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    Kristin Neff

    Kristin Neff, Researcher, author, and pioneer in self-compassion

    Researcher, author, and pioneer in self-compassion

    Kristin Neff, an educational psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, is the researcher who defined self-compassion and wrote the book Self-Compassion (2011), helping bring it into mainstream psychology. Her work translates self-compassion research into practices for resilience, emotional care, and a healthier relationship with yourself. Below you'll find Kristin Neff's self-compassion meditations and teachings shared on Mindfulness Exercises.

    Teacher profile

    Learn what self-compassion is, and practice it with Kristin Neff.

    Her background and her research on self-compassion, with meditations that turn those ideas into practice, and other teachers to explore.

    Read the teacher profilePractice self-compassion
    Move from idea to practicePractice it as she teaches it: the tone you use with yourself, your breath, your posture, and how you respond.Open self-compassion meditationBrowse more teachersMeet other teachers, with their talks, guided meditations, and the practices each is known for.View teachers

    Kristin Neff is a self-compassion researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of Self-Compassion. With Chris Germer, she co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program.

    She studied communications as an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1988).

    She did her graduate work at University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D., 1997), studying moral development with Dr. Elliot Turiel. Her dissertation research was conducted in Mysore, India, where she examined children’s moral reasoning.

    She then spent two years of post-doctoral study with Dr. Susan Harter at the University of Denver, studying issues of authenticity and self-concept development. She joined the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006.

    Kristin Neff’s Mindfulness Meditations

    Self-Compassion Break by Kristin Neff

    Working With Emotions In Your Body

    Noting Your Emotions

    Self Compassion Meditation Script by Kristin Neff

    Loving Kindness Meditation by Kristin Neff

    Compassionate Body Scan

    Affectionate Breathing

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