About us
Welcome! 🌿
This is a group for anyone who is kind to everyone — except themselves.
If you're tired but can't let yourself rest, if the voice saying "I should be doing more" never switches off, or if you simply long to feel "I'm enough, just as I am" — you're in the right place. You don't need any meditation experience. You just need a little curiosity.
What we do
- Morning Self-Compassion Practice — Tuesdays, 08:35–08:50 (Amsterdam time). Free, 15 minutes, live online.
- Your first step to self-compassion — one Saturday a month, 10:00–11:00 (Amsterdam time). Free, online.
- Between sessions, I write about all this at Self-Compassion Across Borders — short reflections and five-minute practices.
What is self-compassion?
Simply put: treating yourself the way you would treat a good friend. It's the foundation of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), the evidence-based program developed by Dr. Kristin Neff and Dr. Christopher Germer. Research shows it quiets self-criticism, eases stress and anxiety, and even strengthens motivation — kindness works better than pressure.
👉learn more about self-compassion
Your host
I'm Hiroe Takeuchi, an MSC Certified Teacher (Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, USA). Born in China, raised in Japan, and living in the Netherlands for over 11 years, I kept crossing borders believing the next place would finally bring fulfillment — until I discovered that belonging isn't found in a place, but within. I've practiced self-compassion with more than 1,000 people, and I teach it because I've walked this path myself.
👉About Hiroe
Everyone is welcome — wherever you're from, and whatever brings you here. Join the group to hear about upcoming sessions, and come exactly as you are. 🌿
Upcoming events
19
Morning Self-Compassion Practice
·OnlineOnlineStart your day by being kind to yourself
— 20 minutes of guided self-compassion meditation.This is a free, live online session held every Tuesday and
Thursday at 8:35 AM (Amsterdam time).- No experience needed
—join from wherever you are, before you open your laptop.
- Camera on is welcome
— it helps cultivate the felt sense of warmth and safety within, the essence of self-compassion
— though sometimes it isn't possible, and that's okay too.Led by Hiroe Takeuchi,
Certified Teacher with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC).
👉About Hiroe: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/about-hiroe/🌱What is self-compassion? https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/what-is-self-compassion/
- This session is free.
If you'd like to support it, a small voluntary contribution is welcome: [Self-compassion meditation]
- Zoom link visible to attendees after RSVP.
- Want to go deeper? I also host a monthly Saturday morning session,
"The Psychology of Being Kind to Yourself" — see the group's
upcoming events.2 attendees
Morning Self-Compassion Practice
·OnlineOnlineStart your day by being kind to yourself
— 15 minutes of guided self-compassion meditation.This is a free, live online session held every Tuesday and
Thursday at 8:35 AM (Amsterdam time).- No experience needed
—join from wherever you are, before you open your laptop.
- Camera on is welcome
— it helps cultivate the felt sense of warmth and safety within, the essence of self-compassion
— though sometimes it isn't possible, and that's okay too.Led by Hiroe Takeuchi,
Certified Teacher with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC).
👉About Hiroe: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/about-hiroe/🌱What is self-compassion? https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/what-is-self-compassion/
- This session is free.
If you'd like to support it, a small voluntary contribution is welcome: [Self-compassion meditation]
- Zoom link visible to attendees after RSVP.
- Want to go deeper? I also host a monthly Saturday morning session,
"The Psychology of Being Kind to Yourself" — see the group's
upcoming events.1 attendeeMorning Self-Compassion Practice
·OnlineOnlineStart your day by being kind to yourself
— 15 minutes of guided self-compassion meditation.This is a free, live online session held every Tuesday and
Thursday at 8:35 AM (Amsterdam time).- No experience needed
—join from wherever you are, before you open your laptop.
- Camera on is welcome
— it helps cultivate the felt sense of warmth and safety within, the essence of self-compassion
— though sometimes it isn't possible, and that's okay too.Led by Hiroe Takeuchi,
Certified Teacher with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC).
👉About Hiroe: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/about-hiroe/🌱What is self-compassion? https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/what-is-self-compassion/
- This session is free.
If you'd like to support it, a small voluntary contribution is welcome: [Self-compassion meditation]
- Zoom link visible to attendees after RSVP.
- Want to go deeper? I also host a monthly Saturday morning session,
"The Psychology of Being Kind to Yourself" — see the group's
upcoming events.1 attendee
Your First Step to Self-Compassion: Becoming Your Own Best Friend
·OnlineOnline🌿 A free online introduction to self-compassion
· No experience needed
· Just come and see what it's about***
You already know how to switch off your phone.
But what about the noise that doesn't come from a screen — the voice in your head telling you to do more and do better? More achievement, more sport, more social life, more personal development. Faster. Calmer. A better person.Maybe you've moved cities, changed jobs, started new projects to answer that voice — hoping that in the next place, the next project, the next day, it would finally go quiet.
It didn't.
Because the noise doesn't come from a place
— it comes from within.And that's exactly where the answer is, too:
a kinder voice inside
— the one most of us never learned to use on ourselves.***
🌱 What is self-compassion?
Picture a close friend going through a hard time. You'd probably say something like, "That sounds really tough. You're doing the best you can." Warm. Understanding. No judgment.
Now think back to the last time you struggled with something. What did you say to yourself?
For most of us, it's a very different voice.
