8 Month 120-Hour Online Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Course

Certifications

This full program is certified by the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT). Upon completion, you will receive a certificate from Healthy Body Peaceful Soul and be able to register with the IICT and be listed in their directory as a meditation instructor/facilitator.

How the training works

This training consists of 120 total hours of training (viewing training videos, note-taking, private calls, practice teaching, self-study, assignments, volunteer teaching review, live zoom, and in-person).

Timing of sessions (GMT-4 / GMT-5)

You will have monthly live Zoom meetings (last Wednesday evening of the month at 7 p.m.) and four two-hour in-person sessions are included (or you can join via zoom) usually at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Course information

Mindfulness is something you can practice right now - aware of the present moment, non-judgmental observation of what's happening inside you and all around you. Meditation refers to a practice that helps you focus, emotionally regulate, and be mindful. Research and science show just how effective these practices are when done regularly, at cultivating resilience to stress, strengthening the cognitive areas of the brain, and training the nervous system to be more calm, even in the face of challenge.

Studies show mindfulness and meditation can build attention skills and improve social-emotional relationships. Now more than ever, there's an increasing need for adequately trained facilitators of meditation and mindfulness, in schools, in corporations, in the healthcare setting, and privately. This training will provide you with an abundance of knowledge, practical experience, and research to prepare you to both dive deeply into your own practice, as well as to teach others. It can also be a complementary skill to work you’re already doing.

This course is an eight-month program in which you can start anytime. There is a built-in recommended structure to follow and monthly live Zoom meetings help to keep you on track, as well as one-on-one calls with Joni, that you schedule at the start of your program.

Curiculum

What will the training cover?

• Breathing practices and relaxation theory
• Meditation history and traditions
• Taproot flow theory andractice
• Meditation theory and practice I (concepts and various practice techniques)
• Meditation theory and practice II (deeper philosophy and practice techniques)
• Mindfulness theory, practice, and science
• Mental fitness theory
• Energy focused and spiritual meditation
• Meditation applications and teaching theory
• Positive psychology (concepts and practices)

Required readings (must be purchased separately)

• Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Lovingkindness, The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
• The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
• Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön
• The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

Optional readings

• There is No App For Happiness by Max Strom
• The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche
• How to Meditate, a practical guide to making friends with your mind by Pema Chödrön
• One Breath at a Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Christian Meditation
• Your choice book of poetry by Rumi, Hafiz, Mary Oliver, or Joni Staaf-Sturgill (you will explore the meditative aspects of poetry and will cover a variety from each of these authors)

This mindfulness meditation teacher training is held online. Joni Sturgill with Healthy Body Peaceful Soul is based in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, USA and they will live stream sessions based on EDT (GMT-4) during Summer and GMT-5 for sessions after November 1st, 2020. There are in-person options for a few class sessions, for those who live around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The specific location of these classes is to be determined (depending on COVID stats or limitations), but it is likely to be at Ohio Township Nature Center, which is located about 20 minutes north of Pittsburgh. For the in-person options, please send an inquiry to Joni Sturgill with Healthy Body Peaceful Soul.

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• Over 45 online video sessions
• Self-study/homework assignments with specific deadlines, according to what week you are in the training.
• Monthly live Zoom meetings (last Wednesday evening of the month at 7 p.m.)
• 4 (2-hour) in-person sessions are included (or you can join via zoom) - upcoming dates are on November 14, February 13, May 15, August 7 (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
• Day-long silent retreat (outdoor with the group, Saturday, June 12, or self-guided with schedule and reflection)
• 4 30-minute private calls with Joni (to be spread out evenly throughout the training)
• Email support and online review of practice teach sessions
• Comprehensive manual
• Option to join a retreat in 2021 at an additional cost
• Requires 10 hours of volunteer teaching (experience reviewed/supervised by Joni)
• Certificate from Healthy Body Peaceful Soul and eligibility register with the IICT

• Reading and reflection assignments from required books (not included)
• Accommodation
• Food

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