The accredited Mindfulness MBSR & MBI Teacher Training Level 1 course is an experiential training course in Mindfulness-based Interventions MBI and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction MBSR. Offering the opportunity to engage in personal and group learning processes supported by the mindfulness gold standard 6 domains of teaching Mindfulness (MBI-TAC this course has been designed to support and deepen understanding and skills in teaching Mindfulness core practices in professional practice.
The courses in Spain and live online are taught by Kathy Ward and with a maximum of 12 students, the course includes plenty of opportunities to engage in personal and group learning processes designed to support and deepen understanding and skills in teaching and integrating mindfulness-based approaches in professional practice.
The Level 1 course is intended for people who are:
- A minimum of 25 years old.
- Have 1 year of meditation experience not necessarily Mindfulness Meditation.
- Commitment to an ongoing daily personal mindfulness-based practice, based on MBSR/MBCT practices
- The course starts from the premise that as teachers we need to embody mindfulness-based practice in our own lives before we can attempt to teach it to others so you should have taken an 8 Week MBSR or MBCT course as a participant either -
- In your home location with a qualified teacher OR
- Take the Mindful Academy International Live Online 8-Week MBSR Course and be guided by the Director of Training Kathy Ward. There is a 100 euro discount if you book and pay for the 8-week MBSR Course at the same time as booking the Level 1 course.
The course is designed to begin the process of training to be a teacher of mindfulness-based approaches. It is our experience that students come to this course with varying skills and experience and levels of practice. Inevitably, not everyone will be ready to begin to teach the 8-week MBSR course on completion of the Level 1 course and further development may be required. This could be with supervision or perhaps by attending another 8-week course and consolidating further personal practice.
Please note: Our courses are not attendance courses. Students are expected to attend and take part in all sessions. The training, support, development, and assessment are ongoing and in order to graduate as a Level 1 Mindfulness MBSR and MBA Teacher, students must meet the teaching standards outlined in the MBI-TAC.
During the course, you will receive comprehensive training in teaching all aspects of Mindfulness including the latest research. This is supported by our extensive 426 page Manual covering every aspect of teaching mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions, along with Mindfulness core practice Meditation Scripts and mp3 recordings of all practices.
Our time together will be spent in silence as we practice, and in small and large group reflection and investigation as we learn through the co-created shared experience. In this space, you will continue to deepen your own practice and embodiment of mindfulness and learn foundational teaching skills.
You will experience and learn specifically how to teach the core practices of the 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction MBSR course including mindful movement and develop the skill of Inquiry.
An estimated 90% of the world's population will be exposed to a traumatic event over the course of their lives (Frans, Rimmo, Aberg & Fredrikson, 2005) and up to 20% of us will develop post-traumatic stress. This means that anywhere mindfulness is being practiced, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma. To address this, Mindful Academy International CEO Kathy Ward has extensively updated all the core practices and resources so that we can explore how to teach the general public in a trauma-sensitive way to minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness. Read more
Level 1 Accredited Mindfulness MBSR & MBI Teacher Training Learning Objectives
- Reflect on and investigate personal learning and development as a mindfulness practitioner
- Deepen embodiment of trauma-sensitive mindfulness in teaching and own practice
- Develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge to enable practice as a teacher of mindfulness-based interventions and courses including the skills of inquiry and guiding trauma-sensitive mindfulness core practices
- Demonstrate the importance of personal integrity of approach, ethical standards and mindful attitudes for teachers of mindfulness-based courses
- Demonstrate familiarity with the teaching and learning strategies of mindfulness-based courses
- Demonstrate familiarity with the MBI-TAC 6 domains (skills) of teaching mindfulness developed by the Universities of Bangor, Exeter, and Oxford
- Reflect on the importance of the professional good practice guidelines and what they mean to you
- Start your personal mindfulness development portfolio
These are the key foundations of teaching mindfulness and Level 2, Qualified and Certified courses are based on the foundation of this course.
The course is designed to begin the process of training, and participants come to the Level 1 course with varying skills and experience and levels of practice. Inevitably, not everyone will be ready to begin to teach the 8-week MBSR course on completion of the Level 1 course and further development may be required. This could be with supervision or perhaps by attending another 8-week course and consolidating further personal practice.
Your certificate will show:
Contact Hours: 65.5 hours
Other Directed Learning, non-contact hours: The personal and professional pre-course study including reading the required books and 2 supervision sessions is estimated to be 112 hours. The non-contact hours are of course subjective depending on when you sign up for the course, and how much time you are able to allocate. We ask that you do what you can, with the time you have available.
