Learning to Be Kind to Yourself: mindfulness and self-compassion for gay men
Details
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course - take a deeper, more sustained exploration of how mindfulness can support mental health, wellbeing, and everyday life.
MBCT offers a practical and compassionate approach to working with stress, anxiety, low mood, and self-critical thinking. Rather than trying to “fix” our thoughts or emotions, the course helps us develop a different relationship with them — one grounded in awareness, kindness, and choice.
This 8-week MBCT course is designed for gay men who want a grounded, practical way to work with stress, anxiety, low mood, self-criticism, or a sense of always having to “hold it together”. Join us in a structured, supportive journey into mindfulness, self-care, and emotional resilience.
Many gay men grow up adapting to environments where it wasn’t always safe to be fully ourselves. Over time, this can shape how we relate to our thoughts, bodies, emotions, and relationships — often leading to vigilance, comparison, shame, or feeling disconnected even when surrounded by others.
This course offers a compassionate, evidence-based way of meeting these patterns with awareness and kindness, rather than self-judgement or self-improvement pressure.
“This course gave me tools to stop being overwhelmed by my thoughts and emotions. It’s the single most impactful thing I’ve done for my mental health.” — Marie
How the course works
We meet in a small, closed group of up to 14 gay men, allowing trust, continuity, and depth to develop over time. Once the course begins, no new members join. The group format is an important part of the learning — many participants find that practising alongside other gay men brings a sense of ease, recognition, and belonging.
Learning unfolds through guided meditation, gentle movement, reflection, and shared inquiry. We learn from the practices, and from one another.
Unlike drop-in mindfulness sessions, this course follows a clear, progressive structure, with each week building on the last. By the end of the eight weeks, you’ll have a personal toolkit of practices you can draw on in everyday life — especially during moments of stress, self-criticism, or emotional overwhelm.
What you’ll explore:
- Becoming more present through the body and senses
- Working skillfully with intrusive or self-critical thoughts
- Developing a kinder, more supportive inner voice
- Turning towards difficulty rather than fighting or avoiding it
- Living more fully in the present moment
- Cultivating steadiness, ease, and emotional resilience
Core practices include:
- Body scan
- Mindfulness of breath and body
- Loving-kindness
- Compassion and self-acceptance
(Many familiar from the Monday group, explored in greater depth.)
Is this course right for you?
This course may be especially supportive if you:
- Feel stressed, anxious, low, or emotionally overwhelmed
- Notice strong self-criticism or pressure to perform
- Want a mindfulness course that feels human, grounded, and relational
- Value practising in a group of other gay men
- Are looking for tools you can actually use in daily life
No previous meditation experience is required.
The course is based on the internationally recognised MBCT programme developed at Oxford University, taught here with a compassion-centred, trauma-aware approach, and paced to support safety and integration. There is no requirement to “share” beyond what feels right for you.
Course dates Spring 2026
Block 1 (Sessions 1–4)
Thu 30 April
Thu 7 May
Thu 14 May
Thu 21 May
Integration break: Thu 28 May (no meeting)
Block 2 (Sessions 5–8)
Thu 4 June
Thu 11 June
Thu 18 June
Thu 25 June
Course dates Autumn 2026
Wednesday 7 October – Wednesday 25 November
(Pre-booking welcome)
Practical details
⏰ Time: 7–9.15pm
📍 Venue: Canary Wharf
🚇 Travel:
• Canary Wharf (Jubilee / Elizabeth Line) — approx. 15-minute walk
• East India DLR — approx. 5-minute walk
✨ Fee: £359 standard / £259 concession