Mindfulness and meditation are some of the most popular activities in the world right now so it is not surprising that a lot of people around the world want to start teaching mindfulness. If you have ever considered a career change to something that will not only be fulfilling but will allow you to practice daily guided meditation then completing a meditation teacher certification program could be right for you.
Becoming a mindfulness meditation teacher cannot happen overnight, it is important that you source and take part in the correct training and there are many mindfulness meditation teacher certification course out there.
In this article, we are going to be looking at what it takes to become a mindfulness meditation teacher and share with you some of the top meditation teacher certification program options from around the world. So, if you are ready to take the plunge and become a certified meditation teacher, you are in the right place.
What Does A Meditation Teacher Do?
This might seem like a ridiculous question but many people are under the impression that a meditation teacher simply talks their students through a meditation and nothing more. However, there is a lot more teaching meditation and it is about helping your students in integrating mindfulness into their daily life.
Of course, you will provide guided meditations and this might be one to one or in a group setting. But as well as this, your work will involve helping your students to find the best type of meditation for them. This is a varied job and teachers are required to work with their students. What works for one person might not work for another and since all people are different, your job as a qualified mindfulness meditation teacher is to move away from the one-size-fits-all mould and make meditation mindfulness available to everyone.
You will need to teach self compassion and will often work with people who are feeling negative or vulnerable, but may just as frequently work with those who are full of joy. It is important to practice working with others and being able to empathise with their emotions.
A lot of meditation teachers have gone into the practice to make money, and there is a lot to be made, if you do well. But this should never be a reason to do mindfulness teacher training. You should only ever do this type of training and become a certified meditation teacher if you love meditation and want to teach the practice. It will be blindingly obvious to your students if you aren’t fully engaged in what you are doing.
How To Become A Meditation Teacher
It is perfectly legal to start teaching meditation without having taken part in awareness training or obtaining a meditation teacher training program. However, without the proper training, it can be difficult to get started and this will likely have an impact on your business. For this reason, it is important to spend the time looking for the right mindfulness teacher training course.
There are hundreds out there, many of which can be completed online, which is really useful if you would like to work around your daily responsibilities and remain in your current job while you complete the meditation teacher training.
There are many benefits to taking a meditation teacher certification program and having one will give you the head start you need for teaching mindfulness meditation.
- Having a mindfulness meditation teacher certification will let your students know that you are serious about what you do.
- Your mindfulness teacher training certificate will demonstrate that you know a lot about meditation and the mindfulness practice; after all, people are going to be looking for meditation teachers that know what they are talking about. The same would apply if you were looking for a teacher, you would not want to go to someone who you didn’t feel was qualified.
- Many of the mindfulness teacher training online courses offer continued support even after the course has ended so you will always have access to up-to-date information and help when you need it as well as a continuing education so your meditation practice will always stay fresh.
- If you have a well-recognised mindfulness meditation teacher certification from one of the leading mindfulness meditation teachers like Jack Kornfield or Tara Brach, this will show your students that you have invested in the training and that your teaching will be of a high standard.
- You will be gaining a great degree of professional development which is fulfilling for you and something that offers a chance to do something new.
Benefits Of Being A Meditation Teacher
Being a meditation teacher has a whole world of benefits, primarily, you will be doing a job that you love. As we mentioned it is not worth going through the program to become certified if you don’t have a passion for this type of work.
Furthermore, you may have the opportunity to travel the world. There are many successful meditation teachers who speak at various events all over the globe. Universities often have guest teachers and you may be invited to talk at social events, mindfulness conventions and retreats; the possibilities are endless.
As a self-employed meditation teacher, you will have the benefit of being able to choose how you work. Some like to use their professional training to work with people directly and this is great if you love interacting with others. You can set up your own meditation center and begin teaching your own program to either a class of students or one to one sessions.
Alternatively, you might be the type of person who offers online courses and this is great if you want to be able to work from home. You could even offer a combination of the two.
