Meditation Instructor Certification Program
January 24 – March 21, 2017

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ABOUT

This program was developed by Susan Piver, founder of the Open Heart Project, and Jenna Hollenstein, a meditation guide and nutrition therapist. It is specifically designed to support those who wish to offer meditation instruction within a professional context. It will help coaches, yoga teachers, therapists, counselors, managers, and others who wish to bring mindfulness to their clients, students, patients, colleagues, and so on.

The Open Heart Project is proud to offer its Meditation Instructor Certification Program. This online program is specifically constructed to serve those who work one-to-one or in small groups with clients or patients.

 

Our program has been recognized by the International Coaching Federation. Federation members may claim 28 CEUS (14 core and 14 resource development) toward maintaining their coaching certification.

Mindfulness meditation is now a cultural phenomenon. It may appear that teaching meditation is a simple thing—what is so complicated about sitting down and breathing?! However, 2600 years of mindfulness-awareness practice has shown us that though the technique is simple, the results it produces are not. A responsible meditation teacher has some knowledge of how to guide others as their practice takes root.

Over this nine-week program, participants will gain the necessary skills to teach the meditation technique clearly, answer the most frequently asked questions with confidence, and gain insight into the teacher-student relationship.

This program is not about becoming a spiritual guide, but about learning to impart this ancient technique responsibly, kindly, and skillfully.

 

CURRICULUM

• 28 hours of class time over 9 weeks and a commitment to practice meditation daily
• Classes will be held on nine consecutive Tuesdays from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET. Each class is recorded
• There will be eight mid-week check-ins on Fridays from 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm ET. This is a chance to discuss your practice, share reflections about the homework, and ask questions
• Attendance at all classes and check-ins is MANDATORY. If you foresee a conflict, please email us to discuss before completing an application

NOTE

Successful completion of this program is predicated on the following:

• Full attendance at all classes and check-ins
• Completion of homework and exercises
• Honest feedback from your fellow classmates (you will be giving each other meditation instruction)
• An okay from either Susan or Jenna following a 1:1 meeting to be held between weeks 8 and 9
• The ability to answer the most frequently asked questions, to be tested during week 9

Please be advised that graduation is not guaranteed. Full attendance and completion of assignments are not the sole measures. We want to make sure you are really ready to go out and offer this practice from your heart, in your own way, but with full respect for the ancient tradition. We will do everything in our power to help you!

Week 1: Introduction 

Why is meditation important to someone working as a coach, therapist, or wellness teacher?

The foundation, process, expected outcome of this course

An overview of the three-tiered learning objectives:

• To help clients become more mindful;
• To develop a personal mindfulness practice, and
• To become more present within the coaching flow

Becoming a skillful meditation instructor is the result of a strong personal practice; discussion of how this course will help you to achieve this

Introduction to shamatha (breath-awareness) meditation 

Discussion of meditation as a spiritual practice (that has nothing to do with religion) rather than self-help

Guided meditation practice by Susan

Discussion and homework

Week 2: Entering the Path

Guided meditation practice by Susan

Introduction to the philosophy and principles of mindfulness

Review of the three main cycles of Buddhist teachings, the qualities emphasized by each cycle, and where our practice fits within the arc of Buddhist meditation practices

Overview of the most common obstacles to practice and their antidotes

Discussion and homework

Week 3: Keeping it Genuine

Guided meditation practice by Susan

How to create a strong personal practice

The importance of simplicity

The secret to personal discipline

Three steps to take in your personal practice to keep it sacred (rather than self-help)

Discussion and homework

Week 4: Opening Your Heart

Guided meditation practice by Susan

How meditation opens the heart, how to support yourself and others who may feel increasingly vulnerable, and how to view vulnerability as a source of power

Insight into working with strong emotion during meditation

Introduction to the three centers of intelligence, the Hornevian Directional Theory, and what this has to do with becoming a good teacher

Introduction to the Four Immeasurables: Lovingkindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity

Making the connection between meditation practice and heart-opening and how that can influence the coaching relationship

Reflections on what may be holding you back from fully expressing your gifts as a coach and how the Four Immeasurables can help

Discussion and homework

Week 5: Turning Your Practice Outward

Guided meditation practice by Susan

Bringing mindfulness off the cushion and into real life

Creating a lifestyle of mindfulness: the importance of elegance

How your practice can benefit others, especially your clients or patients

Five steps to creating a mindful environment

Discussion and homework

Week 6: Sharing the Practice with Authenticity

Guided meditation practice by Susan

How to offer this practice to others with confidence and authority

Practicum intensive: Students break into dyads to provide meditation instruction to one another

Discussion and homework

Week 7: Teaching Skillfully

Guided meditation practice by Susan

How to give a talk on meditation to a small group

Practicum intensive: Students again break into dyads to provide meditation instruction to one another

Discussion and homework

Week 8: Creating a Strong Bond while Maintaining Boundaries

Guided meditation practice by Susan

How to establish an appropriate relationship with meditation students

How to protect the sacred nature of the practice

How to establish confidence in the mind of your student so he or she can trust you and listen to you

How to prepare to give meditation instruction

Letting go of expectations of yourself as a teacher, of your student,and of the practice

Discussion and homework

Week 9: Testing Your Knowledge: The Warrior’s Circle

The “Warriors Circle” is a different way of testing knowledge. It is both more gentle than traditional testing methods and more intense. Each student must be prepared to verbally answer every one of the test questions, but only one will actually be posed to him or her.

Going forward: How to bring your new certification into your business to create more value for yourself and your clients or patients.

REQUIREMENTS

• Completed application form is due by January 22nd.
• Once accepted, all successful applicants must pay in full by program start.
• Attendance at all classes and check-ins is MANDATORY. Please email us before you apply if you foresee any conflicts.
• A commitment to your own personal practice. The most important quality of a meditation teacher is his or her own strong practice. You will receive all the instruction and support you need to establish your personal practice. The commitment to practice regularly is the strictest requirement.
• Your understanding that acceptance and participation in the course does not guarantee passage. If we foresee any issues with your readiness to provide meditation instruction, we will work with you to develop a plan for additional practice and study.
  

COST

$1295 Early Bird until November 21. $1495 November 22-January 22.

Once accepted, all successful applicants must pay in full by program start.

No refunds.

Limited to 50 people. Our previous program filled before the Early Bird period ended. Please sign up now if you are interested.

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Questions? Please email Michele.

Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books. A student of Buddhism since 1995, she graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004 and was authorized to teach meditation in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage in 2005.

She teaches workshops and speaks all over the world on meditation, spirituality, communication styles, relationships and creativity.

In 2011, Piver launched The Open Heart Project, an online meditation community with nearly 20,000 members who practice together and explore ways to bring spiritual values such as kindness, genuineness and fearlessness to everyday life.

 

Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RD, CDN, is a writer, nutrition therapist, mindfulness teacher and Open Heart Project Meditation Guide.

She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and the author of Understanding Dietary Supplements, a handy guide to the evaluation and use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and botanicals for both consumers and clinicians, and more recently the memoir Drinking to Distraction.