Mindfulness training is something every adult needs to get themselves involved with. In our chaotic and information overloaded society, and time of global challenges, the need for mindfulness trainers and qualified teachers is certainly on the rise.
Large corporations employ human resources representatives and, although their main duties don’t include mindfulness training, I foresee this being something included to be implemented in the future for many organizations.
As you will see, many of these trainings and certifications require attending classes in person and some even at the universities themselves. I will show you at the conclusion of this article how to get the right mindfulness skills training course you need and gain enough professional development to become a mindfulness facilitator.
Whether you want to start your own private practice acting as a mindfulness coach to the general public, provide mindfulness programs through an online course, or become a certified mindfulness instructor and seek employment, no matter your training path, you will find it here.
Mindfulness Trainings & Certifications for Mindfulness Leaders
Many of the teaching of mindfulness courses, especially the longer certified teacher courses, are based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBSR teacher training was first introduced by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the school that trained many of the instructors who began teaching mindfulness to interested people early on. The University of Massachusetts Medical School claims that MBSR can help people with:
Stress at work, with family, and finances, anxiety, cancer related symptoms, asthma problems, depression, eating problems, chronic illness and pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, gastro-intestinal (GI) problems, headaches, high blood pressure, grief, heart disease, (PTSD) post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, problems with sleep, and skin disorders.
What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?
MBSR stands for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. It was first developed into an eight-week mindfulness training program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center that was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. Kabat-Zinn initially created it for chronically ill patients who were not responding well to many other traditional treatments available to them. The program is currently used by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide for a broad number of reasons.
MBSR supports a body of research showing that it is effective at addressing some of the most common ailments like chronic pain, anxiety, depression, general stress reduction, and the list mentioned above in this article. MBSR was repeatedly proven to help patients in just eight weeks and sometimes had proven effects up to four years later.
It is a non-religious program and is one of the largest non-religiously based mindfulness meditation programs. Although the roots of mindfulness do come from spiritual teachings, as do all mindfulness meditation programs, it is largely based on proven medical and psychological research. Because of this factual research and non religious perspective, it is open to everyone regardless of any religious belief over another.
What does an MBSR course look like?
These courses comprise weekly group meetings (these are 2.5 hour long classes), a one-day retreat with a seven-hour mindfulness practice, and daily homework (these last about 45 minutes). The course is fairly intense, but many say it’s worth the time commitment for the benefits of their health and wellbeing.
Group discussions are an essential part of this program. MBSR is not meant to be done on its own without a certified instructor. There are certified programs in most U.S. states and in over 30 countries and online programs, so there are many options for those looking to try a session.
During classes, students will develop mindful awareness and their resilience through practicing a variety of mindfulness meditative and movement practices. Included are several types of meditative exercises, such as body scans, sitting meditation, yoga and other forms of gentle mindful movement, and loving kindness meditation.
Mindfulness Training at UCLA and Harvard Universities
The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center Mindfulness Training at UCLA. While many universities offer mindfulness training components, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States offer several mindfulness training options.
This makes these prestigious universities excellent options for anyone who lives in the area that wishes to study mindfulness. The center at UCLA also offers powerful online curriculum versions of their mindfulness classes.
Harvard University Mindfulness Training
Harvard University also offers mindfulness training through its Center for Wellness. Like many mindfulness training programs, they offer an 8-week MBSR course offered during both the fall and spring semesters of the school year.
There is also a half-hour introduction to MBSR offered, though it is currently full and only accepting waitlist registrations. The MBSR course is often taught by a Harvard University Health Services clinician.
Aside from MBSR, they offer a quarterly meditation series called Calming the Mind, Opening the Heart. Information about this series is tough to find. Like UCLA, Harvard also offers daily drop-in meditation sessions for free, with one running in the morning and the other running during midday. These sessions are often taught by a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a registered yoga instructor.
The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center
The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at UCLA in the United States offers several mindfulness training options, both in-person and online. Most of these classes are Mindfulness Awareness Practice (MAPs) classes.
The introductory, in-person MAPs class takes six weeks. This class meets weekly for a duration of two hours. The class includes an overview of mindfulness, mindfulness as it relates to the body and pain, and mindfulness and emotions. Included is also a heavy focus on meditation, enabling students to apply their mindfulness practices in their everyday lives.
Once the introductory class is completed, there are several other classes participants can take, such as a class focused on improving meditation, a class on self-compassion, and a class on finding happiness. All in-person classes (including the introductory and advanced classes) run for six weeks. Please note that continuing education units can be earned for an extra fee.
The center also offers online classes that go on for six weeks but can be completed at your own pace. The introductory MAPs class online is called MAPs 1 for Daily Living and serves as an introduction to mindfulness. There is also a Spanish language option that anyone can also complete the course in.
After taking the introductory class, there is a MAPs II class. It focuses on positive emotions and another MAPs II class focusing on “next steps,” aimed at helping people continue practicing mindfulness in their daily lives.
There is no option to earn continuing education units from online classes, however. Keep in mind the center offers free drop-in meditation classes weekly.
Mindfulness Workshops, Classes, and Degrees
If you’re not ready yet to commit to an 8-week mindfulness course (or longer), there are several shorter mindfulness classes and workshops available out there. For example, London Mindful, Mindfulness London and the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (all of which have been previously discussed here) all offer shorter workshops alongside their longer courses.
