Mindfulness-Awareness Meditation Instructor
Training Course
The Mindfulness-Awareness Meditation Instructor Training Course (MAMITC) will launch in September 2023 and run until June 2024, culminating in a 5-day in-person Silent Retreat in July/August.
This course combines breath awareness, Mindfulness-awareness meditation, and secular Mindfulness with very little reference to religion, ritual, and foreign terms. Applied Mindfulness is covered in the later sessions.
After practicing Mindfulness for some time, we begin to see the positive influence it’s having on our lives. We don’t want to keep it to ourselves! We want to share it with friends, colleagues, and family. But there is a catch. To impart the instruction properly, we should be an authorized meditation instructor.
After all, we are working with people’s minds! It seems like a pretty simple process, but there needs to be knowledge, insight, and experience behind the instruction. In this way, a meditation instructor’s capability is like an iceberg, most of which remains out of sight.
This course provides the background in Mindfulness you will need to give accurate instruction, answer questions appropriately, guide students, encourage them to deepen their all-important personal Mindfulness practice, and give Mindfulness presentations and talks.
Who is it for? Anyone who:
- Is open to learning something new.
- Is interested in giving Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Awareness meditation instruction and / or presentations, or would like to receive a thorough education and training in Mindfulness.
- Would like to learn the content covered in this curriculum.
- Is interested in Applied Mindfulness, particularly in Mental Health and Addictions
- Interested in learning how Mindfulness-Awareness meditation relates to everyday life.
Prerequisites: All of the following:
- A meditation practitioner for at least two years.
- Daily (or almost daily) practitioner.
The training consists of
- The sessions are weekly with the exception of two weekend intensives, conducted Hybrid (in-person and on Zoom)
- 60 hr.: 40 1.5 hr. sessions (Zoom)
- 10 1-hr Book Study sessions (Zoom)
- 6 hr. Mentoring (Zoom)
- Total for above instruction: 76 hr.
- Links to relevant articles and videos, sent by email in between weekly sessions
- Meditation Retreats, In-Person–Summer: 5 Days (July/August), and Winter/Fall: 2 days- (12 hr. days)
- Total for above retreats: 84 hr.
- Student demonstration of meditation instruction / presentation of Mindfulness
- Meditation instruction and presentation of Mindfulness in the community: Variable
- Certificates of Completion will be issued, pending satisfactory attendance and completion of oral/written responses to questions posed on completion of the sessions.
- Total time for instruction and retreats: 160 hr. (perfect attendance)
Notable:
- Andrew Safer’s (Mindfulness Teacher’s) experience both as a Mindfulness practitioner (55 years) and authorized meditation instructor (30 years).
- Andrew Safer has 13 years experience in Applied Mindfulness program development and presentation.
- A Mindfulness-Awareness orientation is unusual for this type of program.
- Significant retreat time distinguishes this program.
- Participants engage with the instructor, the material, and their peers in real time, as opposed to watching videos. This allows for live Q & A, adapting to evolving situations, and relationship building.
- MAMITC spans 11 months. Our belief is that maintaining a practice and study routine over this extended time frame facilitates integration of both the practice and the principles of Mindfulness presented.
