A person can learn the instructions. Sit upright. Notice the breath. Recognize when the mind wanders. Return. Those instructions are important. But I do not think knowing the instructions alone is enough to make someone a good meditation teacher. To teach meditation well, we have to appreciate the practice ourselves. By appreciation, I do not…
Experience matters in meditation teaching because real students bring real questions, real difficulties, and real needs. This post explores why credentials can be helpful, but hands-on experience is often what teaches a meditation instructor how to respond with clarity, flexibility, and understanding.
Meditation can become unnecessarily complicated, especially for beginners. This post explores why simple, clear instructions often provide the strongest foundation—and why returning to the basics is not the same as going backward.
You do not need to meditate for twenty or thirty minutes for the practice to be worthwhile. Especially when you are beginning, five minutes can be enough to learn how to sit, notice when the mind wanders, and gently return to the present moment. A short practice you actually do can be more valuable than a longer practice you keep putting off.
I remember being in a Shambhala training class when the teacher said something that stayed with me: in a guided meditation, silence is not the absence of teaching. Silence is part of the teaching. That idea changed the way I thought about guiding meditation. When we are new to teaching, there can be a temptation…
I have learned a great deal about meditation from teachers, books, training programs, and years of personal practice. But some of the most useful lessons I have learned about teaching meditation have come from the people sitting in front of me. Students tell you when an explanation makes sense. They also tell you—sometimes without saying…