“It’s not the style of meditation that matters, but the ability of the teacher to awaken and safely guide the student to their own truth.”
- David
Welcome to Meditation School's 250-Hour Meditation Teacher TrainingÂ
Stand in 'presence' as a meditation teacher, guide and conscious-business owner! Join David Gandelman and 10 industry-leading teachers from various traditions as well as 4 conscious-business experts who've supported teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Wim Hof, Sharon Salzberg, Robert Wright and Michael Singer for a high-touch meditation teacher certification training.
Three, 3-Month Levels
9 months to deepen your personal practice, develop as a professional teacher and establish a heart-centered business. Feb 7th - Oct 26th!
2 Live-Classes Per Month on Zoom
18, 2 & 3 hour classes over 9 months to truly master your craft. A guest-teacher will join David one class each month. See the curriculum below!
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Private and Group Mentorship
9 monthly mentorship groups and 3 private sessions with a teacher to embody your teaching skills, practice and the concepts. 5 or less students per group.
Virtual Retreat
One half-day virtual retreat. Last class of Level 3 is a 6-hour, half/day retreat to deepen your practice and teaching experience.
World-leading Teachers
10 industry leading meditation teachers across traditions and 4 business experts join David to co-teach and mentor
Dedicated Slack Channel
Dedicated Slack channel where you can be in community, ask questions and get access to resources.
Recordings and Resources
Access to all the recordings for at least 2 years and a Teacher's Resource PDF Guide
250-Hour Certification
250-Hour Meditation Teacher Training Certification.Â
Ongoing Support Staff
A dedicated staff to make sure you have everything you need to keep you on track.
Practicum
Starting in Level 2, students will have 30-minute practicums twice a month. During these sessions, they will guide each other through 10-15 minute meditations, which they can then use for their meditation hours.
Office Hours
Office hours with David and other teachers to address questions, provide additional guidance, and enhance your learning experience.
Extended Access Post-Training
Enjoy 18 months of unrestricted access to all recordings and materials after the conclusion of the training.
Teacher Training Guidebook
Receive a 80-plus page guidebook containing all class notes, materials, and essential links from the training.
Meditation Business Launch Guide
A special PDF guide, with all content from Level 3. This resource offers updated links to the top hardware and software solutions to initiate or expand your meditation business.
Exclusive Access to Aligned Virtual Teams
Get a first-come, first-served access to Aligned Virtual Teams, co-founded by David, Jona, and Bindi. Their company specializes in aiding budding meditation teachers with skilled and affordable virtual assistants to scale their businesses.
How is this teacher training different?
Most teacher training programs will walk you through the basics of mindfulness based stress reduction techniques, or other similar tools, but there is a lot more to being a professional teacher with a thriving business. Learn to teach from 'presence', set the energy of a room and develop a style from your heart.
Join The WaitlistWhat Students Are Saying
Jen Reed
This training helped open up so much for me. The first section was especially powerful and sometimes painful, but on the other side, it is beautiful. Many stuck energies have been dislodged and I am feeing more confident than ever, not only as a meditation guide, but also as a human navigating this existence. I would recommend this program to anyone who is open to putting in the hard emotional work!
Katja Astner
David's Teacher Training Program transcended the typical educational experience. His exceptional wisdom and expertise, delivered in a bucket full of humor, made this training truly exceptional. It was not merely an immersion into a profound knowledge of meditation practices and diving deep into your own practice, but a transformative journey that encouraged me to grow as a person and a teacher. The inclusion of well-known guest teachers offered authentic and unpretentious insights into their methods and also their business models. Truly grateful for being part of this incredible experience.
Tami Droese
This program expanded my healing meditation practice and gave me the tools and confidence to teach on my own and develop my meditation teaching space.
Jossy Pike
What sets this training apart from others is not only the opportunity to learn from multiple teachers but also to have an entire module focused on the business side. Thoroughly enjoyable, informative and professional.
Kate Mishcon
Website | Instagram
Joining this meditation teacher training was the best decision I ever made. I was a bit concerned at first as I'm based in the UK and was worried about time zones, but Jona and David couldn't have been more accommodating, and changed the hours each month to make sure that people outside of the US could join as many classes as possible.
David has the most engaging teaching style and had me hooked from day 1. His programme combined a really impressive range of expert speakers, with excellent reading materials, teaching practice spaces and inspiring live classes. I'd highly recommend this incredible programme!
What Kind of Meditation Style Is Taught In The Teacher Training?
The Structure Of Teacher Training
This Teacher Training program is structured in three distinct levels.
Each level lasts 3 months, making up a comprehensive 9-month journey.
