Sage Institute’s Meditation Leader Training

Sage; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

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Sage Institute’s 200-Hour Meditation Leader Training is a comprehensive program designed similarly to established yoga teacher training programs — to train experienced practitioners to share basic meditation skills with others.

While all spiritual traditions have carefully crafted methods for creating a balanced life, few Westerners have the opportunity to directly experience contemplative practice free of unfamiliar religious or cultural forms.

What do we want? Mindfulness! (Piraro)

While Sage introduces its students to the prevailing meditative forms in the West such as Zen and Vipassana (Insight), its 200-hour program has developed its own inclusive, secular approach to teaching contemplative practice, suitable for trainees of any tradition.

This certification program is ideal for experienced practitioners working in the fields of:

• yoga
• psychology
• health
• wellbeing

as well as spiritual guides or ministers from any tradition, or other experienced meditation practitioners who would like to share basic practice techniques with their students, clients, or community.

Payment ($2,985) programs, scholarships, and work-study opportunities are available. (Please inquire).

Personal experience

If we wake up, let's wake up together.

“In the beginning, when I came into this program, I was doing it for myself and for my profession.

“What I recognized very quickly was the importance of my own practice in order to bring what I was learning into my work with others.

“In deepening my own practice with these teachings, I’ve now been able to offer what I’ve been learning in a much more effective way and from a place of experience.

“I’ve gotten so, so much from this program around how our practice becomes our experience, which then becomes our offering. I can really see how this program could be used in so many ways in so many different professions…

“I don’t know that I can think of a profession that couldn’t benefit from the meditation and mindfulness training that Sage offers!”

— Sage Institute graduate

Program curriculum

Sage's program is built around a comprehensive curriculum in meditation and mindfulness-related practices, including:

• Meditation Techniques  — Mindfulness, Vipassana (Insight), Zen, MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction)
• Basic Mindfulness Practices 
• Mindfulness of Mind Practices 
• Group and Interpersonal Interaction — both within the class and for leading meditation groups
• Psychological and Physiological Aspects of Meditation Practice 
• Creativity and Artistic Expression
• Working with Difficult Emotions
• Teacher Boundaries and Ethics
• Inclusivity and Social Change 
• How to Create Meditation Groups and Classes
• Instructing Meditation Skills and Techniques
• Service Work

200 hour requirements breakdown:

Hand mudra indicating state in meditation

• 2 hrs = Personal practice history reflection
• 25 hrs = Initial Intensive Week
• 12 hrs = Formal Insight meditation practice (teacher guided)
• 12 hrs = Formal Zen meditation practice (teacher guided)
• 100 hrs = Biweekly online lessons and biweekly Zoom classes
• 18 hrs = Peer group and mentor calls (1-2 hrs/month)
• 12 hrs = Service to community or organization
• 9 hrs = Personal practice meetings w/ teachers/mentors
• 10 hrs​ = Research project/presentation
• 200 hrs = Total More