Why Meditation Coaching?
Whether you are a new meditator or an experienced one, chances are that you have some unanswered questions about the practice, or some obstacles that you struggle with. Here is where a meditation coach can be helpful.
Perhaps you feel the need to:
- Better integrate meditation and mindfulness in your daily life
- Establish a daily meditation habit
- Find which techniques better suit your unique needs and personality
- Deepen your practice
- Prevent negative side effects you might be experiencing
- Understand certain experiences that you had in meditation
- Re-kindle a passion and enthusiasm for the practice
- Overcome obstacles
- Clarify questions about the practice and philosophy of meditation
I’ve shared a lot of that in my articles, courses, and my meditation book—and you can definitely learn from those.
But sometimes we really need someone to talk to face to face, to explain our difficulties, to pour out our questions, and to get personalized advice. That can help you shortcut the process, and avoid a lot of frustration.
Why Giovanni?
Many times on my meditation journey I had doubts or uncertainties that I couldn’t clarify at that time. I also often came across obstacles that I didn’t know how to address.
Sometimes my meditation teachers could help me—but at other times they just added to the confusion, and it took me years to find the solution by myself.
Sometimes the understanding and techniques I needed came by studying traditional sources (such as classical books on Buddhism and Yoga). At other times, it came only by looking outside of the meditation literature, running my own experiments, and learning from experts in fields that had nothing to do with meditation.
After a lot of struggle, experimentation, nearly 10,000 hours of practice, and hundreds of books read, I came to know certain things which, had I known in the beginning, would have saved me much time and effort.
I have already gone through all this trouble, so you don’t need to. If you need any type of help with your practice, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Do you want to have a feel for how it could be to work with me? Here is a short video of me exploring one basic concept of meditation practice.
Your Next Step
Do you want me to be your personal meditation coach?
If what you need is the ability to ask me a few questions from time to time, and to have me for support and accountability, then check out my Limitless Life Platinum Plan, which includes monthly coaching calls.
On the other hand, if you want a deeper engagement, you can hire me for a one-on-one online meditation coaching session.
For that, fill in the form below, and tell me about your background, questions, and goals with meditation. I’ll then answer you and let you know if I can help you, and if I have any coaching slots currently available.
To feel more relaxed, focused and to dramatically reduce stress. Our one-on-one private coaching program will help you find the perfect meditation practice, catered 100% to you, wherever you are in the world.
The Path offers private meditation teachers for one-hour sessions to:
- Reduce stress
- Increase clarity, productivity & efficiency
- Help you tap into your deep, natural insight
- Experience how much easier it is to make better decisions, in all areas of your life
- Increase feelings of wellness, gratitude & compassion
Like a personal trainer, our teachers will also motivate you to build, and continue, a daily practice, so your life .. truly .. transforms through your meditation practice
You can choose:
- “Expert Teacher” with years of teaching experience; one of the top teachers in the country
- “Teacher” a certified meditation teacher, often a graduate of The Path’s certificate Teacher Training Program
After you purchase your sessions, email us at sit@thepath.com with a bit about you and your meditation goals, and we’ll match you with a teacher perfect for you. The first step is to purchase your sessions here:Expert Teacher Teacher
With a private meditation coach, your practice and understanding of the wisdom behind the meditation will quickly deepen. You’ll also gain the tools to build and sustain a daily practice catered to you.
Our Expert Teachers are the most experienced in the country and can teach mindfulness meditation, mantra, energizing or meditation to accomplish a goal (such as compassion or gratitude). They’ll help you hone in on the practice that’s right for you.
Our Teachers are certified to teach mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, two powerful practices to set you on a course for insight, calm and an open heart.
You’ll notice a difference not just on the cushion but in your life and ease in relationships, at work, and in your personal life. Welcome to The Path.
How to Become a Meditation Teacher or Coach
Meditation has always been a personal and essential part of my daily life. It had never occurred to me to ever share meditation until one day I was asked to teach in a class. That’s when I went through the nerve-wracking process of having to figure out how to become a meditation teacher. Back then, I couldn’t find anything by Googling, “how to teach meditation.” So I awkwardly navigated this process on my own. During that time, I was still developing my own practice and questioned whether I could guide others.