Over the 9 months, you'll attend a total of 18 classes.Â
Each month, you'll participate in both a 2-hour and a 3-hour class. Beyond the classes, you'll also get 9 monthly small-group mentorship sessions.
Each level offers you a private mentorship session, book studies and dedicated meditation hours for your own personal growth.
Level 1
Mastering Meditation as a TeacherÂ
The first 3 months of teacher training focus on deepening your own personal meditation practice, understanding the philosophy and teachings of the world’s great traditions, and awakening to a deeper level of presence as a guide. See our in-depth class by class schedule below.
One of the most important aspects of meditation is having a consistent meditation practice. As you move through the program, engage with the material, and meditate regularly, you will naturally land into a consistent structure for your own practice.
Traditionally, one of the goals of meditation has been to find, or awaken to, enlightenment. Sometimes we refer to this state as nirvana, samadhi, satori, or moksha. It is a place beyond identification with the mind, and the home to your true nature as a being. In Level one, you will learn the philosophy behind awakening, and move into the energy of it through practice.
This training is non-ideological in the sense that we do not adhere to one tradition, but recognize that every tradition was created by an individual who had an awakening experience, and built a structure around that experience to help others find it in themselves. With that in mind, level 1 and beyond will offer you the opportunity to find your own truth and wisdom that is derived from your inner work, and level 2 will teach you how to share that wisdom.
Level 1: Class Schedule and Curriculum
Level 2
Mastering Your Teaching Skills
In this phase of training you’ll learn how to teach what you know. As you solidify what kind of meditation practice, principles, and philosophy you ascribe to and want to share with the world, you’ll have the opportunity to teach in small groups, write out your own guided meditations, and get real-time feedback on your style from your peers and teachers.Â
You’ll also overcome fear of public speaking in a safe and structured way. As a teacher in training you’ll learn to connect with your students from your heart and use your presence to help calm, comfort, and awaken them to their own truth.Â
As you begin to relax as a teacher and guide, which only comes through practice, you may find yourself enjoying teaching more and more. The more you enjoy being in this sacred space, the more your students will trust you as their guide, and keep returning to your classes.
By the end of level 2 you will have had ample experience and opportunities to teach, hold space, and develop your craft. As you graduate from level 2, we’ll begin to explore how to become a teacher in a professional way in level 3.
Level 2: Class Schedule & Curriculum
Level 3
The Business of Teaching & ServingÂ
The last level of teacher training will be primarily focused on how to get your message out into the world, attract students, and set up a sustainable and sacred business structure that sustains you financially, and serves the world.
You’ll learn to simplify and craft your offers, brand your teachings in a way that aligns with your values, find the right marketing channels for your work, hire and scale a team in affordably and to share your light with the world.
We’ll also work on the mindset of abundance and prosperity as a meditation teacher. It’s no secret the majority of meditation teachers in the world today struggle with making a living.
Collectively, the experts in this certification training have worked with over-500 six, multi-six and seven figure earning meditation and spiritual teachers — and we are here to help you set yourself up for success, joy, and healthy finances while teaching in integrity.
This training will help you overcome energetic limitations, and teach you the practical tools to achieve your career goals with alignment and integrity.
Level 3: Class Schedule & Curriculum
Watch at Your Convenience
Missed a Live Class? No Problem!
All our classes are recorded and uploaded to your library within 24 hours after the live session. This ensures you can watch and learn at your convenience, fitting the training seamlessly into your schedule. Whether you’re catching up or revisiting lessons, you’ll have easy access to all the material whenever you need it.
Join The Waitlist
Graduation Requirements
Complete 100% of the classes live or by recording. Contact us at [email protected] if this is a challenge for your timezone.
Attend at least 75% of your 9 small-group mentorship calls and all 3 of your private sessions
15 Hours of teaching on your own time reported to your mentor. 1.5 - 2 hours will take place during break-out calls.
Hand-in 3, 10-20 minute guided meditation audios.
Engage in a book study component, which includes required reading from select texts. Please note, participants will need to purchase these books themselves as they are not included in the course materials.
Submit a final paper reflecting your learning and experience throughout the course.
250-Hours Breakdown
18 Classes: 45 Hours
9 Mentorship Groups: 13.5 Hours
1 Half-Day Virtual Retreat: 6 Hours
3 Private Mentorship Sessions: 3 Hours
Recorded Meditations: 10 Hours
Teaching Hours: 15 Hours
Book Study:Â 35 Hours
Practice Time: 121.5 Hours
David Gandelman
David Gandelman is a spiritual teacher, author, and guide, whose mission is to awaken souls on their path of growing into being human, and living an enlightened, purpose-driven life.
