Next course starts Sunday 30th of April, 2023.

This course gives participants a thorough background in meditation and styles of meditation and the history and purposes of each.

Note that this course will be conducted online via Zoom (apart from a weekend Retreat)

What will you get from this course?

On completing the Diploma of Meditation and Mindfulness, you will be able to teach meditation and/or mindfulness in the way that is best suited to you and your intended students. On top of that, you will be one of the few meditation teachers who has a really good grasp of what meditation in various ways and traditions can bring about in your intended students. And of course, on completion, your practice will have increased in considerable depth.

Our information booklet is available by snail mail to your home address or to download as PDF. (Click the image above). The booklet is very comprehensive and gives you a breakdown of every topic through that throughout the course and a brief summary of of the content of the topic.

Prerequisites: Prior practice of at least 12 months, plus a willingness to practice still-mind meditation on a daily basis.

Course Outline

Briefly the course ranges from background and history and traditions to the biology of stress and health-related aspects which bring people to meditation, brain function and meditation, research and meditation. The program explores the differences between still traditional still mind meditation and more modern approaches such as goal oriented mindfulness traditional mindfulness active mind meditation is like visualisation and some very common tools for meditation and the purposes of them. For instance you could ask yourself what is mantra: is it the same as positive affirmation it? Are there differences between the way ancient Sanskrit mantras were used and modern uses of mantra?

The program will also take you into practical experience of actual teaching a variety of people. Your tuition will include the principles of planning a class and delivering it in such a way that you know that people are getting what you plan to give them. Before that you have to understand what is you really do want to give them – these are methodological issues of teaching.

And then there are some very critical issues in meditation, such as how to tell the difference between a transcendent state and a psychotic state; knowing when to refer clients that you might not be able to help; knowing how to screen clients for the benefit as well is yours; knowing when it’s okay to allow someone their space or when it’s good to intervene. 

Some points of interest are:

The Cognitive view of the Self-Construct
Cognitive psychology comes closest to recognising how the mind produces a sense of self, and then regards it as a real entity. While there will not be time to explore much of the theoretical literature of cognitive psychology, we will at least glance at some of the easiest to use cognitive self-interventions, as a way of helping oneself and others become aware of the way the mind mistakes egocentric distortions for reality.

Particular issues of still mind meditation

The stillness state is non-verbal - how can you possibly teach it?
There are some simple ways that a person can be encouraged to sit in stillness, and to be able to get at least a glimmer of understanding of the no-mind state, or even of that radical transformation called enlightenment. “Enlightenment” is in fact the capacity to experience reality directly without the intervention and distortion of mental constructs. But to offer meditation tools effectively, you have to understand how they achieve their purpose.

Competency to teach/communicate

The other essential aspect of teaching still-mind meditation is to be able to put into words information about a state that is empty of words and concepts. You must communicate rationally and analytically about a state that is neither rational nor irrational. This is confusing for many, but a rational communication can be achieved. Irrational statements rely on people trusting your word, because they won’t be able to see anything for themselves. All this achieves is to make some people dependent on you, and to turn others away from meditation altogether, an unfortunate result in either case.

Modern Physicalist approaches to Meditation

Physicalist approaches can also be called reductionist. When Herbert Benson began his famous studies into meditation in the 1970s, he started with measures like taking the pulse electrical conductivity of the skin and other biometric ways of exploring meditation – that is he reduced the meditation state to physical functions of the body. This is a great benefit in this in some ways because that’s something that every body has while inner states are subjective and very from person-to-person. It also enabled the scientific community to begin to take an interest in meditation. There is a downside though in that meditation may be seen to be only a matter of biometric changes, and perhaps it’s more than that.

Prerequisites: at least one year of meditation practice
Principal Teacher: Swami Shantananda
Assisting Teachers: Sarasvati Sally Dawson and Danni Brown
Study Options: P/T
Duration: This is a 120 hour, plus weekend retreat, course conducted over 6-7 months (approx.)
Starting Date: Sunday, 30 April 2023 
Cost: $4500 (inclusive of Retreat accommodation & meal costs)

Note: This course will be via a combination of on-campus and online via Zoom.