Spending so much time meditating and leading meditation practice will have health benefits. Many health professionals are now recognising the positive effects of a regular meditation practice, so much so that some are even taking training programs themselves to incorporate it into the medical care. Meditation can help immensely where mental health is concerned and this is something that you guide others in, giving you a great sense of job satisfaction.
What To Look For In A Meditation Teaching Training Course
It only takes a quick Google search to yield thousands of results for online mindfulness training or an online course to become a meditation teacher in a week. But, some of these courses might not be what they seem and you could spend a lot of money with very little gain. So before you part with any of your hard-earned cash, it is a good idea to look carefully over the training program to see what you will be getting.
Certification
Believe it or not there are some meditation teacher training courses that do not provide you with a certificate at the end. You may get all of the same mindfulness training but you won’t have anything to show for it at the end so it is important to make sure that the program you would like to take part in does provide authentic certification.
In some cases, you may be required to pay for the certificate and in this instance, it is worth looking at how much this will cost especially when coupled with the fee for the program itself.
Location
There is very little point in taking a mindfulness teacher training program that you cannot access. Many modern courses are now taken online and this is extremely useful, especially for anyone who has other commitments. Often, this type of program will also have no limitations on time. For example, while you may be required to complete a number of hours of training, this can be done over as long or short a period as you would like.
If you have other responsibilities such as a full time job or children then learning is not always easy to fit in but with the advantage of being able to learn in your own time, mindfulness training is far more accessible to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to do it.
That being said, if you wanted to attend a face to face program, there are many around but you must make sure that you are able to attend the all of the mindfulness classes in the program so it is important to find a course that is local. Alternatively, if you plan on attending a residential mindfulness training program, you must make sure that you are available for the specified dates and can get to the location.
Teacher
As we mentioned earlier, it is no good taking a course that is taught by someone who is not qualified. If you are planning on starting up a business teaching meditation then you want to be sure that the training you are being given is accurate, relevant and up to date. It is, unfortunately, all to easy for someone to pose as a knowledgeable teacher only to later reveal that they were not up to the challenge.
Going with reputable mindfulness teachers like those we mentioned earlier; Jack Kornfield or Tara Brach will give you the confidence that you are getting top quality training sessions with people who know what they are doing. Even if you have no physical contact with the teacher but follow their pre-prepared online course, you will know that all of the information is reliable.
Do take some time to speak to a teacher and get to know what it is that they offer. Also, do not be afraid to ask questions about their training; where did they train and with who? Do they have a valid certificate and how long has it been since they took a refresher course? A teacher who in genuine will have no problems answering your questions; after all, they will want you to take their course and will do everything that they can to reassure you that they are the right instructor for you.
Price
There is no getting away from the fact that a meditation training course is not cheap, that being said when you think of it as an investment, it becomes easier to recognise the value. However, you must be able to set yourself a budget and if this means saving to gather the fund together then be sure to do this mindfully.
On average, you can expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars for an online course whereas a residential course may take you into the thousands. However, attending one of these meditation retreats can be quite the experience and if you want something intensive then this is definitely the way to go. However, you should also factor in the cost of travel; a lot of meditation training courses are held in Asia, so you will need to consider the cost of a flight, insurance and any money you might need whilst on the trip as well as accommodation if you plan to stay on once the residential course is over.
It is also worth looking at whether the training course offers a payment plan; quite often you will find that this is the case and this can work well if you need to spread the cost.
Subjects
It is vital that you look at what will be covered in the awareness training because in order to obtain the best knowledge, you will need to take a detailed course. The course website will list everything that you can expect to learn and for some teachers, taking more than one course might be beneficial. This would likely be the case if you wanted to offer more than one service, for example if you wanted to offer both meditation and yoga, you would also take a yoga teacher course.
In addition to what will be covered, you might also look at whether there is any continuing education upon completion of the course. A lot of these courses will offer ongoing support which is vital, especially as you start up your new meditation center.
The Best Meditation Teacher Training Courses
We know that it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack when looking for the right meditation teacher course so we have done the hard work for you and would like to share with you some of the top training courses from around the world.