Trying to share meditation started off as a messy process in my head. I wasn’t sure how to start. But soon I found that the simple intention of sitting together eventually created a clear, calm space to share. Since I had no context for teaching meditation, I copied my way of teaching yoga as a guide for teaching meditation. I always started with nervousness and a great deal of self-consciousness. What if they discovered I was a fraud? But after the first few minutes of guiding meditation, there would be a profound peaceful shift – no matter what I said. I felt this shift within myself and in the class.
In the beginning, it was hard to tell how much students were benefiting from the guided meditation practice. It was silent. No one said much and often left quietly. But with each class, I began to discover something I had not expected: the pure and simple joy of sharing meditation. I felt profound peace like I had never felt before.
It wasn’t long after that my students began to open up and share their own experience with meditation. They expressed genuine gratitude for having the opportunity to learn and practice in a gym setting. Around that same time, I also began offering meditation to my coaching clients and saw them soar to new heights with their own personal practice. Mindfulness provided them with more clarity, presence and awareness, which helped them in all aspects of their life.
If you’re considering teaching meditation, I’d like to share some tips with you to get started. Mindful practice enhances any process, whether it’s cooking, sports, sales, creative arts, performance or work. If you’re a yoga teacher, a mother with a lot of responsibility, or perhaps you manage a team of people, you will find basic techniques, like breathing and centering, instrumental to improving the quality your life experience.
Anyone can become a meditation coach or teacher with time, practice and dedication. If you’re considering expanding your leadership skill set, I highly recommend meditation coach training as part of your personal development.
Step 1: Develop your own meditation practice. It’s important to make meditation a part of your everyday life. The knowledge and insight you receive from your own practice will anchor you as a teacher or coach so that you can help people tap into the best versions of themselves.
- What one or two techniques are you going to focus on to fully develop?
- How much time are you willing to commit each day?
Step 2: Begin sharing meditation! Start with what you know. Teach from your own practice. Find people who are willing to practice with you. Offer to teach meditation at your workplace, or at a center, or wherever you are. It’s all about the intention and willingness to share meditation.
- It’s all about practice.
- Start with writing your own meditations, then practice recording them.
Step 3: Refine your offering. Think about what kind of meditations you would like to offer; the practices, styles, or techniques you want to develop.
- Know your audience. Who are the people you would like to offer meditation services to?
- Develop meditation material so that people are familiar with your work.
Meditation is a life-changing practice. When you provide this resource to others, you also experience the profound benefit of calm and inner-peace.
As a coach, meditation has helped me and my clients experience less stress and confusion in our sessions, by starting from a place of calm, clarity and focus. As a result, there was more flow and insight that emerged from our time together. It also allowed me to work with more people because I had more energy every day. It felt incredibly fulfilling to provide an inner-resource for clients that would benefit them for the rest of their lives.
If you’ve thought about sharing meditation with others, and becoming a meditation coach or teacher, I invite you to learn more about our LIBERATE Meditation Coach Training course. I’m happy to answer your questions and look forward to receiving any comments or insights that you post below.
1. Do your research.
If you’re interested in meditation, this part should be easy. Take some time to learn as much as you can about it. Study the different types, take a class, speak to people who teach, and get a regular practice going. With all of the resources available both off- and online (think digital meditation classes and guided meditation phone apps), there’s no reason not to be well-versed in the practice. Article continues below
2. Hone your practice.
The most basic requirement for becoming a teacher is to walk the walk. If you’re going to teach others how to meditate, you absolutely need to have a solid practice of your own. To start, set aside a specific time of day, every day, to meditate (a 10-minute morning session works best for me). You can also attend retreats, meditate with friends, and, most importantly, talk to people in the meditation community to deepen your understanding. Exposing yourself to differing perspectives and methods will help you navigate your own practice and better understand your future students.
3. Make sure you’re going into it for the right reasons.
One big question you need to ask yourself is why you want to be a meditation teacher in the first place. If your goal is to become a world-famous, super-rich meditation guru, you might be in this for the wrong reasons. However, if you fall into one of these three categories, your intentions are probably more in line with what this journey entails:
- You’re a knowledge-seeker and crave more education in the central types of meditation. You want to become a master meditator and dive deeper into your daily practice, but have no aspirations to teach regularly.