He is the founder of the Meditation School app, and host of the Meditation School, Energy Matters, and Grounded Sleep podcasts. His meditations have been streamed millions of times. He has taught at Cornell University, NBC Universal, SAP, and numerous other organizations. David is also a top-ten teacher on Insight Timer.
David holds a B.A. in Western philosophy from Rutgers University, which combined with his studies in Eastern spiritual traditions living in the Himalayas, as well as his experience as the director of a school for intuitive development and mysticism in Hawaii, informs a teaching style that connects energetic experience, ancient wisdom traditions, and humor in order to create a safe atmosphere for people interested in learning to meditate and develop into their potential.
David Gandelman’s Grounded Mind Program has made learning to meditate easy and accessible. Honestly, I can’t believe how quickly I was able to see progress – in my ability to calm my brain as well as my ability to handle stress. I have become a meditator after only four months of this one year program, and I look forward to my next meditation each week.
Grounded Mind has helped me dive deeper into my meditation practice. David's meditations have enabled me to stop taking my stress so seriously, move out old energy, and start to cultivate the new kind energy I want in my life. I even felt less tired and more energized at the end of the meditations, and I continue to use those tools daily.
Full Program Cost
One Time Payment
$5499
$5999 (Save $500)
Payment Plan
$1499.75
4 Payments
Reviews
See what people on Insight Timer say about David's meditation courses.
"I have found that this pandemic has been kind of lonely for me and I don’t mean that in severe way. Like you know, I’m home now with my amazing wife and my amazing two kids and I have my family around me but there's a certain lack of social interaction that is missing from me. And so early in March for the first time ever i ended up just going to the guided tab in Insight Timer just because I kind of just wanted to hear someone else’s voice and i've actually been doing these guided meditations almost consistently since March now and they range from courses. I know you've talked about Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, David Gandelman, Sarah Blondin. They’re just some amazing guided meditation coaches on Insight Timer."
The Full Curriculum
Quick Breakdown of the Full Curriculum
Classes
Every second Wednesday (5:00 -7:00 pm PST)
Every fourth Saturday (9:00 AM -12:00 PM PST)
Mentorship Groups
90 Minutes, Once a month
Private Sessions
60 Minutes, One session per level
Office Hours
Optional student meeting for extra help and clarification
Practicum Teaching Space
Begins in Level 2, 30-Minute Weekly Practice
LEVEL 1: MASTERING MEDITATION AS A TEACHER
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CLASS #1:
Introduction to Meditation & Its Foundations
- The Four Noble Truths
- Transforming Dissatisfaction Through Meditation
- Bridging the Conscious and Unconscious Minds
CLASS #2:
The Four Approaches & Understanding Awakening
- Enlightenment and Awakening
- The Ego and Surrender
- Integration of Enlightenment into Daily Life
CLASS #3:
The Four States of Consciousness & Mindfulness
- The Four States of Consciousness
- Awakening and Lifelong Meditation Practice
- The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
CLASS #4:
Understanding Ego Structure and The Biology of Meditation
- Understanding Ego and Identity
- Mind-Body Connection and Physiological Effects of Meditation
CLASS #5:
The Pain Body & Purpose
- The Concept of the Pain Body
- Meditation on the Pain Body
- Teaching Meditation as an Art
CLASS #6:
Exploring Yoga Nidra
- Introduction to Yoga Nidra
- Benefits and Process of Yoga Nidra
- Application for Trauma and PTSD
LEVEL 2: MASTERINGÂ YOUR TEACHING SKILLS
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CLASS #7:
How To Structure a Meditation
- Building a Connection with Students
- Guiding a Meditation: Departure, Initiation, Return
- Helping Students Recognize Subtle Layers of Their Being
CLASS #8:
Understanding Vipassana and Mantras
- Mastering Meditation Postures
- Definitions and Core Principles of Vipassana
- Introduction to Mantra Meditation
CLASS #9:
Deepening Meditation Practice
- Advanced Meditation Techniques
- Working with Difficult Emotions
- The Role of Compassion in Meditation
CLASS #10:
Integrating Meditation into Daily Life
- Mindfulness in Everyday Activities
- Maintaining a Consistent Practice
- Teaching Students to Integrate Meditation
CLASS #11:
Overcoming Obstacles in Meditation
- Common Obstacles in Meditation
- Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles
- Supporting Students Through Challenges
CLASS #12:
One-to-One’s and Imposter Syndrome
- The Four Types of Meditation
- Understanding Different Types of Students
- One-on-One Guidance
- Ethics for Meditation Teachers
