Lovingkindness Meditation Teacher Training Program
Begins April 14
Registration Deadline April 4

Learn to incorporate the science of compassion, the healing arts of lovingkindness meditation (also known as metta), and the liberating wisdom of the Buddhist tradition into your mindfulness teaching and practice. Develop the qualities needed to successfully offer compassion meditation; self-compassion, loving presence, and wise listening, in a 12 week training with accomplished Buddhist teacher-practitioners. Cultivate your own voice in practice sessions that ready you to integrate wisdom, compassion, kindness, caring, and balance into an approachable and skillful teaching style.

ABOUT
Research indicates that the cultivation of compassion has many beneficial effects, including improvements in personal relationships; decrease in inflammation; improvement in cardiac function; a boost in pro-social activities like helping others; enhanced ability to feel compassion for oneself and others; increased calmness and ability to handle stressful situations; better engagement and communication in relationships; and increased job satisfaction and decreased job overwhelm.

IDP is offering this training to mindfulness and meditation teachers who wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of lovingkindness and compassion practices, as well as to caregivers, therapists, educators, life coaches, social workers, yoga teachers, and others who wish to effectively offer these practices to their clients, students, patients, and others.

IDP LKMTT recognizes the transformative power of compassion developed through secular Buddhist practices integrated with science and psychology.

PROGRAM FEATURES

This 50-hour training includes:

• Two intensive in-person daylong workshops:
  • Exploring the source texts, history, and current scientific research on lovingkindness meditation, self-compassion, compassion, gratitude practices, and other related modalities.
  • Teaching step-by-step guided meditation instruction.
  • Providing experiential learning and practice of meditation techniques
  • Helping you develop a curriculum suited to the needs of your group

• Three intensive online interactive video workshops exploring topics relevant to compassion and lovingkindness development, including dealing with difficult emotions, RAIN technique, and coping with burnout and developing resilience.

• One final intensive weekend workshop for participant presentation of personal project: a curriculum and practice designed to the specific needs of their audience/group/clientele, with teacher and peer feedback and encouragement.

All weekends and workshops are led by an exceptional pair of talented and experienced teachers to give you the mentoring you need to confidently and wisely lead others to develop their minds and hearts.  IDP recognizes that our influence as a meditation teacher training center depends on the integrity of our teacher-practitioners and our deep respect for the Buddhist traditions upon which these practices are based.  We offer all our trainings to awaken everyone to the deep interdependence shared by all living beings, for the benefit of all.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Four year minimum regular mindfulness/meditation practice
• Successful completion of mindfulness or meditation teacher training OR two year minimum teaching mindfulness OR career in teaching, social work, psychology, or other caregiving role

SCHEDULE

• Training Weekends at IDP
  • Saturday, April 14,  9am-5pm
  • Saturday, April 28,  9am-5pm
  • Saturday, June  9, 10am-5pm
• • Sunday,   June 10, 10am-1pm
• Online Live Video Workshops
  • Tuesday,   May  8,   7:30-9:30pm
• • Tuesday,   May  15,   7:30-9:30pm
  • Tuesday,   May  22,   7:30-9:30pm

REGISTRATION

This program is offered on a sliding fee scale. Please select the highest amount you can comfortably afford to support this and other donation-based initiatives. Scroll below for scholarship opportunities. Space is limited. Please register early to save your seat.  No registrations will be accepted after 4/4/18.

Tuition

• Supported    $500: suggested for students, seniors, and unemployed
• Basic            $750: suggested for members
• Patron          $1000: suggested for those who can pay the full cost of this program, and wish to  help support scholarship students

Payment and Refund Policies

• Upon acceptance, participants must submit a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the program tuition. The remaining 50% of the program tuition must be received by February 13, 2018.
• Because we can accept only a limited number of applications, we cannot offer refunds.
• Payment plans can be arranged for the Full or Patron Tuition rates only.Contact us if you’re interested in arranging a payment plan.

Scholarships

Limited scholarship funds are available and are awarded in order of request. Please indicate on application if you wish to be considered for a Work-Study discount or a Person of Color scholarship.

AREAS OF STUDY

Books:

• Vishudimagga by Buddhaghosa
• Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg
• A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to be Compassionate can Change our Lives by Thupten Jinpa
• Mindful Compassion: How the Science of Compassion Can Help You Understand Your Emotions, Live in the Present, and Connect Deeply with Others by Paul Gilbert
• The Way of Tenderness by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself  by Dr. Kristin Neff
• Boundless Heart: The Cultivation of the Four Immeasurables by Alan B. Wallace
• Research Articles, will be provided as part of the class

Concepts:

• Love, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity in Buddhism
• Self-compassion & Science
• Compassion & Neuroscience
• Lovingkindess & Compassion Meditation

Techniques:

• RAIN technique
• Gratitude Practice
• Mindfulness and Compassion

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Attendance at weekends and workshops
• Daily personal LKM and gratitude practice
• Assigned Readings
• Study Group Support Meetings – minimum of 9 hours
• LKM practice teaching for family, friends, clients – minimum of 10 hours

The Training

Daylong Intensive 1: It Starts with You

Discover the sources of lovingkindness and compassion training, understand self-compassion, learn foundational techniques to offer LKM, and establish or re-establish your own LKM and gratitude practice.

April 14, 9:00–5:00 pm

Daylong Intensive 2: The Transformative Power of Compassion

Explore contemporary research and understandings of compassion and its impact for self, family and society, develop your teaching abilities, and deepen your ere exploring gratitude practice, and developing lesson plans for how to work this practice through with your students.

April 28, 9:00–5:00 pm

Video Workshop  1: Holding Your Seat with Kindness

Exploring the special obstacles that may arise while teaching LKM and compassion practices;

in ourselves and in our students. Skillfully being present with suffering, difficult emotions, resisting the urge to give advice, enabling empathy, and developing self-soothing mechanisms.

May 8, 7:30–9:30 pm

Video Workshop  2: Building Your Toolkit

Learning, sharing, and developing tools, practices, and exercises to help students build compassion and expand their capacity to be with difficult emotions and thoughts.

May 15, 7:30–9:30 pm

Video Workshop  3: Staying Present and Open

Discussion and tools to work with compassion burnout, despair, and hopelessness. Learn about the quality of resilience and how it can be cultivated through the development of balance and wisdom, and recognize our actions have far-reaching though sometimes unseen impacts.

May 22, 7:30–9:30 pm

Weekend Intensive: Final Presention

Each participant will present guided instruction and meditation developed for the needs of their students/clients/group. Peers and teachers will provide encouragement and feedback. Discussion of other applications for compassion practices, interactive exercises, and time to share experiences and support with each other.

June  9, 10-5pm
June 10, 10-1pm