- You’re a wellness expert. Maybe you’re a yoga teacher or a mental health professional. You know how powerful meditation can be, and you want your clients to sleep more soundly, live with less stress or anxiety, and enjoy the other unique benefits that meditation can offer.
- Teaching meditation is your calling. You’ve experienced the profound effects of meditation in your own life and are passionate about sharing the practice with as many people as possible.
Whichever category you fall into, as long as your intentions are pure, this path is one that will welcome you with open arms and continue to grow and evolve with you.
4. Participate in an immersive teacher training with a credible instructor.
To get good at anything, you need plenty of practice. Committing to an extensive and defined course is a great way to accelerate your learning and is the most effective option for truly understanding the ins and outs of teaching. Be sure to choose your program wisely. Research the program, the teacher(s) that will be guiding you, and the deliverables you’ll leave the training with. The training you complete will influence the teacher you become. Make sure that the values of the organization and teacher are aligned with yours so that you can fully surrender into the role of student as you dive deeper into this learning.
Teaching others can seem daunting at first, but like anything else, it just takes practice. Start with a small group of friends or co-workers, and keep each session to 10-15 minutes. Starting with people you know is a great way to ease into teaching new people. Guide your students in your learned style and make sure to speak clearly, skillfully, and in a soothing manner to promote relaxation of the mind.
Ready to start sharing your gift with a wider audience? Here are a few great ways to do it:
- Start a meditation group on meetup.com.
- Record a series of meditations and put them on Insight Timer or YouTube.
- Put up flyers around your neighborhood and host a group meditation in a park or community center.
- Start a Facebook group to advertise your teachings and attract more mediators.
- Talk to a local yoga or wellness studio about setting up a session or two per week.
A note about certifications:
While there is no official board that certifies all meditation teachers, there are many certifications that you can acquire such as the 100-Hour Teacher Training at The Path in NYC (Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, The Path and Pure Yoga) and Journey Meditation’s 100-Hour Teacher Training in NYC (Journey Meditation Teacher Training Program).
Whether you’re wanting to deepen your practice or are ready to become a teacher, know that every time you meditate you are cultivating your own inner peace and sharing that gift with the world, which is so needed right now.
How do I start meditating?
An easy way to start is by listening to a short guided meditation on your phone or computer.
How can a coach help me succeed?
A coach can keep you accountable so that you practice consistently (this is more important than how many minutes you practice each day). They’ll check in regularly to see how you’re progressing and can give you tips when you are stuck, help you set the right pace, explain unfamiliar concepts, and suggest meditation resources. Hire a meditation coach.
“My coach has been truly amazing. I am so grateful. The accountability, insight, personal care, and friendly motivation has been a game changer for me.” ~ Coach.me User
What happens during a guided meditation?
A coach will first ask you to get into a comfortable position. They might instruct you to close your eyes or look at the screen if there’s a visual component.
- Breathing exercises
- Body scans: you’ll pay attention to different parts of your body, noticing how they feel and looking for points of tension.
- Focus exercises: you’ll notice your thoughts and practice letting them drift away.
- Sensory exercises or meditation music: you’ll look at images/videos or listen to sounds.
- Affirmations: you’ll listen to or recite positive statements about you or the world around you.
Do I have to stop thinking when I meditate?
No, the point of meditation is to get better at focusing your attention.
For example, if you’re doing a breathing exercise, you’ll try to focus only on your breath. It’s universal that your mind will wander and that you will have trouble focusing. Over time, you’ll gain better control over where your attention goes.
Many people report frustration when their mind wanders, but this is unnecessary. In fact, becoming aware of your mind wandering and then bringing it back to your point of focus is often the major activity of a meditation session.
What should I do if my mind wanders during a meditation?
When you notice your mind getting distracted, bring your attention back to your point of focus: your breath, the affirmation playing, or the visual in front of you. Don’t get upset, just recognize that it happened and let it go.
How long should a meditation last?
Start with short meditations: 1-5 minutes per session is a great start.
The most successful mediators on Coach.me started with just 2-5 minute sessions and were able to accept that their mind would wander. People who failed to build a meditation practice had the opposite expectations: that they could sit down for 30 minutes with a perfectly clear mind.
In our study, success or failure in building a meditation practice was largely a matter of expectations. Short consistent sessions led to the most effective meditation practices