Self-compassion is learning to offer yourself the same warmth you already give to others. Dr. Kristin Neff, who pioneered the research, describes it as three elements: kindness toward yourself, remembering that struggle is part of being human, and being present with what you feel. It isn't therapy, it isn't "positive thinking," and it doesn't mean lowering your standards. It simply means treating yourself as someone worth being kind to.▶ What is self-compassion? — full explanation on my website: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/what-is-self-compassion/
***
📘 What this session includes
- A short meditation to arrive, and a round of introductions
- What self-compassion is and what the research says
- Two guided practices you can start using in your daily life
- Sharing
- A look at what going deeper could look like — Mindful Self-Compassion MSC 6 week Short Course starting February 2027
- Time for your questions
***
👥 This might be for you if...
- You're kind to everyone except yourself
- You're tired of constantly pushing through
- You want inner peace, but that inner voice never stops
- You've tried "just think positive," and it didn't really stick
- You've heard of self-compassion but never actually tried it
- You'd like to see whether this approach is worth your time before committing to anything
No experience needed. No background in psychology or meditation. Just come curious.
***
🌿 What is Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)?
Mindfulness (awareness) × Self-Compassion (kindness)Self-compassion is the what.
MSC is the how.MSC is a psychological education programme developed by Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), the pioneering researcher on self-compassion, and Dr. Christopher Germer (Harvard Medical School), a clinical psychologist specialising in mindfulness- and compassion-based psychotherapy. It's grounded in research from psychology and neuroscience. Rather than explaining self-compassion as an idea, it trains it as a skill — through guided practices you can use in everyday life — so that, over time, you can actually support yourself in hard moments.
MSC is now taught in more than 20 countries, with over 300,000 participants since 2010.🧠 What the research shows
MSC isn't a programme that simply "sounds nice." Its effects have been tested in psychological and neuroscientific research.
In a study by the programme's developers, participants who completed the 8-week MSC course showed statistically significant improvements compared with a control group (Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2013), including:- Less self-criticism, more self-compassion
- Lower anxiety, depression and stress
- Greater happiness and life satisfaction
- A stronger sense of connection with others
And the gains didn't fade: they were still present at the six-month and one-year follow-ups.
***
💬 What past participants have said
"Even though it was my first time, I felt completely at ease — and I was able to meet myself with self-compassion." — Participant, free session
"Hiroe didn't just teach — she listened and offered what we needed. I felt very safe." — Participant, free session
***
🧑🏫 About your host
I'm Hiroe — a Certified Teacher with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), the U.S.-based organisation behind this programme, developed by Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer. I've guided more than 1,000 participants through this work.Born in China, raised in Japan, and living in the Netherlands for over eleven years, I spent most of my adult life believing that if I just worked a little harder — in my corporate career in Tokyo and Amsterdam, as a parent, as someone constantly adapting to new places — the "not enough" feeling would finally go away.
It never did.
No matter how much I did, it was never quite enough. So I kept going, kept putting everyone else first, kept telling myself I'd rest "later."
What changed wasn't one big moment.
It was learning, slowly, that I could be imperfect and still be okay. That noticing a hard feeling — instead of pushing past it — was allowed. That I could speak to myself the way I'd speak to someone I love. That shift, from outside noise to inside quiet, is what I'd like to share with you in this hour.
Self-compassion was never about becoming perfect. Perfectionism still visits me, the longing to belong to one place still surfaces now and then, and three young children keep life joyfully imperfect. The difference now is that I know how to be on my own side when things get hard — and that's exactly what I help others learn. I no longer need to be "finished" to be at peace with who I am, and I live more freely, and more as myself, than ever before.
If you recognise yourself in any of this, I'd love to walk alongside you — starting with this one hour.
Website: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/
More about me: https://www.selfcompassionwithhiroe.com/en/about-hiroe/***
📌 Session details
📅 Saturday, 21 November, 2026 · 10:00–11:00 CEST (Amsterdam time) (+ an optional 15 minutes for questions and next steps)
📍 Online (Zoom) — you will be able to access to the link after you RSVP
💶 Free.
🪑 Kept small and intimate on purpose***
✨ On connection, and why cameras help
This session isn't information delivered from a screen — it's built around actually feeling less alone in this. Being able to see each other, even quietly, tends to bring a sense of "I'm not the only one," and that's a real part of what makes it work.
If it’s hard today, that’s OK: you’re still welcome, and you can turn it on just for the sharing part if you like.❓ A few things you might be wondering
Q. Is this really free? A. Yes, completely. Nothing will be sold to you during the session.
Q. I've never tried self-compassion before. Is that okay? A. Absolutely. This is designed for complete beginners. Curiosity is reason enough to come.
Q. I've never meditated. Can I join? Yes. This hour is made for complete beginners. The meditation is short and guided, step by step.
Q. Do I have to talk? No. Sharing is always optional. You're welcome to listen. Many people do, and then find they want to say something after all.
Q. Can I just come to this, and nothing more? Of course. Come once, see what it's like, and that's it. There's no obligation and no follow-up pressure.
Q. Can I join from anywhere? A. Yes. It's fully online via Zoom, so join from wherever you are.
Q. Is this a one-off, or will there be more? A. I plan to host this regularly. If this date doesn't work, you're welcome to follow the group for the next one.***
🔜 What's next, if you'd like to go further
For those who want to make self-compassion a skill they can rely on, there is a 6-week online course, "Becoming Your Own Best Friend", starting Saturday 6 February 2027.
Six Saturday mornings, a small group, and a practice you can use for life.
The super early price (€315) runs until 20 December.
👉Check details here.🌱 Begin gently
The answer you've been looking for isn't in the next place. It's within. You don't have to be ready. Just come as you are.
I look forward to meeting you.
Hiroe3 attendees
Past events
12
