Meditation Teacher Training in the Yarra Valley, Victoria

Facilitated by our expert team of mindfulness trainers,  and currently offered over three separate training immersions, our meditation teacher training pathway is designed to provide you with the knowledge, experience and support to run your own meditation courses.

The first two trainings can be studied singularly, or in any order. However, trainees need to have completed the first Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) course in order to study Extended MBSM.

Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) graduates leave with the skills to be able to facilitate an 8-week mindfulness-based stillness meditation (MBSM) course.

Imagery and Contemplation graduates leave with the skills to be able to facilitate a six-week Imagery and Contemplation course.

Extended MBSM is a follow-up course, specifically tailored to help graduates of our Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation training to deepen and expand their own practice of as well as teaching this style of meditation.

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Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM)

  • 4 nights
  • Monday 5 November – Friday 9 November 2018
  • Facilitated by mindfulness experts Paul Bedson, Maia Bedson and Daniel Cerny

This 4-night meditation teacher training retreat will enable you to deliver an eight-week mindfulness-based stillness meditation course from a facilitator’s manual.  The course manual is included in the course fees.

The only entry criteria is your own established meditation practice.

A Certificate of Completion confirming you have completed 40 hours of face to face training, will also be provided at the conclusion of the course.

Topics Covered:

  • Practice teaching and leading mindfulness based stillness meditation.
  • Study the benefits of Mindfulness meditation for healing, personal development and spirituality.
  • Gain an understanding of 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.
  • Receive guidelines for leading meditation using intention, gratitude and loving kindness.
  • Examine the application of mindfulness to emotions like grief, anxiety and depression.
  • Learn about the links between meditation, neuroscience and neuroplasticity.
  • Experience the importance of ‘stillness’ and ‘spaciousness’.

This is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your own meditation practice and become fully trained to help others learn to meditate.

“I particularly benefited from the time spent in practice, from the compassion and knowledge shared by Paul, and also from his availability and openness… my understanding of meditation is now so much more complete.” – Marion, Meditation Teacher Training  Graduate, March 2016.

Pricing:

Price starts from $1,990 per person (including GST), depending on your choice of accommodation; and covers all elements of the program, including delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include transport and purchases from our resource centre.

Please note: members receive 5% discount on second and subsequent retreat bookings.

Speak to a Consultant
Submit Online Enquiry
Email Your Questions

Imagery & Contemplation

  • 4 nights
  • Monday 8 October – Friday 12 October 2018
  • Facilitated by mindfulness experts Paul Bedson, Maia Bedson and Daniel Cerny

This 4-night meditation teacher training immersion, offers extended learning on Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation before moving into the teaching of ‘Imagery and Contemplation’ meditation techniques.

It will enable you to deliver a six-week Imagery and Contemplation meditation course, from a facilitator’s manual. Course manuals are included in the course fees. This training will draw on the material from Part 2 of “Meditation – An In Depth Guide” by Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson.

Learning Objectives:

  • Connecting the content from our first two trainings
  • Looking at types of Meditation: Attentional (mindfulness), Intentional (imagery), Enquiry (contemplation)
  • Extending your prior training of Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation into: -Perception, Limiting beliefs, Mindful attitudes and values
  • Exploring the practice of RAIN as a model of self-compassion: Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nourish
  • From attentional meditation (mindfulness) to intentional meditation (meditation using imagery and affirmations.
  • Definitions, Elements and Applications of Imagery
  • Practice in teaching and leading Contemplation & Guided Imagery
  • Study the benefits and goals of Contemplation and Guided imagery for healing, personal development and spirituality.
  • An understanding of how the thinking-mind works in terms of the conscious and unconscious and the use of imagery for changing habits and beliefs.
  • The use of Guided imagery for healing.
  • The key components of Imagery – visualization, affirmation, generating feelings
  • You will deliver specific imagery meditation “scripts” for:  a) Healing Imagery  b) “The Temple of Silence” Imagery  c) “The Quiet place” Imagery  d) Mindfulness-based Imagery for Pain Management
  • Meditation using intention – you will deliver 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.

Pricing:

Price starts from $1,990 per person (including GST), depending on your choice of accommodation; and covers all elements of the program, including delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include transport and purchases from our resource centre.

Please note: members receive 5% discount on second and subsequent retreat bookings.

Speak to a Consultant
Submit Online Enquiry
Email Your Questions

Extended MBSM

  • 3 nights
  • Thursday 4 October – Sun 7 October 2018
  • Facilitated by mindfulness experts Paul Bedson, Maia Bedson and Daniel Cerny

We’re very pleased to announce that we have extended our Meditation Teacher Training pathway to include this follow up course, which has been developed exclusively for the graduates of our Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) teacher training course.

Facilitated by Paul and Maia Bedson, this follow up has been specifically tailored for our Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) graduates, to deepen and expand their personal MBSM practice, as well as their competencies in teaching this style of meditation.

This training includes 30 hours of face-to-face training, broken down into the following areas of focus:

  • Revision of MBSM – ‘mindfulness of feelings’ and ‘mindfulness of thoughts and stillness’ in particular
  • Small group sessions for meditation teaching practice
  • De-briefing about your personal meditation practice and teaching experiences
  • Periods to practice noble silence within the group setting

Extended MBSM Topics:

  • Meditation and neuroscience – positive neuroplasticity and the default mode network (DMN)
  • 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 Mahayan
  • Paul and Maia look forward to sharing 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.

Pricing:

Price starts from $990 per person (including GST), depending on your choice of accommodation; and covers all elements of the program, including delicious plant-based wholefood meals, snacks, freshly squeezed juices, teas and dandelion coffee. Optional extras include body therapy sessions during your stay, transport, and purchases from our resource centre.

Please note: financial members receive 5% discount on second and subsequent retreat bookings.

Speak to a Consultant
Submit Online Enquiry
Email Your Questions

Accreditation

Completing both our Mindfulness-based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) and Imagery and Contemplation training meets the training criteria for a provisional membership, and completing all three satisfies the training criteria (110 hours of training) for full membership with the peak meditation teacher’s professional body, Meditation Association of Australia (formally ATMA).

Meditation Teacher Training Enquiry Form

To find out more or to register for our next retreat, call 1300 651 211 or email clientservices@gawler.org. Alternatively you can submit your booking request/enquiry using the form below and one of our friendly client services team members will be in touch within 2 business hours.

  • Please let us know if you have a preferred call back time (AEST).
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Enquiry

Call 1300 651 211 or email clientservices@gawler.org to enquire/book. Alternatively, submit your the enquiry form below and we will be in touch within 2 business hours.

  • Please let us know if you have a preferred call back time (AEST).
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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