**Mindful Compassion** : During the first few weeks we build self-compassion into the core mindfulness practice of settling, grounding, resting and support. We contextualise this practice within the evolutionary model of compassion, that is grounded in neuroscience and psychology.A key insight here is that we are caught in an ‘evolutionary set up’ that is not of our choosing and not our fault. We link this insight to the Mahayana Buddhist metaphor of the ‘lotus in the mud’: how true compassion grows out of the mud of our lives (the disowned, disliked and difficult parts of ourselves).We then begin to cultivate positive emotions as a way of building up an inner resource from which to approach the difficulties that are part and parcel of being alive. We explore building our inner compassionate resource through compassionate imagery and mindful self-compassion practice. **Four Limitless Qualities**: Then we approach the self -critic: that persistent inner voice that is harsh and condemning, and always finding fault in what we do.First, we experience what it feels like to be on the receiving end of its repeated attacks, and then we look behind the critic to what is driving it; and in this way we begin to develop compassion for this part of ourselves. This raises the question – what would it be like to cultivate an inner voice that is kind and supportive, and to live your life from this place, rather than from a place of destructive self- criticism? This is the point where we move from self-compassion towards compassion for others. Although, self-compassion always remains as the foundation of our practice because this is what makes our practice real and allows us to understand what others go through. **Compassion In Action:** It is not enough to learn about compassion or do compassion practices – the crucial thing is how to embody compassion in the way we live, work and relate. Towards the end of the course we look at how to work skilfully with the blocks to compassion a

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