Meditation Teacher Training

Facilitated by our expert team of mindfulness trainers and offered in a variety of training progressions, our Meditation Teacher Training pathway has been designed to provide you with the knowledge, hands-on teaching experience and tailored support to run your own meditation courses.

This pathway is both a personal and professional development opportunity.  Not only will you become fully equipped to teach others how to meditate, your own personal practice and understanding of the healing applications for meditation will grow exponentially.

You can automatically download our 2021 Meditation Teacher Training Prospectus to your device by clicking HERE

4-NIGHTS |  1-5 MARCH or 31 MAY-4 JUNE 2021
STARTS 11AM MONDAY  |  FINISHES 2PM FRIDAY

This 5-day meditation teacher training immersion will set you up with a solid foundation for teaching the Yarra Valley Living Centre’s signature style of meditation – Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM).

The 40-hours of face-to-face training includes 30 hours of education sessions, 10 hours of hands on teaching practice (in small groups), plenty of guidance and support from our expert MBSM trainers, and a comprehensive MBSM teaching reference manual.

Course Objectives:

• Become proficient in delivering your own 8-week MBSM courses, with support from a teaching reference manual
• Understand the benefits of Mindfulness meditation for healing, personal development and spirituality
• Learn about the strengths and limitations of the thinking mind and the causes of excessive thinking
• Review the stress response, the relaxation response and their impact on health and healing
• Examine the application of mindfulness to manage emotions like grief, anxiety and depression
• Explore the links between meditation, neuroscience and neuroplasticity
• Experience the importance of ‘stillness’ and ‘spaciousness’
• Receive guidelines for leading intentional, gratitude and loving kindness meditations

A Certificate of Completion will be provided at the conclusion of the course.

Price is per person and includes GST, 4-nights accommodation, comprehensive teaching reference manual and materials, complimentary 12-month Student Membership with the Meditation Association of Australia, delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include transport and purchases from our resource centre. Click here for further information on transport.

A $550 deposit is required at the time of booking to reserve your place, and the remaining balance may be paid in instalments. To pay your deposit and reserve your place in this training, call us during business hours (Monday-Friday) on +61 3 5967 5400 (freecall 1300 651 211 within Australia) or click the Book Now button below. If paying your deposit online, we will be in touch by phone to finalise your room allocation. Until this room allocation has occurred, your deposit is covered by our full refund policy.

4-NIGHTS  |  1-5 NOVEMBER 2021
STARTS 11AM MONDAY  |  FINISHES  2PM FRIDAY

This 5-day extension training immersion has been specifically tailored for our Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) graduates, to deepen and expand their personal and professional MBSM practice, as well as offering a profound developmental journey into the teaching applications of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC).

The 40-hours of face-to-face training includes 30 hours of education sessions, 10 hours of hands on teaching practice (in small groups), tailored guidance and support from our expert MBSM trainers, and periods of time allocated for the practice of noble silence.

Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) Objectives:

• Revision of MBSM – in particular ‘mindfulness of feelings’ and ‘mindfulness of thoughts and stillness’
• De-briefing about your personal meditation practice and teaching experiences
• A deeper understanding of the mechanism of mindfulness
• How MBSM facilitates healing
• Identity – meditation solves the old problem of mistaken identity – “who is meditating?”
• Stress and the nature of suffering – physical, psychological, existential
• What to expect from meditation, and what not to expect. Do expectations help or hinder?
• Focused and unfocused attention in MBSM
• Balancing effort and effortlessness in meditation practice
• Stillness and spaciousness in meditation
• Higher levels of consciousness – moving from separative, dualistic consciousness to unified consciousness
• Using intention and dedication to give structure to meditation
• The fruits of meditation: inner peace and causeless joy
• Mindfulness and non-duality: Advaita Vedanta, Zen and Mahayana
• Meditation and neuroscience – positive neuroplasticity and the default mode network (DMN)

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Objectives:

• To develop proficiency in delivering your own 4-week MSC courses, with support from a teacher’s reference manual
• Learn a range of mindfulness–based meditations and techniques to develop and embed self-compassion, including:
  • Mindfulness of your body
  • Mindfulness of your feelings and emotions i.e. Bringing care and attention to your feelings
  • Mindfulness of your thoughts – which thoughts to cultivate and which thoughts to release
  • Mindfulness of your true nature and your good heart

These mindful self-compassion meditations and techniques will help your students:

• Listen to their needs and give themselves permission to take care of themselves
• Understand that self-fullness is not selfishness
• Learn how to soothe and nurture themselves in a variety of ways
• Bring care and attention to their vulnerable feelings and approach difficult emotions with courage and acceptance
• Notice and experience comfortable feelings (like peace, joy and love) more fully
• Develop healthy resources of emotional intelligence and resilience
• Accept their imperfections (we all have them!)
• Catch themselves being judgmental or self-criticizing and develop self-acceptance

We look forward to welcoming you back for this expansive experience, along with deeply nourishing meals, the warm company of like-minded individuals, and the peaceful, conducive environment of the Yarra Valley Living Centre.

