By Faye Martins
Did you ever consider how to become a certified meditation teacher? If so, read on. Nothing centers the mind and body like meditation, Yoga Nidra, or pranayama. If you participate in these practices, then, you know just how beneficial they can be. Applying these healing modalities to your daily life can bring about all sorts of physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. As a result, newspapers, television, medical journals, research papers and online resources discuss the many benefits of meditation in detail. In fact, mindfulness meditation and Yoga Nidra have gained much interest from the medical community worldwide.
Why Bother Teaching?
Many people who have reaped the rewards of their pranayama and/or meditation practice are eager to share what they’ve learned with the people around them. If you fall into that category, you’re probably wondering how you can get started. To become a certified meditation teacher isn’t as hard as you might think. All it takes is a bit of commitment and a willingness to grow.
At Aura Wellness Center, there are two courses for teachers. They have graduates and students all over the world. You will learn everything to become a certified meditation teacher. One of their courses is a mindfulness meditation course and the other is for Yoga Nidra. Once you’ve learned what there is to know and received your certification, you’ll be ready to start teaching classes as a certified instructor.
Immersing Yourself in Practice
To become a certified meditation teacher, you need to spend some time as an enthusiastic pupil first. If you jump into teaching without paying your dues as a practitioner, you won’t have the experience and understanding necessary to help your students. Try to soak up everything you can about meditation. Redouble your efforts in your own practice with a view towards becoming a teacher. Think of all your current efforts as an apprenticeship for your eventual role as a teacher. All your rigor and commitment on a personal level will translate into enhanced expertise when you eventually become a certified meditation instructor.
Finding a Training Course
The route to certification as a meditation or Yoga Nidra teacher generally runs through an accredited course. There are countless certification courses available in all sorts of locations and formats. Given meditation’s current popularity, you should have no trouble finding an instructor course somewhere near where you live. This will allow you to conduct your training without disrupting your current routine. Alternatively, you could take a course that doubles as a retreat in some far-flung location. This serves as a more immersive experience with its own set of lessons and opportunities for growth. If you’re short on free time or if traveling is an issue, you can even find meditation teacher certification courses online. This is a great way to take advantage of the digital era to become a better version of yourself.
The Theoretical Components of a Typical Course
A standard course for meditation or Yoga Nidra will include both theoretical and practical components. The theoretical portion of the class will focus on the ideas behind the practice of meditation and Yoga Nidra. You’ll learn about the origins of these practices and discuss exactly how they benefit practitioners. You’ll study the history of different traditions and how they’ve come to manifest themselves in the contemporary world. All of this information will give you the basic knowledge you need to effectively lead classes. When you find yourself in charge of your own classes, students are going to expect you to know your stuff. The theoretical components of your instructor training will ensure you’re ready.
The Practical Components of a Typical Course
In addition to teaching the theoretical background behind Yoga Nidra or mindfulness meditation instructor courses will also provide you with the practical tools you need to run your own classes. Like any type of education, instruction to become a certified meditation teacher requires planning and organization. You’ll learn how to effectively arrange and conduct a class during your time in the program. You’ll also receive a robust crash course in the basics of practice. Even if you’re a seasoned practitioner, there’s always more to learn. The practical components of your instructor course will flesh out your knowledge to ensure you’re ready for the challenges ahead.
The Basics of Teaching Yoga Nidra
According to traditional definitions, Hatha Yoga is an umbrella term for most types of Yoga popular around the world. In recent decades, however, the phrase has come to refer to a specific type of slower-paced Yoga with a focus on physical positioning and proper alignment. Yoga Nidra is not a form of physical exercise. Many practitioners would say it is a unique form of deep relaxation and meditation. Yet, Yoga Nidra sessions and workshops are often in demand within facilities that have Hatha Yoga classes.
Leading Students Through a Class
No matter what type of meditation you’re teaching, it’s essential to prepare your students for a state of mindfulness whether you teach mindfulness or deep relaxation. From the opening of class, some teachers may go straight into mindfulness or deep relaxation, while others may go through relaxing movements or a few asanas. The strategy is to release tension in the body before releasing tension within the mind.
Planning a Sensible Script (Routine)
You will learn to create your own scripts or to use designed lesson plans. There is no way to be lost while leading a session that you designed. At the same time, if you use scripts (templates) designed by other teachers, you will want to invest some time in memorization.
