Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (Review)

The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program is a 2-Year online training program for teaching awareness and compassion based practices.

Have you been thinking about becoming a meditation teacher ?
Have you considered teaching mindfulness practices ?
How do you know when you are ready to teach ?

If you are seeking answers to above questions, then stay with me for five minutes, as I have something important to share with you.

With every passing day, there has been a need for more qualified mindfulness meditation teachers to support the growing popularity of mindfulness, self-compassion, and meditation. By joining this training, you will become part of a worldwide movement of people dedicated to bringing mindfulness meditation to local and global communities and people from all walks of life who are committed to mindful living.

On one hand, learning to share these practices and teachings with others will profoundly deepen your own understanding and direct realization on the path. And on the other hand, there is genuine gratification in being able to support others in their healing, personal growth, and spiritual awakening.

By teaching these practices, you are contributing both to individual well-being and also to the need for greater global consciousness and the healing of our world.

As you read this post, you will understand the curriculum of this 2-year program, the structure of the program and most importantly why you should become a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Before I delve into the details of this program, first let me introduce you to the teachers of this program.

Meet The Teachers

Jack Kornfield, is trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma, and India. Jack has taught meditation worldwide since 1974. He is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practices to the West.

He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is the co founder of the Insight Meditation Society and of Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California.

He has written more than 15 books, including The Wise Heart; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; and more.

Tara Brach is a teacher and practitioner of meditation since 1975, Tara leads workshops and meditation retreats at centers throughout North America and Europe.

She has a PhD in clinical psychology, is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) and the author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge.

Tara’s weekly podcasts of talks and meditations are downloaded over a million times each month.

During the training, you will meet other distinguished and eminent individuals as guest teachers. You will have the opportunity to learn from a range of renowned senior meditation teachers such as Eckhart Tolle, Kristin Neff, Dan Siegel, and many others.

Why Should You Become A Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

Learn & Inspire:

A certification helps you begin a wonderful journey of learning the practices and then teaching it to others. It enables you to achieve your goals and then inspire others to achieve theirs. As you teach others it will deepen your understanding and act as a powerful gateway to attain mastery on your path.

Right Livelihood:

The demand for meditation instruction is increasing and hence there is a need for well-trained mindfulness meditation teachers. By teaching mindfulness meditation you have the potential to contribute in a wholesome way to your own livelihood. There is genuine gratification in being able to support others in their healing, personal growth, and spiritual awakening. By offering these teachings, you can align your way of earning a living with your deepest values.

Community Support:

You need the support of a community in your personal and professional growth. By participating in ATI’s (Awareness Training Institute) teacher training you get an opportunity to learn, network and grow with an international community of like-minded and dedicated practitioners. Being a part of the meditation teacher community helps you in discussing new ideas, opportunities and support each other’s practices & teachings.

Teacher Training Certificate:

With successful completion of this teacher training program, you will receive a certificate from ATI, and their partner, the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. This credential will tell your potential clients that you know what you are doing and will help you in establishing meditation classes, workshops across various organizations or within communities.

What Will You Specifically Learn In This Program

Mindfulness techniques, including: body scans, mindful movement, concentration, inquiry, open awareness, heart meditations.
Skills and confidence in giving talks, conducting individual and small group sessions with students, and responding to questions.
Origins of emotional suffering from a perspective of evolutionary psychology and teachings on understanding how to find deep healing, happiness, and freedom in our lives.
The effects of meditation (research and statistics). Meditations to cultivate forgiveness, compassion, loving kindness, joy, and peace.
How to apply meditation to address physical pain, emotional challenges, trauma, relational difficulties, and interpersonal conflict.
Bringing awareness to movement and engaging with a somatic experience of meditation. Awareness as it relates to our body, feelings, emotions, and states of mind.
Allowing mindfulness and compassion to transform consciousness, leading us to actively engage with healing our earth’s environment as well as social injustice, racism, violence, and other expressions of suffering in our world.
How to design and promote classes and workshops in order to create a community of dedicated learners. How to handle ethical issues in teaching and the student-teacher relationship.

