We are pleased to share this announcement from the Center for Mindful Self Compassion newsletter June 19, 2017 regarding Dr. Sogge’s international volunteer work with the Center for Mindful Self Compassion:

“CMSC Retreat Coordinator Appointed

Interest in silent, teacher-led meditation retreats is growing rapidly as more and more people discover the potential for deepening self-compassion and mindfulness practice in such programs. CMSC has recognized this interest and earlier this year we offered the very first CMSC-sponsored MSC retreat at EarthRise Retreat Center in Petaluma, California, led by Certified MSC Teachers David Spound and Beth Sternlieb.

In order for us to continue to offer retreats like this and raise awareness of other retreat opportunities, Certified MSC Teacher Kim Sogge of Ottawa, Canada has volunteered to help us in this effort. Her role will be threefold:

• To develop and support the offering of CMSC-sponsored MSC-based silent retreats around the world
• To enhance and improve the CMSC website pages devoted to retreat practice and resources to find other retreats
• To help develop and disseminate guidelines for MSC-based retreats, by drawing on the considerable experience and wisdom of those who have already offered retreats like this.

Please join me in welcoming Kim to the CMSC team and feel free to reach out to her if you have ideas, recommendations or if you can offer your support in this effort in some way.

Here is a brief note from Kim:

Hello dear friends. I am so honoured to join the Center for Mindful Self Compassion support team as your MSC Retreat Coordinator. My own retreat practice began years ago when I attended a 9 day silent retreat with Shinzen Young on the beautiful Canadian shore of Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada with a fellow psychologist friend. Since that time, I have been drawn to deep dives into the heart, and to resting in the expansive heart of nature; retreat practice in the natural world has been a great resource in the development of my own journey into mindful self compassion. As part of the deep diving I have had the great good luck to train at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in the two year Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Teacher training program, and with Spirit Rock senior teacher Mark Coleman as an Awake in the Wild facilitator, in addition to my professional work as a clinical psychologist and MSC teacher in Canada.

Have you read the values and mission of the Center for Mindful Self Compassion? The CMSC mission and values capture my motivation to serve in this role in the MSC community. We all start our retreat journeys in different ways, and I am excited to work with CMSC to open more doors so more MSC students and teachers can deepen their practice and find support through MSC retreats. Be well, Kim”