Open Door Meditation Teacher Training School
100-Hour Teacher Training
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
Our Spring 2020 course is already underway.
Please feel free to review this page
if you are interested in future courses.
Program Description
Open Door’s Meditation School is designed both to deepen your personal experience of meditation and to prepare you to teach others to meditate. You will receive the tools to empower yourself and enrich your community. Our program is suitable for students of any experience level, including beginners. Our mission is to promote diversity within the meditation community. As part of that, our approach is ecumenical, welcoming students from any spiritual path or none. Our small class size ensure that you will receive the individual attention you need to grow into a confident meditation teacher.
Over this 18-week course, you will have the opportunity to develop your own, personal, consistent meditation practice. You will learn over 15 different meditation styles, as well as how to write your own guided meditations. You will find your individual, comfortable posture for longer meditations and learn how to assist your students in finding theirs. You will study various topics including Neuroscience, Issues Arising in Meditation, and Business and Ethics. You will practice writing guided meditations, designing meditation classes, compassionate communication, and how to become a teacher who supports and empowers others.
Whether you are training to become a meditation teacher/facilitator or seeking to expand and enhance your personal practice, our program will help you take your meditation practice to the next level. Upon successful completion of our program, you will receive a certificate as a Certified Meditation Teacher.
Open Door’s Meditation School is designed both to deepen your personal experience of meditation and to prepare you to teach others to meditate. You will receive the tools to empower yourself and enrich your community. Our program is suitable for students of any experience level, including beginners. Our mission is to promote diversity within the meditation community. As part of that, our approach is ecumenical, welcoming students from any spiritual path or none. Our small class size ensure that you will receive the individual attention you need to grow into a confident meditation teacher.
Over this 18-week course, you will have the opportunity to develop your own, personal, consistent meditation practice. You will learn over 15 different meditation styles, as well as how to write your own guided meditations. You will find your individual, comfortable posture for longer meditations and learn how to assist your students in finding theirs. You will study various topics including Neuroscience, Issues Arising in Meditation, and Business and Ethics. You will practice writing guided meditations, designing meditation classes, compassionate communication, and how to become a teacher who supports and empowers others.
Whether you are training to become a meditation teacher/facilitator or seeking to expand and enhance your personal practice, our program will help you take your meditation practice to the next level. Upon successful completion of our program, you will receive a certificate as a Certified Meditation Teacher.
Program Topics
Meditation Styles Taught
- Meditation Posture (including for special populations)
- Keeping a Consistent Meditation Practice
- Meditation Styles (over 15)
- Writing Guided Meditations
- Neuroscience of Meditation
- Issues Arising in Meditation
- How to Teach Meditation
- Business and Ethics
Meditation Styles Taught
- Breath Counting
- Using Mantra/Chanting
- Using Malas
- Four Foundations of Mindfulness
- Yoga Nidra
- Pranayama (Breath Work)
- Chakra Alignment
- Using Sound and Music
- Samatha
- Vipassana
- Jhana
- Zazen
- Shikantaza
- Nature of Mind
- Walking Meditation
- Eating Meditation
- Kirtan
Attendance Requirements
Workshops meet ten times, four hours each time. School sessions run from February 15 to June 20. All regular sessions are on Saturdays from 1 to 5. In addition, there is a Half-Day Silent Retreat on Saturday, May 23rd, which runs from 1 to 6.
Required Workshops and Retreat:
Please arrive to workshops on time so there is no interruption during the training.
Time Commitment
The 100-hour course is broken down as follows, over 18 weeks:
Workshops meet ten times, four hours each time. School sessions run from February 15 to June 20. All regular sessions are on Saturdays from 1 to 5. In addition, there is a Half-Day Silent Retreat on Saturday, May 23rd, which runs from 1 to 6.
Required Workshops and Retreat:
- February 15th
- February 29th
- March 14th
- March 28th
- April 11th
- April 25th
- May 2nd
- May 16th
- May 23rd – Half-Day Silent Retreat, 1-6
- June 6th
- June 20th
Please arrive to workshops on time so there is no interruption during the training.
Time Commitment
The 100-hour course is broken down as follows, over 18 weeks:
- 40 hours – Classroom/Contact hours (listed under Attendance Requirements)
- 10 hours – Meditation classes from different teachers, with Journal Entries
- 10 hours – Reading and writing assignments
- 5 hours – Half-Day Silent Retreat
- 35 hours – Personal Meditation Practice, with Journal Entries
Guiding Teacher
Venerable Dr. Sandy Myodo Gougis
Assistant Teachers
Ruben Delgado
Andrea Torres
Carmen Boroumi
Open Door Advantages:
Venerable Dr. Sandy Myodo Gougis
Assistant Teachers
Ruben Delgado
Andrea Torres
Carmen Boroumi
Open Door Advantages:
- Suitable for All Experience Levels
- Small Class Size
- Individual Attention
- Diversity Focus
- Learn Meditation from a Zen Master
Your Investment
We offer several payment options, and we accept Checks, Cash, Visa & MasterCard. Total cost of the training depends on the payment option chosen.
Non-refundable Application Fee: $25
Non-refundable Deposit: $200. Your Application Fee is included in the Deposit. (If you have already paid the Application Fee, your Deposit amount is only $175.) This holds your space in the class and is applied to your total course cost. Deposit is due by February 1st.
Payment in Full: $997. (The Deposit of $200 applies to this amount.) Balance due by February 15, 2020.
Payment Plan: $200 Deposit due by February 1st, followed by eight bi-weekly payments of $125 beginning February 15th. Payment Plan requires a signed contract with a credit card on file to be auto-debited every other week. Total cost of the Payment Plan: $1200.
Additional Costs:
1 Book, approximately $12.
10 Required Meditation Classes. $65 if purchased as a package at Open Door.
We offer several payment options, and we accept Checks, Cash, Visa & MasterCard. Total cost of the training depends on the payment option chosen.
Non-refundable Application Fee: $25
Non-refundable Deposit: $200. Your Application Fee is included in the Deposit. (If you have already paid the Application Fee, your Deposit amount is only $175.) This holds your space in the class and is applied to your total course cost. Deposit is due by February 1st.
Payment in Full: $997. (The Deposit of $200 applies to this amount.) Balance due by February 15, 2020.
Payment Plan: $200 Deposit due by February 1st, followed by eight bi-weekly payments of $125 beginning February 15th. Payment Plan requires a signed contract with a credit card on file to be auto-debited every other week. Total cost of the Payment Plan: $1200.
Additional Costs:
1 Book, approximately $12.
10 Required Meditation Classes. $65 if purchased as a package at Open Door.