The Session Topics Follow:
PART ONE
MODULE 1: GETTING TO KNOW THE MIND
Session #1: Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness – Breath Awareness
Session #2: Mindfulness-Awareness Meditation / Roots
Session #3: The Four Noble Truths
Session #4: Basic Goodness
Session #5: Mindfulness in Everyday Life
MODULE 2: LIVING QUALITIES OF MINDFULNESS & AWARENESS
Session #6: Loving-Kindness
Session #7: Compassion: The Impulse to Relieve Suffering
Session #8: Thinking of Others
Session #9: Mindful Listening / Communication & Relationships
Session #10: Healthy Relationship with Thoughts I
Session #11: Healthy Relationship with Thoughts II
Session #12: Healthy Relationship with Feelings/Emotions I
Session #13: Healthy Relationship with Feelings/Emotions II
Session #14: Fear & Fearlessness
Session #15: Six Non-Egocentric Actions I
Session #16: Six Non-Egocentric Actions II
Session #17: Ethics of a Meditation Instructor / Teacher
Session #18: Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Body & Life
Session 19: Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Effort & Mind
Session #20: Emptiness
PART TWO
MODULE 3: FROM SELF-CENTEREDNESS TO MINDFULNESS IN THE WORKPLACE
Session #21: The Obstacle of Self-Centeredness
Session #22: Mindfulness Teacher vs. Therapist
Session #23: Science & Research on Mindfulness
Session #24: Mindfulness & the Digital Distraction Minefield
Session #25: Health Care Applications of Mindfulness
Session #26: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness
Session #27: Mindfulness & Education
Session #28: Mindfulness in the Workplace
MODULE 4: FROM MEDITATION INSTRUCTOR’S ROLE TO APPLICATIONS
Session #29: Meditation Instructor’s Role
Session #30: Ethics of a Meditation Instructor
Session #31: Developing an Applied Mindfulness Workshop
Session #32: Your Workshop: Getting Feedback
Session #33: Giving Meditation Instruction: Key Elements
Session #34: Working with a Group
Session #35: Obstacles & Antidotes; Mechanics of Sitting Practice
Session #36: Mindfulness & Stress
Session #37: Mindfulness & Anxiety
Session #38: Mindfulness & Depression
Session #39: Mindfulness & Addictions
Session #40: Mindfulness & Suicidal Thoughts
Book Study & Discussion
The following books are recommended:
Brach, Tara, Radical Acceptance (New York: Bantam), 2004.
Carroll, Michael, Awake at Work (Boston: Shambhala), 2004.
*Chodron, Pema, When Things Fall Apart (Boston: Shambhala), 2016.
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Wherever You Go, There You Are (New York: Hyperion), 2005.
Levine, Stephen, A Gradual Awakening (New York: Anchor Books), 1979.
Neff, Kristin, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself (New York: William Morrow Paperback Edition), 2012.
*Safer, Andrew, Anxiety, Stress & Mindfulness: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Wellness (Wimberly, Texas: 2nd Tier Publishing), 2018.
*Trungpa, Chogyam, Mindfulness in Action (Boston: Shambhala), 2015.
*Trungpa, Chogyam, The Path of Individual Liberation, (Boston: Shambhala), 2013.
By studying, reading, and discussing selected books, your understanding of key Mindfulness principles and teachings will deepen.
We will be reading and discussing chapters from
- When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
- Mindfulness in Action by Chogyam Trungpa
These books will be provided to you in paperback or e-book format.
Mentoring
Participants will have time with a mentor, a flesh-and-blood resource who will guide you and provide feedback re: all aspects of meditation instruction and related issues.
Beneficial Health Effects
A significant amount of evidence-based research shows beneficial outcomes for Mindfulness Training in a variety of applications, ranging from anxiety and depression to overwhelm and burnout. Since the case for the beneficial health effects of Mindfulness has become compelling, this practice has found its way into the mainstream.
In many aspects, our world is upside-down and seriously mixed-up!…and therefore the relevance of Mindfulness continues to grow. One could argue that the need has never been greater. There is no question that individuals with proper training, who exert and apply themselves responsibly and compassionately, will be able to do a great deal of good in this world, which needs so much help.
Nuts and Bolts
This course is Zoom-based (although in-person is offered in the two intensive weekend programs and the five-day Retreat), so students can participate from any location where there is Internet access, either by computer, smartphone, or tablet. A melding of individual effort and collective purpose ignites the momentum of the group going forward. Participants agree to confidentiality, which covers any and all personal and sensitive information shared within the group.
