Finding Self Compassion In our Everyday Lives
Weekend Retreat with John Douglas
Self-compassion is an essential element of a compassionate life, involving treating ourselves with the same care and understanding we would offer a dear friend. We often find it relatively easy to offer a non-judgmental ear to friends and their problems, but when it comes to ourselves, we feel we don’t deserve the same. Instead of criticizing ourselves for our shortcomings, we can instead offer acceptance and understanding. This compassionate approach is about recognizing the inevitable challenges that everyone – ourselves included – all face.
In this midweek retreat, John will guide you through a profound, experiential progression—moving from healing your relationship with yourself to expanding that kindness out into the world.
Cultivating Deep Self-Compassion: True resilience begins within. You will learn to meet your struggles with genuine warmth rather than judgment.
Through practice, you will learn to:
- Awaken mindful awareness: Stay present to thoughts and emotions without absorbing them as absolute truths.
- Master self-soothing: Use practical tools to calm difficult feelings during moments of stress.
- Quiet the inner critic: Transform harsh self-reproach into a supportive, compassionate response to vulnerability.
Finding Our Common Humanity: As our emotional reservoirs fill, our perspective shifts. Recognizing that imperfection is a shared human experience helps us feel less alone. Self-compassion becomes the vital bridge connecting personal healing to the world around us.
Expanding Compassion to Others: Freeing ourselves from intense self-criticism unlocks our capacity for outward empathy. A secure foundation of self-warmth allows us to show up fully for others—offering them the same non-judgmental presence, deep understanding, and active kindness we give ourselves.
Retreat Format
This experiential workshop balances short presentations, guided meditations, and active small-group discussions.
We hope you’ll join us .
Location
The retreat will be held in the Dzogchen Beara Temple. With expansive views across the bay, the temple is a modern example of a traditional Tibetan monastery, a form of architecture designed to be an inspiring symbol of the Buddha’s teachings for our times.
Meals
Vegetarian lunches and light evening meals are provided. The cost is included in your fee.
Accommodation
Limited accommodation is available on-site and can be viewed and booked as you register. Early booking advised!
You can also choose to stay in local accommodation. There is whole range of options available.
John Douglas
John Douglas first became interested in Buddhist Meditation in 1990 and moved to West Cork in 1994 to become part of the Dzogchen Beara community. As a Senior Meditation Instructor and Spiritual Care Educator, John is one of Dzogchen Beara’s main facilitators on a range of courses and workshops including Facing Loss and Healing Grief, Deep Listening, Self Compassion and Healing Relationships.
John is a Counsellor & Psychotherapist, accredited with the IACP, working in private practice in Castletownbere and in ARC Cancer Support House in Bantry, as well as being part of the care team supporting guests at the Spiritual Care Centre in Dzogchen Beara.
Veronica Nicholson
Veronica first learned to meditate in 1996 when she went on her first retreat to Dzogchen Beara. Since then she has continued studying and practicing in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and completed two one-year closed retreats in Dzogchen Beara in 2004 and 2024. Learning to meditate changed her life and this inspired her to train as a meditation instructor, and since 2001 she has been helping on retreats in Dzogchen Beara and other Rigpa centres around Ireland. Veronica worked as a photographer for nearly 40 years, and currently lives and works in Dzogchen Beara as part of the practice team.