Ben’s current focus is on developing experiential trainings for therapists on fluidly integrating self-compassion into ACT and behavioral therapy.
Chris Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry, part-time, at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010, and together they wrote three books: The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. MSC has been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, and he co-edited two influential volumes on therapy: Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. Dr. Germer lectures and leads workshops internationally, and he has a small psychotherapy practice in Massachusetts, USA.
Adrian Wan, PhD, is a researcher, educator, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher, and self-compassion informed therapist based at The University of Hong Kong. As Hong Kong’s first Certified MSC Teacher, Adrian integrates mindfulness, self-compassion, and evidence-based practice into teaching and clinical work. His work focuses on supporting individuals living with chronic medical or psychiatric conditions, professionals experiencing burnout, and caregivers navigating life transitions and emotional challenges. Adrian has contributed to academic journals and textbooks and regularly presents at conferences in Hong Kong and internationally, helping bridge science, compassion, and everyday life.
Anna Friis, PhD, is a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher and psychologist in private practice in Auckland, New Zealand, specializing in mindfulness and compassion-based therapy. Among the first teachers trained by Drs. Kristin Neff and Chris Germer, she remains closely involved with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and also teaches in CMSC’s Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP) program. Before becoming a psychologist, Anna worked in corporate crisis management, inspiring her research on stress, meditation, and the autonomic nervous system. A lifelong yogini, she finds joy in practice, family, and time with her husband, three adult children, and two utterly adorable grandchildren.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
Confirmation Email & Zoom Link:
After you register, you will see a confirmation notice in your browser. You’ll also receive a confirmation email within minutes after submitting your registration. Please check your promotions or spam folder if you don’t see it.
Two days before the retreat, you’ll receive another email with your Zoom link and important retreat information. Please hold onto that email.
To help ensure you receive our messages, please add circlesofpracticepublic@centerformsc.org and hello@centerformsc.org to your contacts.
REPLAY ACCESS & SUPPORT
Registered participants receive free replay access to all retreat recordings for 7 days after the live event. Please register to receive your replay link by email.
This Midyear Renewal Retreat is offered free of charge and also serves as CMSC’s Midyear Fundraiser. If you’d like to enjoy ad-free, on-demand streaming access to the recordings for one year beyond the free 7-day replay window, or if you’d like to help provide year-long replay access for others with financial need, please see the Scholarships & Support section at the end of this form.
Your support helps make these practices more widely available. Thank you for your interest, your presence, and any support you’re able to offer. We appreciate you.
