100 Hour Meditation Teacher Training Program

Certifications

The course hours count as Continuing Education hours for Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®) only.

Course Overview

Discovering Mind is pleased to announce that our 2020-2021 Meditation Teacher Training (MTT) program will begin on Nov. 12, 2020 and will continue for a full year.

The MTT program is a comprehensive course on the theory and practice of meditation. The classroom material is taught in a progressive and systematic Seven-Step Approach that accords with the traditional approaches of the Hatha Yoga and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. However, the program itself is completely secular and includes contemporary evidence-based approaches to teaching meditation.

There will be 10 months of twice-weekly classroom sessions, and then participants will have an additional two months to complete all of the course requirements. The long-term format is designed to allow participants adequate time to not only master the course material but also to make substantial progress in their personal meditation practice.

Timing of sessions (GMT-3)

The class will be offered in an online Zoom format with two sessions per week. The main class will be taught live on Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern time. This class will present the new material for the week in an experiential learning format, utilizing a combination of oral instruction, meditation practice, and PowerPoint presentation.

The second weekly class will be taught live on Saturday mornings from 8:00 am to 9:00 am Eastern time. This second class will typically consist of a guided meditation that focuses on the material presented in that week's main class, followed by Q&A and discussion. Students will participate in leading the weekly guided meditations.

The course will contain a minimum of 108 contact hours, based on 2.5 hours per week for 10 months. However, we will take as long as is necessary to thoroughly cover the extensive course material. In addition, there will be occasional breaks in the class schedule due to holidays, the instructor's travel schedule and so forth.

If students are unable to attend the live classes, all classes will be recorded and available for viewing at the student's convenience. Class videos will only be available for a limited time due to the large number and size of video files.

Course Requirements

In addition to the 108 contact hours, students will have additional non-contact requirements. These include: 10 hours of meditation teaching or other approved community service; minimum daily practice requirement of 30 minutes; keeping a daily meditation journal; required and recommended readings; and a final class project. There will be periodic quizzes, a written final exam, and a final student teaching requirement. Upon completion of all course requirements, students will receive a certificate of completion.

The course includes a detailed PowerPoint presentation as well as more than 200 pages of written materials including learning objectives, an extensive course outline, glossary of terms, list of metaphors, guided meditations, visual aids, reading list, and supplementary materials on numerous topics to be covered during the course. The main course materials will be distributed via pdfs and links to online material.

The reading list contains both required and recommended reading, including books, pdfs and links to online materials. Of the various required reading materials, only one item needs to be purchased by the student. This is a book entitled The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice by Dza Kilung Rinpoche. It is available for purchase on Amazon as either a paperback, Kindle or Audiobook.

The class will utilize a WhatsApp private messaging group for Q&A, discussion and dissemination of additional course materials.

Registration Details

The cost of the program is $1,200 if paid in full prior to the class.

Course content (subject to revision)

Module 1

• Introduction to the course
• Introduction to meditation
• Subtle body theory
• Research into the benefits of meditation

Module 2

• Basic sitting meditation
• Pranayama
• Basic energy practices

Module 3

• Calm abiding meditation
• Ethics of meditation and mindfulness

Module 4

• Arriving at clarity
• Meditation in education

Module 5

• Insight meditation
• Meditation in the workplace

Module 6

• Open heart-mind meditation
• Project proposal due

Module 7

• Advanced energy practices

Module 8

• Pure mind meditation
• Mahamudra
• Working with trauma

Module 9

• Non-conceptual meditation
• Introduction to dzogchen
• Role of technology in meditation

Module 10

• Review
• Final exam
• Student practicum
• Projects due
• Community teaching deadline

Duration

The 2020 - 2021 Meditation Teacher Training program will begin on Thursday, November 12th, 2020, and will continue for one year. There will be 10 months of twice-weekly classroom sessions, and then participants will have an additional two months to complete all of the course requirements.

All classes will be live-streamed online via Zoom so that you can participate from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Discovering Mind is based in Annapolis, Maryland, USA (GMT-5) and all class times refer to the Eastern (USA) time zone.

There will be two class sessions per week. The main class will be taught live on Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern time. This class will present the new material for the week in an experiential learning format, utilizing a combination of oral instruction, meditation practice and PowerPoint presentation.

The second weekly class will be taught live on Saturday mornings from 8:00 am to 9:00 am Eastern time. This second class will typically consist of a guided meditation that focuses on the material presented in that week's main class, followed by Q&A and discussion. Students will participate in leading the weekly guided meditations.

+−

• 12-month comprehensive meditation teacher training program
• 108 classroom contact hours via Zoom with detailed PowerPoint presentation
• Two live classes per week: Thursday evening and Saturday morning (time zone: Annapolis, Maryland, USA (GMT-5)
• All classes available to watch on private YouTube channel at student's convenience
• Non-contact course requirements include 30 minutes of daily meditation practice, keeping a meditation journal, 10 hours of community teaching, required and recommended readings, a final exam, final class project and final student teaching.
• More than 200 pages of extensive course material are included
• Participants are required to separately purchase The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice by Dza Kilung Rinpoche (available in paperback, Kindle or Audiobook formats).
• Private WhatsApp messaging group
• Upon completion of all course requirements, students receive a certificate of completion.

• Accommodation
• Food
• Required reading book: The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice by Dza Kilung Rinpoche (available in paperback, Kindle or Audiobook formats).

• A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.