14 Day Meditation And Mindfulness Teacher Retreat
If you are looking to take part in a residential training then this course is one of the most highly renowned in the world.
It takes place in Cambodia and comprises of 100 hours of training over the course of 14 days. Set in the Himalayas, there are not many programs with a backdrop that is as conducive with mindfulness and meditation practice. Each session will be made up from both ancient meditation knowledge as well as modern scientific explanations, providing you with everything you need to know about the practice to become fully certified.
The main instructor has more than 20 years experience and has been meditating since he was just eight years old. Hailing from India where meditation is an important practice and with knowledge of both secular and spiritual practices, there is nobody more adept for this type of training.
Jack Kornfield And Tara Brach Course
Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach are two of the most highly-respected mindfulness teachers in the world and they are now offering a two year mindfulness based teacher training course that provides you will full certification that will recognised around the world.
With more than 30 years experience, you can feel confident that Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach are more than qualified to get you started on your journey to becoming a fully certified meditation teacher.
If you want to take part in this course, you need to sign up to a waiting list since the course is known to be so fantastic that they get booked up pretty quickly. However, once on the course, you will meet with other like-minded individuals all striving to achieve a deeper knowledge of meditation.
You will learn how to teach a mindfulness practice as well as leaning how to promote self compassion, joy and forgiveness. In addition to this, you will attend a two person session that will allow you to connect with the other students on the course and much more.
When the two years is up, it doesn’t end there, you will receive ongoing support and education and your certification will come from the University of California which can be proudly displayed in your new mindfulness and meditation center.
Udemy Online Course
Udemy is known around the globe for offering detailed and effective courses at very competitive prices. If you need to complete an online course then you won’t find much else that is as accessible as this. The course will allow you to become an accredited meditation practitioner and will cover a variety of topics including several mindfulness practices as well as the benefits of meditation and how you can apply them to the lives of your students.
For learning on the go, you will have access to an audio version of the course as well as several meditation audio templates so that you can get started creating your own mindfulness practices for your clients.
The course was created by a successful meditation instructor who has had more than 70,000 satisfied students to date. Once you pay for the course, you will have lifetime access to both it and the instructor for ongoing support and education.
Teacher Training In Rishikesh
If an online course is not for you then how about heading to the home of meditation, India and taking this 50 hour course? The teaching is set over a period of eight days and takes place at the foot of the Himalayas in the beautiful town of Rishikesh which has long been associated with mindfulness and spiritual practice.
This is a great entry level course that provides you with all the knowledge that you will need to get started including mantras, meditation poses, meditation philosophy, diet and much more. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate and during the program, there is even a complimentary Himalayan excursion so you will get to experience the beautiful surroundings.
Furthermore, there are three meals included each day and seven night’s accommodation with daily sessions including meditation, yoga and breathing. Each session is taught by a leading meditation practitioner and the course employs several teachers including an ayurvedic doctor and several people who have spent years meditating and have many certificates between them.
Centre Of Excellence
The centre of Excellence online meditation teaching course runs over 150 hours and covers ten modules including types of meditation and several advanced concepts. But what is most interesting about this course is that there is a module which covers how to market your meditation business once you have qualified, making this one of the most practical courses out there.
This is a diploma course which will earn you two certificates once completed and can be done over whatever period of time suits you, provided that you complete all 150 hours of the course. You will work from home which is great if you need to fit each session around your life but you will have unlimited access to help and support, even after the program has ended.
This is also an excellent option if you are working to a tight budget but it is worth keeping in mind that one of the certificates will come at an extra cost, although this is very minimal.
Conclusion
If you want to start helping others in integrating mindfulness into their lives then a great way to achieve this is through meditation courses to become a qualified meditation teacher. There are many advantages to this type of work and getting started is not as complicated as you might think.
There are hundreds of training courses both online and face to face and the cost means that starting your new career is more accessible than ever. These are some of the best meditation teaching courses on the planet and will give you everything you will need.
More and more people are wanting to try meditation so there has never been a better time to start training to become a teacher.