Practical Recommendations for Teaching Mindfulness Effectively

Practice what you teach: In these modern times, it seems as though it is becoming increasingly acceptable for people to be appointed as teachers of subjects or skills that they have not actually mastered themselves. For example, some of the very kind people that make part of our meditation community (i.e. Sangha) are keen for us to remain up to date with technology. Therefore, in recent years, we have received training in how to use all kinds of impressive devices such as smartphones, satnavs and ipads, and we have a long list of helpline numbers to call when things go wrong. Admittedly, we are not the most technically minded of people and a lot of the issues we encounter when using modern technology are probably due to our own mistakes. Nevertheless, something that continues to amaze us when we telephone for technical assistance is that the person on the other end of the phone invariably has not been trained on how to use the device in question and more often than not they attempt to resolve the issue by simply reading from a problem-solving checklist in a manual. Perhaps in certain walks of life, it is acceptable to go about things in this manner, but this approach certainly does not work when it comes to teaching mindfulness. Indeed, if we are going to call ourselves mindfulness teachers, then it is imperative that we follow a personal practice of mindfulness so that we can impart to others an experiential understanding of the principles of present moment awareness.

Do not be too mindful: Although, as stated above, it is imperative that as mindfulness teachers we maintain a regular (or ideally a continuous) practice of mindfulness, it is important that we do not try too hard and are natural in the way we practice being in the here and now. There is nothing worse than a mindfulness teacher who goes to great lengths to master the art of appearing to be mindful but who does not actually have any presence of mind. In our opinion, some tell-tale signs that a teacher has not really embodied the basic principles of mindfulness are as follows: (i) an overly-pious demeanour, (ii) constant/inappropriate smiling, (iii) not being able to introduce joy and light-heartedness into their teachings and (iv) doing things excessively slowly when others are watching but rushing around mindlessly at other times.

Be clear about your role: Currently, people are teaching mindfulness from lots of different backgrounds and for lots of different purposes. To give just a few examples, there are clinicians that teach mindfulness as a treatment for psychopathology, there are school teachers that teach mindfulness to foster healthy learning environments and there are spiritual teachers that teach mindfulness to facilitate transpersonal growth. However, something that we occasionally observe is that mindfulness teachers are not always clear about their role and participants can become confused about whether they are receiving a psychotherapeutic intervention or Dharma teachings. Mindfulness is an introspective process and even when it is taught in clinical contexts, it often brings people into contact with their more ‘subtle self’. Therefore, participants or patients referred to receive mindfulness training in order to overcome a specific issue such as stress, depression or addiction may end up asking questions of the mindfulness teacher that are explicitly spiritual in nature. This scenario can put mindfulness teachers in a difficult situation—especially if their mindfulness training was explicitly clinically focussed. However, it is our view that mindfulness teachers should avoid feeling that they need to have an answer for everything and from the very start, they should be absolutely clear (with themselves and with their students/patients) about their role.

Focus on the basics: Inevitably, there will always be some people wishing to learn mindfulness that associate meditation with mystical experiences and who think that just by turning up to a few practice sessions, they are going to experience some kind of sudden awakening. Of course, it is definitely possible that some highly adept meditation teachers can actually encompass the student’s mind with their own mind and cause the student to experience a specific meditative realisation. However, in our experience, it is much better to keep things down to earth and to steer participants away from hoping for quick-win or mystical solutions to their problems. Indeed, the only way to become adept at practising mindfulness is to start at the beginning and build strong practice foundations.

Joyfully persevere: Teaching mindfulness can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be very challenging. Some people pick up the practice very quickly but others seem to struggle and give up as soon as they encounter a minor difficulty. One reason why this happens is because individuals try to cram in and find time for their practice amidst all of the other activities of their lives. This can create a stressful attitude towards the practice which ultimately ends up becoming a chore. For an experienced mindfulness teacher who has managed to taste first-hand the unconditional peace and boundless wisdom of the present moment, it is very sad when, for whatever reason, people do not continue with their practice. Of course, steps can (and should) be taken to try to convince or inspire people to persevere. For example, guiding participants to stop battling with themselves and not to create a separation between mindfulness practice and the rest of their life can sometimes be effective. However, the truth is that for many individuals, conditions are simply not right at the moment for them to enter onto the path of awareness and although they warrant tremendous compassion, their choice must be respected. In such instances, mindfulness teachers should practice letting go and not see this as a personal failure.

Find a suitable teacher: In order to continue developing as both practitioners and teachers, it is essential that mindfulness teachers are in receipt of tuition and supervision from a more experienced mindfulness practitioner. As referred to above, teaching mindfulness can be emotionally and spiritually demanding and so this will not only be in the interests of participants, but will also act as a much needed source of support for the teacher. In our experience, whenever you encounter a mindfulness teacher that is spiritually inspired and is very in touch with the present moment, they are often under the auspices of a much more experienced teacher who nourishes them and gently guides them in their practice. In other words, just like the trunk of a tree that feeds and supports many braches, an experienced mindfulness teacher touches and inspires everybody they meet including those that come into contact with their students.