A Certificate of Completion will be provided at the conclusion of the course.

Price is per person and includes GST, 4-nights accommodation, a comprehensive teaching reference manual, complimentary 12-month Provisional Membership or Full Membership with the Meditation Association of Australia (depending on your total training hours), delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include transport and purchases from our resource centre. Click here for further information on transport.

A $550 deposit is required at the time of booking to reserve your place, and the remaining balance may be paid in instalments. To pay your deposit and reserve your place in this training, call us during business hours (Monday-Friday) on +61 3 5967 5400 (freecall 1300 651 211 within Australia) or click the Book Now button below. If paying your deposit online, we will be in touch by phone to finalise your room allocation. Until this room allocation has occurred, your deposit is covered by our full refund policy.

4-NIGHTS  |  7-11 JUNE 2021
STARTS 11AM MONDAY  |  FINISHES 2PM FRIDAY

This 4-night meditation teacher training draws on material from Part 2 of Meditation – An In Depth Guide by Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson, and covers the teaching of ‘Guided Imagery and Contemplation’ techniques.

The 40-hours of face-to-face training includes 30 hours of education sessions, 10 hours of hands on teaching practice (in small groups), plenty of tailored guidance and support from our expert mindfulness trainers, and a comprehensive teaching reference manual.

Course Objectives:

• Become proficient in delivering your own six-week Imagery and Contemplation meditation courses, with support from a teachers reference manual
• Extending your prior training of Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) into: Perception, Limiting beliefs, Mindful Attitudes and Values
• Looking at types of Meditation: Attentional (mindfulness), Intentional (imagery), Enquiry (contemplation)
• From attentional meditation (mindfulness) to intentional meditation(contemplation) using imagery and affirmations
• Study the benefits and goals of Contemplation and Guided imagery for healing, personal development and spirituality
• Understand how the thinking-mind works in terms of the conscious and unconscious and the use of imagery for changing habits and beliefs
• Definitions, Elements and Applications of Imagery
• The use of Guided imagery for healing
• The key components of Imagery – visualization, affirmation, generating feelings
• Teaching Imagery Meditation using specific “scripts” for:  a) Healing, b) “The Temple of Silence”, c) “The Quiet Place”, d) Mindfulness-based Imagery for Pain Management
• Teaching Intentional Meditation using specific “scripts” for cultivating:  a) Gratitude, b) Compassion, and c) Forgiveness
• Appreciate how Contemplation can be used in the “search for meaning” and to gain insight
• Learn how these same contemplation techniques can be used to meet the needs of modern problem solving, increasing creativity and productivity
• Gain an understanding of the strengths and limitations of “positive thinking” and how to manage client safety when teaching contemplation and guided imagery
• We will also look at Mental Health considerations for Meditation Teachers
• Practical aspects of teaching a group and marketing.

Price is per person and includes GST, 4-nights accommodation, a comprehensive teaching reference manual, complimentary 12-month Provisional Membership or Full Membership with the Meditation Association of Australia (depending on your total training hours), delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include transport and purchases from our resource centre. Click here for further information on transport.

A $550 deposit is required at the time of booking to reserve your place, and the remaining balance may be paid in instalments. To pay your deposit and reserve your place in this training, call us during business hours (Monday-Friday) on +61 3 5967 5400 (freecall 1300 651 211 within Australia) or click the Book Now button below. If paying your deposit online, we will be in touch by phone to finalise your room allocation. Until this room allocation has occurred, your deposit is covered by our full refund policy.

Need help choosing the right training pathway for you? Prefer to book over the phone?
Our bookings team are available during business hours Monday-Friday on 1300 651 211 to answer any questions you might have. Alternatively, you can submit an enquiry using the form below (with your preferred call back time), and we will call at a time/day that suits you.