- Practical Guidance for Meditation Teachers
LEVEL 3: THE BUSINESS OF TEACHING & SERVING
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CLASS #13:
Guidelines for Achieving Your Teaching Hours in Your Training Journey
- Shaping Your Path as a Meditation Guide
- Navigating the Path of a Meditation Teacher
- Authentic Pathways in Meditation Teaching
- Empowering Evolution and Influence
- Crafting Your Meditation Teaching Journey
- Embarking on Your Meditation Teaching Voyage
- Navigating Meditation Teaching Channels
- Voyaging the Meditation Teaching Channels
CLASS #14:
Resistance, Value Propositions, and Student Avatars
- The War of Art Breakdown
- Notes On Being a Pro
- Navigating the Changing Landscape of Meditation Teaching
- Exploring Value Propositions in Meditation Teaching
- Questions To and Answer to Understand Your Ideal Student
CLASS #15:
Mastering the Art of Meditation Teaching and Content Creation
- Working With Your Ideal Client Avatar
- Crafting Courses and Connecting with Your Audience
- Unlocking Inspiration and Fostering Creativity
- Content Repurposing
- Crafting Engaging Meditation Courses
- Building Structure, Strategy, and Success
- The “Seven Whys” Exercise
- Exploring True Motivation in Teaching
- Navigating Goals, Cycles, and Surrender
- Productivity: Batching and Embracing Rest
CLASS #16:
Authentic Teaching & Digital Marketing
- Mastering Marketing in Teaching
- Ethical Marketing and Trust in Teaching
- Email Marketing and Building Digital Relationships
- Navigating the Digital Toolkit for Teaching
- Streamlining Your Email Marketing
- Exploring Teaching Formats
- Exploring Event Management and Scheduling Tools
- Crafting Transformative Workshops
- Writing Out and Setting Up Your Workshop
CLASS #17:
Meditation Insights and Strategic List Building
- Exploring Dissatisfaction and Suffering in Meditation Journey
- Mastering Technology and Growth in the Meditation Field
- Key Elements for Crafting an Effective Meditation Funnel
- Key Strategies for Effective Lead Generation and Facebook/Instagram Ads
- Crafting Your Email List: Balancing Budget, Time, and Efficiency
- Synergizing Organic and Paid Approaches for List Building Success
- Genuine Connections and Practical Wisdom in List Building
Virtual Retreat
- Q&A Review
- For the love of serviceÂ
- Raising your financial havingness
- Sharing your gifts: from Joseph Campbell to Eckhart Tolle
- Stepping out into the world meditation and conclusion
Why This Teacher Training?
Why This Teacher Training
Watch our Becoming a Meditation Teacher Video Series!
Broad and Deep Training
Most meditation teacher trainings focus on a very specific meditation tradition, which can leave your options as a teacher more narrow based on what kind of students you’ll be able to reach.This training takes a broad look at a number of popular traditions, harnesses the wisdom of each, and then teaches you how to find your own voice and wisdom to share with the world.
Industry-Leading Teachers & Business Experts
We’ve brought together some of the world’s most talented teachers from various backgrounds and traditions to share their wisdom and skill set. Each of these 12 experts will lead an hour of class each month.
David's Unique Experience
David has taught everywhere from Cornell University, to fortune 500 companies, to cultivating 80,000 followers on Insight Timer, to being the director of a school for mysticism in Hawaii and the founder of his own meditation app and style. His work will be to help you not teach his style, but find and master your own style.
Conscious Business
With rich backgrounds and experience in conscious business, from building meditation apps, Insight Timer, books, podcasts, email funnels, marketing, retreats, course creation, and more, the Meditation School teachers will bring a unique and powerful combination of knowledge that will help you find your path, master it, and make a livelihood for yourself if you decide to do so.
What Business Skills Will I Learn?
Business Skills Taught
The paradigm of being a meditation teacher and guide is shifting!Â
Learn to embody your value as a teacher, set up your business and attract clients who align with your heart.
You'll learn how to:
- Strategically set-up a business model that feels "alive" for you and earns real, sustainable income
- Create 1:1 offers, group programs, courses and teach online
- Run campaigns to attract and enroll aligned-students
- Teach in studios, Universities and set-up retreats
- Create content, use softwares and build a team
- Take advantage of opportunities like teaching on apps, podcasting and paid ad campaigns
Meditation Teacher Certification
250-hour Teacher Certification
While there is no nationally accredited certifying board for Meditation Teacher Training Certifications, we have put together a board of directors encompassing a group of professional meditation teachers who are renowned in the space.