Respecting Limits and Rights of Students
A meditation or Yoga Nidra class should be a place of peace, love, and respect. Every student brings their own set of capabilities to the classroom. Never push people to surpass the limits. Some students will easily adapt, while others will struggle with every concept. Yes, there are students “who want to be perfect.” Sadly, they can make their own relaxation time into a stressful event. These students will need gentle guidance. That said, with ethics in mind, it’s best to guide while keeping some distance
Balancing Mind, Body, and Spirit
A class should be a comprehensive healing experience for the students. To really get the most out of every session, make sure you include mental, physical, and spiritual components. You might be thinking “physical?” This is where you teach relaxing pranayama techniques or gentle movements to release negative energy (tension).
Make Your Teaching Dreams Come True
It’s no surprise that teaching meditation or Yoga Nidra is a dream job for many ambitious practitioners. For anyone who knows the benefits of these practices first hand, sharing those benefits with others is the natural next step. After all, the spiritual and emotional aspects of meditation and Yoga Nidra tend to place you inside the world, giving you a sense of compassion for your fellow beings. There’s no better way to act on that compassion than by doing what you can to show others the very practices that have worked so well for you.
To become a certified meditation teacher takes some effort. Yet, it’s certainly within your reach. All you have to do is find a course that matches your needs and expectations. By the time you receive your certification, you should have the necessary information to start teaching. From there, it’s just a matter of learning from experience, perfecting your methods, and doing what you can to become a better teacher and a better person. It’s a beautiful journey, and, with the right attitude, you’re sure to enjoy every step.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
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Mindfulness Meditation to Suppress Anxiety
By Faye Martins
Many studies have recently shown, much to the delight of the yoga community, that mindfulness meditation is scientifically verified to help reduce anxiety. It is sometimes called mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, when studied in a scientific setting, but it is a mindful form of meditation through and through. These studies show particular promise for mindfulness meditation in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD, and in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy. Hybrids between cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation have even been developed, called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Therefore, participants who undergo mindfulness-based cognitive therapy are found to have a reduction in anxiety symptoms. Additionally, these participants had fewer depression symptoms.
Meditation Research and Effects
Research into the effect of meditation on social anxiety. Moreover, research has revealed a mindful form of meditation can actually change the self-image of participants. In one study headed by psychology researcher Philippe Goldin, participants meditated, and then, were told to select adjectives that described them. After meditation, they were more likely to select adjective such as “admired” or “loved,” but less likely to pick adjective such as “coward” or “afraid.” In fact, participants showed favor toward all positive words after meditation. This suggests a mindful meditation actually bestows a feeling of well being on the practitioner. In addition, participants experienced radical psychological changes. Rather than simply raising awareness, or giving the practitioner more tools, meditation gave them a positive outlook. Hence, the reason why some long term students study to become a certified meditation teacher. Practitioners want to share a system that has positively changed their lives.
What About Awareness?
The effect of self-knowledge and awareness certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. Long touted as the primary psychological benefit of being mindful during meditation, it has far-reaching consequences, particularly for social anxiety sufferers. Since anxiety is formed from negative emotions in the past and unhelpful projections into the future, bringing awareness to the moment cuts off the main mechanism of social anxiety, and indeed anxiety in general. Those who practice mindfulness meditation learn to see their thoughts for what they are, simply thoughts and not necessarily truths. This helps anxiety sufferers detach from the spiral of negative thoughts that so often causes anxiety, freeing their emotions to respond to other things. Eventually, this can stop the habitual cycle of self-defeating thoughts all together.
Food for Thought
To practice mindfulness meditation only takes ten minutes out of your day. Nevertheless, some of us meditate for longer periods. On the other hand, some of us meditate for shorter periods, but ten minutes is the recommended time to help with psychological issues. To clarify, simply find a quiet place to sit or lie down, and close your eyes. Concentrate on each breath. Thoughts will arise; simply observe them. With continued practice, you’ll learn much about yourself and improve your quality of life. Truthfully, this form of meditation really is as simple as that, it can help to have a teacher or course, if only for your own confidence. Another way to bring yourself deeper into practice is teaching. For example, you could also study become a certified meditation teacher. For the purpose of going deeper into any subject, instructor training will get you there.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link. https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about our selection of online yoga teacher certification intensives.
Research into the effect of meditation on social anxiety has revealed a mindful form of can actually change the self-image of participants.
Excellent article, Faye! Great info!
Mindfulness meditation helps to reduce anxiety and it can change the self-image of participants. Really its a great exercise.