Learn to teach meditation

Whether you want to integrate meditation into your yoga classes or teach stand-alone meditation sessions, this exciting course will show you how to facilitate meditation classes, workshops and retreats. The demand for meditation teachers is increasing rapidly as more and more studies demonstrate the power of meditation as a tool for wellbeing, achieving peak performance and healing. From high performance executive coaching to teaching in schools to working with students with chronic health problems, meditation facilitator training will prepare you to meet the growing interest in meditation as a life enhancing and healing modality. Of course, this training will also enhance your own understanding and practice of meditation.

Grounded in the traditional meditation techniques of classical yoga, the Meditation Facilitator Certificate will equip you with the skills and confidence to share meditation with your clients, students and the wider community. Over eight weeks of face to face training and home study, you will learn the theory and practice of meditation, including:

• The neuroscience of meditation
• How to teach a variety of meditation techniques including mindfulness, japa (mantra), walking and metta (loving kindness) meditation.
• Meditation in the context of classical yoga
• How to prepare for an effective meditation practice
• Movement and breathing techniques to support mediation practice
• Skills to work therapeutically with special needs populations, including pain management, working with kids and teens, end of life care, stress management and neuro-degenerative diseases (Alzheimers, Parkinson’s etc)

Each of the eight weekly sessions runs for 3 hours and contains both theory and practical elements. Participants will also be required to undertake 16hrs of self study, including course work and assessments.

Pre-Requisites

This course is open to all certified yoga teachers and non-teachers who have a minimum 12 months personal practice of meditation. This course is suitable for practitioners of all styles of meditation.

Professional Development

This course counts for 24 core contact hours and 16 non-contact hours of Continued Professional Development with Yoga Australia and Yoga Alliance for certified yoga teachers.

Who's going?

This course is ideal for RYT200 teachers who want to dive into the practice of meditation. It's also suitable for anybody who would like to facilitate meditation classes and has a regular personal meditation practice. 

Get to Know Your Teacher

8 Week Meditation Facilitator Certificate Curriculum: 

Week 1: 

Week one offers an fascinating introduction to the philosophy of meditation. We will be exploring the practice of meditation through the lens of classical texts such as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita to gain a broad insight into the practice, purpose and experience of meditation.

Week 2:

Eastern Traditions-Western Mind: This week we will be examining the philosophical underpinnings of meditation through an exploration of East-West psychology. Why did Eastern psychology give rise to the rich traditions of meditation and how does it differ western approach to mental health? How do we integrate our understanding of both eastern and western psychology?

Week 3: 

The Nature of the Mind: What is the mind? What does it do and what are it's functions? This week we will be learning the classical yoga perspective on the nature of the mind itself.  

Week 4: 

Mindfulness:  What is mindfulness, what is the best way to prepare for an effective practice and how can we take mindfulness off the mat and into daily life? This week we will explore the many benefits of mindfulness and how to integrate it into everyday life.

Week 5:

Body & Mind: How are the body and mind connected? How does the body influence the mind and vice versa? Can we even separate the two? Drawing on ancient traditions and modern neuroscience, we will be exploring how to integrate both body and mind in our meditation practice. 

Week 6:

Energy Flow: This week we will be discovering meditation in the context of the human energetic system. We will be looking at the yoga concepts of Prana (life force energy), Nadis (energy channels) and Chakras (physical energy centres). You'll learn how to harness and channel energy in ways that prepare for and enhance the experience of meditation.

Week 7: 

Breath and Meditation: Learn about the role of breathing in mental health and explore the links between the breath and meditation. This week's session includes training in key yoga breathing techniques (Pranayama).

Week 8: 

Relaxation and Meditation: Relaxation plays a crucial role in the preparation for and practice of meditation. In this final session, we will be exploring relaxation techniques that prepare for and enhance meditation, including Yoga Nidra/iRest, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided relaxation.