Get Instant Access – Join Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach

What Is The Structure Of The Program

Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach have created this program as primarily an online learning experience so that you can participate from anywhere in the world. During the program, you will engage in:

Weekend Events With Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield:

You get a chance to be physically present with Jack, Tara, special guest faculty and many other fellow students for further learning and connection. This is an integral part of the training. These two live weekend events will be in-person or virtual. These events can be viewed via live stream or replayed if you can’t attend in person.

Online Video & Audio Learning:

You can learn from an in-depth curriculum designed and taught by Tara ans Jack. There are broadcasts with Jack, Tara and special guest faculty presented throughout the program which will support your continued growth and development.

Individual & Group Mentorship:

Mentors are hand-picked by Jack and Tara through an application and review process, and most have trained directly with Jack and Tara to become meditation teachers.

The mentorship program consists of a monthly, 90–110-minute call with a group of 6 students and a highly qualified Mentor to collectively discuss program material and practice exercises together. It is a critical part of your training to become a teacher and will provide you with support and community as you move through the program.

The Mentor Groups meet monthly via Zoom and will cover specific content, curriculum, and skill-building exercises. The Mentor’s role is to support you, in groups and individually, and to provide you with caring feedback to help foster your understanding and growth.

Mentors act as teachers and guides to you throughout the program and will be observing your progress and offering feedback along the way. In your mentoring groups, all students will have to demonstrate core competencies such as skill in giving talks on mindfulness subjects, offering guided meditations, and answering student questions.

All participants receive three 1:1 mentoring calls with their assigned Mentor over the course of the program. Additional 1:1 mentoring can be scheduled through your Mentor but is not included in the curriculum of this program.

Practicum:

During your second year, you will engage in a Practicum where you initiate mindfulness classes in your local area to share and demonstrate your growing skill set. During this time, you will be supported by monthly teachings and broadcasts, monthly mentoring, and Peer Group meetings.

How Much Time You Need To Commit On This Program

Each student will have their own working style, so the amount of time spent on the program will vary from person to person. Each week there will be a 30–45 minute video lesson as well as associated readings and journal entries.

You will also have a monthly mentorship call and a monthly meeting with your practice group that will be 90–120 minutes. The program is designed to give you the depth and experience needed to become a well-trained meditation teacher while also working within your busy schedule.

As with any program of this nature, you will get out of it what you put into it. Based on input from previous cohorts of students, we can estimate up to 2 hours per week plus your monthly mentorship and Peer Group calls.

Are You Qualified For This Program

The basic criteria to apply for this program is love for meditation, a daily practice of meditation and a commitment to serve others. Apart from this there are two prerequisites that you need to complete:

You need to complete an online course “Power of Awareness” taught by Jack & Tara. It is an excellent course which gives you an insight into the type of teaching you will be doing and provides a solid review of essential fundamentals.
You should have attended at least one 6-night residential, silent, mindfulness meditation retreat in the style of Insight, Vipassana or Goenka meditation.

Note: If you have not completed a qualifying silent retreat and are unsure if you will be able to attend a retreat before the program please continue to submit your application. Highly qualified applicants with special circumstances may be accepted upon contingency and given an extension to complete the retreat. Please continue your application and let them know your circumstances.

How To Apply For This Program

You can set up your application account by paying a refundable deposit $50. The deposit is fully refundable if you are not accepted into the program or if you choose not to enroll.
After you pay the deposit, you will have to fill an online application form. If you have not yet completed the program prerequisites, please submit your application anyway.
After submitting the application form, you will be directed to upload a letter of recommendation from a meditation or spiritual teacher or counselor. If you do not have one at the time of submitting application, you can save the application and upload it later.
You will be notified about your status of your application via email within approximately two weeks of submitting your application. Upon acceptance, you will be automatically enrolled through the initiation of your selected payment plan.

Final Thoughts

This is going to be an extraordinary training and experience. By doing your own meditation work and then by helping others do the same, you will be making a significant contribution to the evolution of your own being as well as helping shift the consciousness of humanity to a wiser and more compassionate level.

Sign up today and you will become part of a worldwide movement of people dedicated to bringing mindfulness meditation to local and global communities and people from all walks of life who are committed to mindful living. Post your questions, if you have any regarding this program in comments and wishing you all the very best with this program.