As we prepare to host our first online version of the monthly meditation class on Saturday, March 28, it is appropriate that we share an update on Alice’s recent Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher Training!  

On March 12, 2020, Alice completed a 150-hour program with Dr. Itai Ivtzan through the School of Positive Transformation.  This training integrated theory, practice, and teaching, including principles of traditional and positive psychology that have significance in the teaching of mindfulness and meditation. Alice particularly noted the importance and value of these concepts in her professional development as a meditation teacher.

In this self-paced, scientific-based program, Alice completed 30 modules with online support from Dr. Ivtzan and his assistant, Ian Kershaw.  She also participated and continues to participate in a private Facebook group with others who have taken or are taking the training, providing ongoing community.  She appreciates her friends who served as her students for many hours of practice teaching as she completed her homework.

When asked for her biggest takeaways from the training, Alice shared these five points:

1. Confirmed and validated what I learned through Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training, my personal practice, and self-study.
2. Reinforced my understanding that the nature and scope of mindfulness and meditation are more of a foundation for living than simply a regular “practice.”  
3. Increased my knowledge of what it means to be non-reactive and non-analytical, and learned methods to best apply these concepts in direct teaching. 
4. Deepened my understanding of “open monitoring,” an extremely effective meditation practice for more experienced practitioners.
5. Increased knowledge of teaching Mindfulness Meditation to organizations and at work sites.

We hope that you can join Alice on Saturday, March 28, at 11 a.m. for the remote edition of her regular monthly meditation class, which she will offer through Zoom!  To continue to support your meditation practice, we will also share—here on our website—audio files of meditations that Alice generously prepared for our community.