Secular / Outbreath
This course has a Mindfulness-Awareness focus in a secular context, with the exception of key principles and teachings from the Buddhist tradition, presented generically. The outbreath orientation in sitting practice, which is connected to taking a big view / space, informs much of the content that is presented.
Andrew Safer Bio
Andrew began practicing mindfulness in the Zen tradition in California in 1968 after being introduced to Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi, founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, and he began practicing in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition at age 20. He studied with Chogyam Trungpa in Colorado for 14 years, who was founder of the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America–Naropa University.
Andrew trained under his direction in a three-month intensive meditation practice and study program in Colorado. He moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1987, where he became an authorized meditation instructor through Shambhala International in 1993. Andrew has given Mindfulness-Awareness meditation instruction to thousands of students since.
Applied Mindfulness
In 2008, Andrew and his wife, Catherine, moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Between 2010 and 2014, he presented a 6-week Mindfulness workshop series at the Family Life Bureau, Archdiocese of St. John’s. He began to develop and implement Mindfulness workshops for Addictions, Anxiety and Stress, Depression, and Suicide Prevention, as well as for youth, student physicians, health care / mental health and addictions managers, social workers, police, and prison inmates.
Andrew has conducted his Workplace Mindfulness program with university staff, faculty, and students; police; engineers and geoscientists; and healthcare managers. In the later stages of the pandemic, he began offering his Resilience through Mindfulness program in 2022.
Ongoing Practice
After presenting his first Mindfulness workshop series in 2010, it was obvious that people needed a supportive environment for developing an ongoing meditation practice. In 2011, Andrew started leading weekly meditation and book discussion sessions, which has continued to this day. In addition, he leads a seven-day silent Summer Retreat, and two-day Fall and Winter Retreats each year.
Safer Mindfulness (www.safermindfulness.com) is the company Andrew founded in 2014.
Partners
Safer Mindfulness partners on programs in Mental Health and Addictions and the Workplace with Dr. Janna Rosales, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Canadian Mental Health Association—Newfoundland and Labrador; Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador; and the Pottle Centre. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other health care professionals refer clients to Andrew’s programs.
Writing
Andrew worked as a freelance writer for 27 years, specializing in writing business and technology-related articles for magazines. He has written four books, including one biography, a violence-prevention curriculum, Anxiety, Stress & Mindfulness: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Wellness (2nd Tier Publishing, 2018), and Mindfulness for the Workplace, to be published in Spring 2024.
Andrew received CHANNAL’s Hope Award for empowering others in 2017. (CHANNAL, now Lifewise, was the Consumers’ Health Awareness Network Newfoundland and Labrador.)
Outcomes
Outcomes from his programs are posted here: https://safermindfulness.com/outcomes/
Note: Kathy Porter will be conducting some of the mentoring and book study/discussion sessions.
Kathy Porter Bio
Kathy Porter has been studying and practicing Mindfulness-Awareness Meditation for the past 11 years, and has been a meditation instructor for 6 years. She has participated in and helped to organize annual week-long silent retreats, led by Andrew, as well as regular shorter retreats throughout the year.
She has also served as a mentor for Andrew’s Mindfulness and Depression workshop series, as well as for the first-ever local program on Suicide Prevention Through Mindfulness Training. Before her retirement, Kathy worked with the CBC in Newfoundland and Labrador in various journalistic roles, including reporter, host, and producer.
Program Cost: Part One: January 2024 to June 2024………….$1,425.00 ($ Can.)
Part Two: September 2024 to January 2025……………………… $1,430.00
Total……………………………………………………………………….. $2,850.00*
* This amount covers all program expenses (including books), excluding any in-person retreat costs incurred either at Safer Mindfulness’ Summer Retreat in Newfoundland, or Retreats located elsewhere.
- $250.00 Deposit (Can. $) (Part One) is due with application*;
- $250.00 Deposit (Part Two) is due by December 15, 2024.
- $235.00 / month for 10 months (September – June) is due on the first of each month.
*Refundable if entry criteria are not met.