‘Meditation’ is the
new shooting star on the yoga horizon. It has been turning into the newest
trend and it is set to become the number one interest of a very wide audience.
No wonder the great popularity of this ancient modality has been picked up by
the tabloids as the next ‘must do’ tip, as well as being extensively featured in
many zeitgeist magazines. Globally recognised as a powerful self-help tool to
counterbalance the ups and downs of life, meditation is scientifically validated
as an immune system booster and a reliable manager of ‘Stress’. The Meditation
Practice is now attracting attention on a universal scale. It is an interest ranging
from the corporate world and health organisations down to the individual
therapist and yoga teacher. All kinds of different fields of expertise are
being inspired by its promising potentials. The aim is to become part of the “Peace
& Stillness”; the new wave that raves: “It’s cool to meditate”.
Fast track meditation
teacher trainings and complementary mini-workshops are already producing a
significant number of so-called Meditation Teachers to meet the rapidly growing
demand for the “ultimate meditation experience”. Meditation in various forms is
in fact as old as mankind itself. It has undergone an evolutionary process of
more than five millennia. It is somewhat surprising then that until recently, serious
consideration has not been given to the questions of people’s personal safety.
The standards of integrity or authenticity of the respective theory and
practice remain relatively unchallenged. So does the larger issue of every
meditation teacher’s responsibilities and duty of care regarding meditation
techniques.
There are some
poignant questions that often remain unanswered. By raising them, a context can
be provided that creates the essential foundation of safety for the student of
meditation. It is a basis that applies to the many different types of practice.
For example, did you know that;
- the understanding of indications and contra-indications are vital to meditation teaching and guarantee safe practice?
- people who suffer from certain health conditions like panic attacks or high blood pressure should not practice types of meditation that involve excessive breath control?
- only specially trained facilitators should teach meditation to people suffering from depression?
- the meditation technique your best friend is practicing might not be the right method for you and vice versa?
Did you ever ask
yourself or your instructor, what you will meet and experience in your
meditation practice? Meditation is
actually a definitive process, during which everybody will in fact meet the
same signposts and qualia at certain points in the process of their particular
journey into a meditative practice. There
are many meditation teachers whose training would not necessarily include the
answers to the questions above.
This is because
despite the fact that Yoga Teacher Trainings and Continuing Professional Development
courses (CPD’s) are generally very well regulated by national and international
accreditation bodies; very little has been done to implement appropriate
standards (or accreditation requirements for teacher trainings) in this, the
field of meditation. This situation has arisen partly due to the fact that a
relatively small amount of true knowledge about how to teach meditation has filtered
through to us from its source of origin in the Far East. There are particular
and different ways to facilitate individual students towards their objectives
and a gap in the understanding of the optimum and appropriate way to do so. Regardless
of the growing demand, most qualified yoga teachers that would love to
implement meditation practice into their classes, refrain from teaching it due
to a lack of in-depth training opportunities that are genuinely based on a secular
approach.
Accreditation
requirements for yoga teacher trainings today focus mainly on safe ‘Asana Practice’
and ‘Teaching Methodology’. Additionally, registered yoga schools are obliged
to include a percentage of hours in ‘Yoga Anatomy’, ‘Pranayama Practice’, ‘Philosophy’
and ‘Yoga History’ in their curriculums. Furthermore, schools have to abide by
clearly defined assessment criteria. They are asked to adhere to theoretical
and practical exam procedures, as well as codes of conduct and ethics, to safeguard
the high teaching standards you undoubtedly expect from your own yoga teacher(s).
However, this leaves relatively little room in a typical 200-hour yoga teacher
training to implement in-depth meditation studies into the curriculum.
Of all the areas of
yogic discipline that historically evolved out of the eight limbs of ‘Patanjali’s
Yoga Sutras’, none is more prone to imagination and subjective interpretation
than meditation. This also applies to its underlying philosophy, which is
distinct from history and in practice is far more than a series of “nice ideas”.
It can be said that some of the meditation systems we come across today, have gradually
evolved into a rather intellectualised structure. From this point of view,
meditation can be based upon philosophical objectives that are unachievable in
practice. Even in our modern times, a number of schools of thought might expect
or demand their new students to sign up to a specific belief system or undergo
an initiation process, which might involve exceptional (and sometimes
unnecessary) sacrifices on behalf of the novice.
There is another sensitive
area to which many yoga and meditation enthusiasts turn a blind eye. There are
some very charismatic teachers, particularly those that enjoy attracting a
great following, which in itself may not be an issue. However it can, and does
lead to a great co-dependency between teacher and student in the deeper aspects
of learning meditation. This can result in unforeseeable consequences, due to the
lack of understanding of transference and counter-transference on behalf of the
teacher. These are important issues that form the basic and appropriate
boundaries of honourable practice.
The Yoga Alliance UK
is the first accreditation body in the world to have specifically established
new standards for meditation teacher trainings. Based on expert advice, they
have created a code of practice to meet the requirements of our modern age. As
a practitioner, adept and teacher of yogic disciplines, meditation and Eastern
psychology for over thirty years, I trust that this will be of great benefit to
ensure a safe exploration of this fine art and science. That is to the profound
advantage of meditation schools and future meditation teachers, as well as to
the individuals who genuinely wish to pursue such a rich and valuable practice.
These parameters of
practice are now emerging as the foundation for teaching meditation, as part of
a yoga teacher’s repertoire or a personal practice. While these are important developments,
the main objective of meditation standards established by the Yoga Alliance UK,
is to honour, sustain and maintain the timeless nature and endless value of the
ancient teachings throughout, despite the contemporary demands of this exciting
new millennium.
Edited by Joanne Sarah Avison
director of AOCY
