What does a meditation teacher do?

One of the beautiful benefits of being a meditation teacher is that it can be such a rich and vast role. Just like the clients you will guide, there is so much variety and diversity that you can take into your role as a teacher.

A meditation teacher, in essence, supports and guides students and clients into deepening their own personal meditation practice through sharing meditation techniques, benefits and practices with them. It’s important when starting out as a meditation teacher that you have the right training in order to teach others. Formal training, that will allow you to gain insurance as a meditation teacher is a crucial first step and one that will ensure you have acquired the skills and knowledge to guide others in the practice of meditation.

What skills and knowledge do meditation and mindfulness teachers have?

Meditation Association of Australia outlines some key areas of knowledge that trained meditation teachers may share with their clients and or students:

Provide students with an understanding of how meditation works and how to practice skillfully.
Ensure that students have an appreciation for — and exposure to — a broad variety of techniques and approaches.
Provide students with the knowledge and vocabulary to clearly define key practices and concepts.
Present meditation in easily understood terms.
Guide meditation skillfully.
Support students to recognise signs of meditative states.
Understand how to adapt a teaching environment to meet specific needs.

Ways meditation teachers can share their offerings

While the meditation techniques, philosophies and practices that can be shared are vast and may be determined by the specific training of each meditation teacher, some of the ways meditation teachers can share their teachings either face to face, online or a combination of both is through:

Group meditation classes
Mindfulness and meditation workshops
Meditation and wellness retreats
Mindfulness and meditation courses and training
Private meditation classes
One on one mentoring and support
Women’s and men’s circles
Community of specific group circles (i.e. women’s circles)
Corporate wellbeing programs and more

There really is no one size fits all. Beyond your training as a meditation teacher you may also bring to your teachings a plethora of previous skills and knowledge to enhance your teachings and share them with your clients in a unique and interesting way.

Our graduates and students are great examples of just how diverse meditation teaching can be

From teachers to breath-work practitioners to naturopaths our students and graduates apply meditation and mindfulness to a wide range of settings! Here are some real life examples:

Holly Shoebridge who infuses meditation with her 1 on 1 holistic coaching and breathwork classes.
Lucas Enciso, an Afro-Latin Dance instructor and performer who uses meditation and mindfulness in how he teaches.
Helen Mullan, who has her own holistic business offering meditation and mindfulness, Reiki energy treatments, sound healing and yoga.
Mick Davies, a personal trainer who is now integrating his meditation teaching skills into his business.
Jenny Guerrero, who teaches meditation and mindfulness techniques to parents and children.
Stacey Anderson, who works with Seeing Eye Dogs with Vision Australia.
Kate Wilson, a naturopath who also supports her clients with meditation and mindfulness.

This is just a small snapshot! The options are truly endless when it comes to offering the gift of meditation and mindfulness.

Here is an example of one meditation teacher’s day

While the daily life of a meditation teacher can be different from teacher to teacher and business to business here’s a quick snapshot of what the day in the life of a meditation teacher running a meditation studio could look like.

6:00AM Wake-up ready for the day. Enjoy a nourishing breakfast and personal meditation practice.

8:00AM Head to the studio to clean and set-up the space for the first client of the day

9:00AM Guide private meditation class

10:00AM Break for morning tea and to review emails and respond to any client enquiries

12:00PM Guide lunch-time meditation class as part of corporate wellbeing program

1:30PM Break for lunch and prepare for afternoon appointments

3:30PM Guide afternoon group meditation class

4:30PM Pack up and clean the studio for the next day ahead

5:00PM Head home for a nourishing meal and rest – add in lots of self-care and down time!

Being a meditation teacher is an exciting career in an ever changing industry. It’s a role that you can truly make your own, bringing to it your individual personality, passions, skills and learnings. One thing you can be guaranteed of is that no day will be the same.

If this is the career you’ve been thinking of, there’s no time like right now to give it a go.

At ACMM we offer Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma Training Options, with optional Business Development Support alongside and after your training. PLUS we now offer a Community Work Placement program as part of the Diploma course, where students will be given opportunities to teach meditation within support service organisations such as Aged Care, Hospitals and other Not for Profits and receive all they need to teach a 6 week course. Click here to learn more.

Find out if our courses are the right fit for you. Book a Zoom Discovery Call with Lisa Forde, ACMM Founder today!

Blog by ACMM Coach Sammy Wynn

Source: Criteria – Meditation Association of Australia (meditationaustralia.org.au)