Here are some other options for short-term mindfulness workshops.
The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion
The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion in North Carolina in the United States offers a two-day workshop teaching the core skills of mindful self-compassion. You can take the workshop in person or live-streamed online. Conveniently, nurses, psychologists, and social workers can earn continuing education units for completing the workshop but require paying an extra fee.
The workshop focuses on self-compassion and how to practice it in daily life, as well as teaching self-compassion to others.
The Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax
The Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax in Virginia in the United States offers mindfulness workshops on most Saturdays. You can take either all-day workshops (8:45 AM – 4:00 PM) or half-day programs (8:45 AM – 1:30 PM). People who sign up for the all-day workshop can leave midday as one would for the half-day.
Both workshops focus on guided meditation, including walking meditation, but the all-day workshop focuses more on discussing mindfulness, so it is a better option for people who are looking to learn rather than people who are simply looking for a meditation workshop.
The workshops are led by Anh-Huong and Thu Nguyen, who have been practicing Zen mindfulness for over 30 years and first pioneered a mindfulness retreat in the United States nearly 30 years ago, in 1988.
Mindfulness Retreats
There are several mindfulness retreats being offered all around the world. Who knows, maybe you will become a competent teacher of meditation, leading one soon as part of these global communities!
These retreats are a prerequisite for many teaching certification programs, though they can also be attended by people who are simply looking to deepen their own mindfulness practice. These retreats are not for beginners and are meant for people who already practice mindfulness and are looking to take the next step in their own lives.
Shambhala Mountain Center
Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado in the United States offers a 9-day, silent mindfulness retreat. The retreat is led by Janet Solyntjes, who completed MBSR training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has been practicing mind-body disciplines for 40 years, and David Spound, who has been practicing meditation for 40 years and teaching it for 10, who has also completed MBSR training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The retreat’s daily schedule focuses on meditation sessions, though there are also teaching sessions focusing on the core ideals of MBSR. They billed the retreat as “suitable for mindfulness teachers or aspiring teachers,” and it fulfills a prerequisite for the aforementioned Oasis Institute’s teacher certification program.
Mindful Way
Mindful Way is leading a 6-day silent mindfulness retreat in the great state of Florida in the United States. The retreat is conducted by certified MBSR and Dharma Teachers Beth Mulligan and Jon Aaron.
Like the above retreat, this one also meets the Oasis Institute’s prerequisite for mindfulness teacher certification. The retreat focuses on “Mindful Movement” which involves walking meditation, as well as daily talks and interview with the teachers. This retreat also puts a focus on the Buddhist foundations of MBSR.
Motus Mundi
Motus Mundi in Italy hosts a 5-day silent retreat in Rome which also fulfills the Oasis Institute’s requirements for teacher certification. The retreat is called The Way of Silence and of Listening to the Heart. The retreat focuses on the teachings of MBSR, but particularly focuses on “noble silence,” which the program calls a profound condition which. This allows getting in touch with one of the most important human resources which is listening.
The teachers in this retreat are Elana Rosenbaum, who is an adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she works alongside Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of MBSR, and Franco Cucchio, a certified MBSR teacher, also with experience in Buddhism.
Ser Integral
Ser Integral, a mindfulness center in Portugal, hosts a mindfulness meditation retreat called Art of Silence. It is a 6-day retreat that meets the Oasis Institute’s prerequisite for teacher certification. This center stresses that the retreat is secular and non-religious and that they present instructions in English.
Usage of phones and computers is not allowed during the retreat in order to support the context of silence that the retreat cultivates as an attribute. The focus areas of the retreat include theoretical teachings, mindfulness meditation practices, and mindful yoga. The retreat is conducted by Paul Burrows, who has extensive experience with retreats focusing on Buddhist traditions. All meals at this retreat are vegetarian.
The Gaia House
The Gaia House, a center focusing on “insight meditation in the Buddhist tradition” offers several retreats of varying lengths. One retreat is called Cultivating Clarity and Compassion, which runs for 5 days.
The retreat is led by Alan Lewis, an ex-Theravadin Buddhist monk. This retreat focuses on sitting and walking meditation, and believes that attendees will come out of it with greater compassion, both for themselves and others.
While not everyone is comfortable with the commercial and clinical idealisms of mindfulness teaching as a profession, almost all teachers and leaders recognize the importance of dependable standards throughout.
Taking on the responsibility of counseling people about their minds takes on the highest level of responsibility possible. There are apps for studying mindfulness these days too, but here I am going to make available to you one of the best approaches you can take to become one of a small group of qualified mindfulness meditation teachers.
Conclusion:
Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher Training Online
The Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate enables individuals to become qualified meditation and mindfulness instructors.
It is a highly practical course that has been designed to offer you the knowledge and experience you need to be a competent teacher of meditation and mindfulness.
The course is ideal for coaches, teachers and other educators, nurses, therapists, yoga teachers, clinical psychologists, human resources representatives, social workers, and anyone else who works with people and would like to expand their practice or career to include meditation teaching, theory, and exercises.
They offered the training as part of the School of Positive Transformation, which is a fully certified academic institution. The course is led by Dr. Itai Ivtzan, who is a leading positive psychologist and mindfulness teacher.
Once you have completed the training, you will receive a formal certificate showing you are a certified meditation and mindfulness teacher. They offer the training with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Click the link for full information and enrollment HERE>>
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