Do you need get certified to teach meditation? It depends on these seven factors!
“Do I need to get certified to teach meditation?”
One of the most common questions new meditation teachers ask me is: “Do I need to get certified to teach meditation?” The short answer is: it depends!
Here is a simple guide that you can use to figure out if you should get certified to teach meditation.
Just answer these seven questions. If you answer “yes” to any of them, then you may want to get a meditation teacher certification. If you answer “no” to all of them, then there is probably no reason for you to do so.
1. REGULATIONS: Is meditation certification required by law in your area?
Are there state/local/government laws or regulations in your area, that require meditation teachers to be certified or licensed?
Here in the US, there are currently no federal or state government regulations that require meditation teachers to be certified and/or licensed in order to teach meditation. The same is true for most countries around the world. But laws are constantly evolving, and you should be aware of the requirements in your own region.
If you are unsure about the laws in your area, just call a local meditation teacher training school and ask!
2. JOBS: Do you want to keep all of your employment options open, including jobs that require certification?
Some private employers and organizations have policies that require them to hire meditation teachers who can show that they have taken Meditation Teacher Certification courses. These policies are most common among large employers, like school systems, hospitals and corporations.
Are you currently applying for one of these jobs, or interested in possibly applying for one in the future?
3. INSURANCE: Are you interested in obtaining professional liability insurance as a meditation teacher, or billing your clients’ insurance?
Like governments, organizations and employers, insurance companies are creatures of policy. Policies vary from insurer to insurer.
Some insurers will allow you to get meditation teacher insurance without a certification, but many insurers do require you to upload some form of certificate as part of their approval process.
Some insurance companies even offer to cover meditation services! For example, you may have clients who have expensive health insurance coverage, which includes meditation. Instead of billing the clients, you may be able to bill their insurance companies. The caveat here is that the insurance companies may require to see some proof of certification from you, before approving your clients’ insurance claims.
4. KNOWLEDGE: Do you feel you would be a better meditation teacher if you had more knowledge on the subject?
Do you feel that you could serve your students/clients better if you had more/deeper knowledge of meditation? For example, would the following forms of knowledge be helpful in your teaching practice?
- A wider variety of meditation techniques
- Deeper knowledge of specific meditation techniques
- A wider range of pedagogical techniques, to more effectively communicate with different types of students
- Specific meditation techniques that can help people with specific psychological circumstances
- Deeper knowledge of the history & benefits of meditation
5. ABILITY: Do you feel that more formal training could improve your ability to generate meditative states in yourself, and convey them to others?
While most teaching professions are rooted in knowledge — knowing and conveying facts — teaching meditation is unique, in that it is actually more about creating & conveying states of consciousness.
If you have been meditating for many years, can go into meditative states at will, and convey these states quickly & effectively to others, then you’ve already got a large part of what you need to be effective as a meditation teacher.
If you are still somewhat new to developing meditative states within yourself, and unsure of your ability to convey them to others, you may benefit from taking a Meditation Teacher Certification course.
6. EXPERIENCE: Do you feel that you should gain more experience with meditation (or specific meditation techniques, or pedagogical techniques) before teaching meditation to others?
If you have already been teaching for many years, and you’ve seen your students benefiting from your teaching practice, then you probably have the experience you need.
If not, you may benefit from gaining some meditation/teaching experience through a meditation certification program.
7. CONFIDENCE: Would you feel more confident in teaching meditation to others if you received an official diploma from a Meditation Teacher Certification course?
Lastly, do not underestimate the value and importance of CONFIDENCE as a meditation teacher.
Confidence is important in any profession, but it is especially important as a meditation teacher. As a meditation teacher, your job is to embody powerful states of consciousness and convey them to others. If you are feeling under-confident, you may feel anxious/insecure as you are teaching. This will come out in your words, demeanor, body language, voice tone, speech cadence, and more. Instead of conveying powerful meditative states, you may find yourself radiating anxious/stressful states of consciousness!
For some people (especially for those who already have significant teaching experience), confidence in teaching meditation comes easily and naturally. But for many new meditation teachers, taking a Meditation Teacher Certification course can provide a valuable and important confidence boost.
The training can provide all of the important “internal” qualifications above (knowledge, ability, and experience), while also providing an objective, external representation of these qualifications (in the form of a Meditation Teacher Certificate that you can print, frame, and post on your wall).
So do you need to get certified to teach meditation?
If you answered “no” to all of the questions above, then there is probably no reason for you to pursue a meditation teacher certification.
But if you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then it may be in your best interests to get certified to teach meditation!
Personally, I’ve put a lot of time, energy and love into creating my Meditation Masterclass meditation teacher certification program. It can provide you with everything you need in order to be a powerful, effective, and happy meditation teacher. Please feel free to check out the program at your convenience! I hope it is helpful to you ❤️ Thank you for reading, and have a beautiful day ☀️
Meditation Masterclass
Accredited meditation teacher training; practice and teach a wide range of meditation techniques from around the world!