Total hours for Level 1: 177.5 hours
After successfully completing the training, you may state: “_____ (your name) has graduated as a Mindfulness MBSR & MBI Level 1 Teacher with Mindful Academy International, an International Provider of Training Excellence©”
Please note: Our courses are not attendance courses. Students are expected to attend and take part in all sessions. The support, development, and assessment are ongoing and in order to graduate as a Level 1 Mindfulness MBSR and MBI Teacher, students must meet the teaching standards outlined in the MBI-TAC.
Learning to teach the Mindfulness Core Practices -
On the Teacher Training Level 1 course, you will have the opportunity to teach 10, 20 and 30-minute mindfulness core practices (see the list below) followed by time for reflection on what went well, and anything you would do differently next time. In this way, practice by practice, your skills and confidence can grow.
You will also receive supportive formal assessment, support and feedback on your teaching using the industry gold standard Mindfulness-based Teaching Assessment Criteria MBI-TAC from Kathy and the team, plus informal feedback from your peers, and learn how to take the MBI-TAC forward as a personal learning portfolio to support your own development as a teacher.
At the end of the course, there is an opportunity to discuss this and other feedback from the MBI-TAC Teaching assessments before you leave and also in a 60-minute online supervision meeting (included in the price) with Kathy Ward. This can be helpful in reflecting on next steps and reviewing your learning and development needs after your Teacher Training Course.
The mindfulness core practices you will learn to teach are:
- Awareness of Body, Breath and Senses Meditation
- Body Scan Meditation
- Cultivating curiosity to the whole of my experience 'being with the difficult' Meditation
- Mindful Movement
- 5 Awareness Meditation
- Choiceless Awareness Meditation
- Compassion practices with either a 3 Step Kindness or Loving Kindness Meditation
- Short Mindfulness practices such as the 3 Step Anchoring Space, S.T.O.P and others
What can I teach after the Level 1 course?
Graduates typically start teaching the Mindfulness core meditation practices including Mindful Movement to family, friends, and clients in classes, workshops or as part of their profession.
Depending on the skills of the individual you may also find that you are able to:
- Co-lead an 8-week MBSR course and/or
- Lead an 8-week MBSR course with Supervision as per the Mindfulness Good Practice Guidelines
This course is designed to begin the process of training to be a teacher of mindfulness-based approaches. Participants come to this course with varying skills and experience and levels of practice. Inevitably, not everyone will be ready to begin to teach the 8-week MBSR course on completion of this course and further development may be required. This could be with supervision or perhaps by attending another 8-week course and consolidating further personal practice.
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CEO and Founder Kathy Ward chose to have Mindful Academy International and the courses we teach independently 3rd party verified and accredited and as a Provider of Training Excellence and CPD Provider© we assure you of the highest level of professional mindfulness training.
To further demonstrate the professional nature of our mindfulness training, we also follow the Mindfulness good practice guidelines (GPGs) for teaching and supervising mindfulness Teachers, and utilize the Mindfulness-based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC) developed by Bangor, Oxford and Exeter Universities as part of our supportive assessment process of the 6 domains of teaching mindfulness.
To achieve the accreditation Mindful Academy International has undergone a rigorous assessment process focusing on 4 key principles -
- Our organizational structure,
- The learning provision we offer,
- Our methods for maintaining excellence, and
- Our client's personal experience.
This final principle involves a random selection from our student and graduate base and a direct discussion between them and the PDC to gather a first-hand review of their experience working with us.
A separate rigorous assessment process that focuses on the development and delivery of our training including our educational authority, how we collect and utilize our delegate feedback, and ensuring our content is kept up to date was also undertaken as part of the accredited CPD Status.
Now Mindful Academy International have achieved this accreditation and status as a Provider of Training Excellence and gold standard CPD provider, we are committed to working hard to maintain, and exceed, the excellent standard we have already set with our courses and the testimonials shown below, reflects our dedication to delivering accredited courses for an outstanding learning experience.
The courses have also been accredited with the Yoga Alliance in the USA since 2010 and the Yoga Alliance Professionals in the UK between 2012 and April 2019 however, unlike the Yoga Alliance, the new accreditation is globally accepted in a multitude of countries and across all professional sectors and demonstrates a much higher standard of professional mindfulness education.