This board of directors has reviewed and approved the curriculum, training structure, hours requirements and teaching faculty.Â
Join The Waitlist
A Note From David
When I lived in an ashram in the Himalayas in my early 20’s, I knew that meditation and spirituality would be the core of my life moving forward, but I had no idea how I would make that happen. I didn’t have a career, money, a relationship, a home, or a clear sense of what my purpose was beyond loving to sit still and focus on finding enlightenment.
I eventually moved to Hawaii where I studied the intuitive healing arts. I graduated from multiple programs, including a 3 and ½ year teacher training and I began to teach regularly. I then spent a number of years as the director of a non-profit meditation center, where I was always unfortunately overworked and poor. I also noticed I was teaching someone else’s teachings, wisdom and information.
The tools were great, but they hadn’t become my own heart.
I eventually decided to go my own way and I started teaching on various apps, building online programs, podcasting, and writing. My career as a teacher unfolded out of a desire to teach my own style and truth to my students, and to do it on my terms.
Everyone’s dream, right?
But it wasn’t an easy path…at all. I had to teach myself the business side, hire coaches, read countless books and take financial risks over and over. Fortunately over time everything came together, but I would not recommend my path.
Looking back, there were far easier and more efficient ways to do the work, to teach, and to live.
During this training I am going to teach you how to avoid as many dead-ends, time suckers, bad investments and poor decisions as possible.
I’ll also teach you how to grow into yourself as a teacher, discover and develop your voice, and share your teachings with the world in a healthy, rewarding way.
From my experience, the hardest part of being a meditation teacher isn’t actually teaching. You will master that over time with the tools that you’ll learn in this program. It’s all the other stuff that you have to do around your teaching, from managing your books, to attracting students, to building programs that serve your community and earn you an abundant income.
I also want to take a moment and talk about the types of meditation you’ll learn to teach and the philosophy behind it. And to do that I want to start with my two favorite definitions of meditation.
The first is, 'Meditation is the bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind'.
And the second is, 'Meditation is the awakening of consciousness out of the dream of the mind, and a deepening into reality'.
Your job as a teacher and guide will be to help people awaken to who they really are by cultivating their awareness, and in doing so, they will learn how to manage their energy, find their answers through sitting still, deepen into inner-peace, and have more emotional and mental clarity.
To be a great teacher, we have to accomplish three things: we have to entertain, educate, and enlighten, and in that order.
Teacher training will teach you how to keep students attention, structure your meditations properly, avoid the monotone meditation voice that puts people to sleep, and truly awaken consciousness.
If you feel ready to step into your power as a guide and teacher, or to take your teaching, healing or spaceholding career to the next level, then come join me and a group of some of the world's most amazing teachers and get certified to teach meditation.
What Can I Do With My Certification?
Here are a few of the things you can do with your Meditation Teacher Training Certification:
- Teach at Meditation Centers, Yoga Studios, Festivals and Retreat Centers
- Offer One-to-One Packages, Sessions and Programs as a Teacher and Coach
- Teach Corporate and University Workshops, Classes and Trainings
- Teach Group Trainings, Group Courses, Programs and on Apps like Insight Timer
- Add Meditation and Energy Tools to Your Healing, Coaching or Therapy Practice
- Grow a Platform or Business From Which to Launch Your Visions
- Significantly Deepen Your Own Practice and the Ways You Walk Through Life
What You'll Learn
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Safely ground into your own awakening through meditation
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Develop a unique teaching style and language from the heart
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Hone your teaching skills through live-practice, writing and recording meditations, mentorship and small-group practice
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Explore the world's meditation traditions to understand the foundations of embodying awakening through this art
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How to set and hold the energy of a room and class
- Embody The Tools You Need To Build A Successful Online Business
- How to set-up, structure and launch your business that aligns with your essence and generates abundant income
- Set-up offers and connect with heart-aligned students
- How to thrive in today's marketplace as a meditation teacher and guide
- Genuinely stand in your own "presence" as a leader, meditation teacher and guide at a high-level
Frequently Asked Questions
General Program Questions
How long is the training?
What Time Are Classes?
Can you explain the 250 hours requirements?
How do we hold people accountable and track progress?
What do I need to complete to graduate?
Who are the guest teachers and what do they offer?
How do the mentorship sessions work?
What will I learn?
What Can I do with this certification?
Are there any additional materials I need to purchase for the course?
Application and Enrollment
What if it’s not a good fit for me?
What if I can’t afford it?
How can I ask you questions?
Why choose this teaching training over others?
Who is this training appropriate for?
How much experience do I need as a meditator?
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