15 Day 100-Hour Meditation Teacher Training Course in Dharamsala, Himalayas, India

The 100-hour meditation teacher training program provides the training, support, and supervision to individuals wishing to deepen their own personal practice, teach friends and family members, incorporate meditation training into their existing professions, or develop a private meditation teaching practice. This program incorporates yogic, non-religious, and scientific meditation practices. Many topics focus on the effects of acute and chronic stress on the body and mind.

Classes involve Restorative yoga and pranayama practice, facilitated discussions, exercises, and deep connection with your peers. The course requires no experience and all body types are welcome.

In this course, you will be immersed in meditation practices, supported by gentle yoga and pranayama. You will learn a foolproof way to teach anyone how to meditate, and practice teaching what you have learned in this course as well as your personal experience accumulated during the sessions. You will be thoroughly coached by dedicated teachers to enhance your presentation and teaching skills and practice how to share what you have learned with a variety of audiences.

Course standards

This program meets the standards and curriculum of Yoga Alliance as a continuing education program for yoga teachers.

• Techniques training and practice: Includes preparatory asana, pranayama, kriya, chanting, mantra, meditation, philosophy of meditation, teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, yogic lifestyle, modern and scientific meditation techniques, energy anatomy and physiology, chakras, naadis, and so on. This includes both the study of the subject and applications of the principles to yoga practice, such as the benefits, contraindications, healthy movement patterns and more. You will also receive analytical training on how to teach and practice the techniques, and guided practice of the techniques themselves.
• Practicum: Includes practice teaching, receiving feedback, observing others teaching, and hearing / giving feedback. Also includes assisting students while someone else is teaching.

Overview of the course content

Preparatory practices

As preparation for meditation, gentle Restorative yoga will be taught twice a day. This helps to improve muscular relaxation.

Pranayama

Pranayama is breathing techniques. Pranayama has two aspects: breath regulation and breath observation. Pranayama is a very important aspect of meditation practice. Pranayama purifies the mind and prepares the mind for meditation. It facilitates oneself to deeply concentrate while meditating. It detoxes the mind and the body, as well as helping you to reach the inner realm of awareness.

Mudra practices

Mudras are the flow of energy in the body. The position of the hands while practicing a meditation technique is very important. Mudras are a combination of subtle physical movements which alter the mood, attitude, and perception and which deepens awareness and concentration. Mudras enable the meditation practitioner to develop an awareness of the flow of prana, the vital energy in the body. Ultimately, they establish pranic balance within the body and redirect the subtle energy to the upper chakras, inducing higher states of consciousness.

Kriyas

This is the daily practice of therapeutic yoga which includes neti - yogic nostril cleansing, trataka - gazing at the flame to improve concentration, and shambhavi mudra - preparatory practice for Third Eye Meditation.

Meditation friendly diet

The diet plays an important role in meditation practice. As the well-known proverb goes “the man is what he eats” - the food we consume influences our mind and body. This course focuses on yogic or sattvic diet, which makes meditation more effective.

Energy anatomy

Energy anatomy involves the theoretical framework of the energy body (pranic body), nadis (energy channels), chakras (energy centers) and the application of its principles in meditation practice, benefits of opening the nadis and chakras through meditation. the movement of healthy energies within the body, characteristics of a person whose chakras are opened, the kundalini system and kundalini awakening meditation techniques.

Discussed theories of meditation

• Various definitions of meditation, its roots, its theories, its aims and goals, and the myths and misconceptions about meditations
• Preparatory practices for meditation, including both internal and external preparations
• Meditative psychology
• Difficulties faced during meditation and how to overcome them
• Different types of meditation practices and their applications
• The scientifically proven physiological and psychological benefits of a regular meditation practice
• How meditation trains your attention
• The mind and the body connection and creative well-being
• Stress and its effects on the mind and body
• How to shift the stress response from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest” and the need for cognitive change
• Transcendental experiences in meditation and the role of spiritual intelligence
• The spiritual side of meditation, mystic and wisdom traditions, awakened states of awareness, and self-discoveries
• Creating a personal practice and nourishing daily routine

Different types of meditation

• Relaxation meditation
• Concentration meditation
• Chakra balancing meditation
• Kundalini meditation
• Yoga Nidra Meditation
• Pranic awareness meditation
• Mantra meditation
• Mindfulness meditation
• Loving Kindness meditation
• Group meditation and Nature meditation
• Third Eye/Shambhavi mudra meditation

Certification

After completing the course successfully, you will be certified to teach meditation. You will be able to design your own meditation training program to suit the people you come across. It can be any of the techniques you have learned or a mixture of different meditation techniques. You do not have to have any particular method. Every method, if practiced diligently, will give results.

You will be able to offer and share with your students a comprehensive meditation method that can propel their spiritual practice or help to discover inner peace, harmony within oneself and in relationships, inspiration, creativity, wellbeing and a sense of fulfillment, better physical and psychological health, and self-awareness.

As a certified meditation teacher, you will likely be asked to present meditation classes and lead programs in a variety of settings. On this course, you will learn how to do that, whether you are invited to present at a lunch-and-learn at a corporate headquarter, or to a classroom full of kids who want an experience of mindfulness. You will have everything you need to do it!

Typical daily schedule

• 06:00 - 08:00 Mantra chanting, pranayama, and guided meditation
• 08:30 - 10:00 Asana practice and kriya practice
• 10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
• 11:00 - 13:00 Theory class and workshops
• 13:00 - 15:00 Lunch break
• 15:00 - 16:00 Theory class, workshops, and Q & A sessions
• 16:00 - 17:00 Techniques training, special workshops, and chakra workshops
• 17:00 - 19:00 Silent sitting, self-guided meditations, and trataka practice on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• 20:00 - 21:00 Satsang, Q & A session on meditation philosophy, and spirituality related topics on Tuesday and Thursday