Frits Koster

Frits (born 1957) has practiced vipassana meditation since 1979 and lived for more than five years as a monk in monasteries in Southeast Asia, where he meditated and studied Buddhist psychology. He wrote several books on this subject (Asoka Publishing House) and has years of experience as a retreat facilitator. Frits worked for many years as a mindfulness and compassion trainer at the Centrum Integrale Psychiatrie (CIP) in Groningen and is trained as a trainer in Interpersonal Mindfulness. With Erik van den Brink, Frits developed the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living or MBCL compassion training. They have published two books on this subject, these books are published in various languages and countries. With his partner Jetty Heynekamp and with Victoria Norton, Frits edited ‘Mindful Communication’ (Routledge, 2023) and ‘Going on a Meditation Retreat (Routledge, 2025); together with founder Zohair Elabd, Frits teaches the Deepening Mindfulness & Mindful  Communication or DMMC teacher training programme in various countries. See www.fritskoster.com for more information about Frits.