1st Edition

Essential Resources for Mindfulness Teachers

Edited By Rebecca S. Crane, Karunavira, Gemma M. Griffith Copyright 2021
    268 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    268 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Essential Resources for Mindfulness Teachers offers the reader a wealth of knowledge about the explicit and implicit aspects of mindfulness-based teaching.

    The book focuses on how to develop the craft of teaching mindfulness-based courses and is divided into three parts. Part I addresses the explicit elements of mindfulness-based courses, such as how to offer meditation practices and inquiry. Part II investigates the subtle but powerful implicit qualities needed within the teacher to convey the essence of mindfulness. Part III is a series of chapters on the underpinnings, considerations, and theories surrounding the teaching of mindfulness-based courses, and includes a new framework for reflective practice – the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching and Learning Companion (the TLC).

    The book is a core companion text for both trainees and established mindfulness-based teachers, and is a resource you will return to again and again.

    Introduction; Part I: The explicit curriculum; 1: The essential spirit of mindfulness-based teaching, Saki F. Santorelli; 2: Curriculum considerations; 3: Guiding the formal practices: Overview; 4: The body scan practice; 5: Mindful movement; 6: The sitting meditations; 7: The short practices; 8: The ‘all-day’ of practice; 9: Inquiry: conveying course themes through interactive dialogue; 10: Conveying session themes: group exercises and didactic inputs; Part II The implicit curriculum;  11: Embodiment; 12: Relational skills; 13: Holding the group learning environment; 14: The use of poems, stories, and images; 15: Integrating the explicit and implicit curriculum; 16: Orientation and assessment; 17: Teaching mindfulness-based programmes online; Part III: Resourcing ourselves as mindfulness teachers; 18: How do we resource and support ourselves as MBP teachers? An overview, Rebecca Crane; 19: The Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching and Learning Companion (MBI:TLC), Gemma Griffith, Rebecca Crane, Karunavira, and Lynn Koerbel; 20: Developing your personal practice, Bridgette O’Neill; 21: Mindfulness-based supervision, Alison Evans; 22: Professional practice, Pamela Duckerin; 23: Trauma-sensitivity, Eluned Gold; 24: Societal themes, Bethan Roberts and Rebecca Crane; 25: Science and theory, Gemma Griffith and Karunavira; 26: Implementing mindfulness-based programmes, Rebecca Crane and Heledd Griffiths, References, Appendix 1: Further resources

    Biography

    Rebecca Crane, PhD, leads the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University, and is an internationally renowned trainer, researcher, and writer in the mindfulness-based field.

    Karunavira, MSc, teaches at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University, and works internationally as a mindfulness trainer and retreat leader.

    Gemma Griffith, PhD, is a senior lecturer and researcher at Bangor University, and is director of postgraduate programmes at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice.

    'A veritable Rosetta Stone which reveals and deciphers a myriad of basic dimensions of embodied mindfulness instruction in mainstream settings that are key to effective and authentic teaching in mindfulness-based interventions of any kind.'

    Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor Emeritus of Medicine

    'For the field of mindfulness to realise its potential, we need to take great care in training the next generation of mindfulness teachers. They need to develop clarity of intention, theoretical understanding, knowledge of the key research and proficiency as teachers. They need to consistently examine their embodiment and integrity and be open to a lifelong process of learning.

    This is not just a book. It is an extraordinary collection of resources developed over decades of training many hundreds of mindfulness teachers. It timely and will be widely welcomed.

    At one level it is a practical, well-structured, skilfully curated set of training resources. At another level it provides inspiration, a compass, as well as a road map for trainees at every stage of their learning. The authors are generously committing to writing what they know through their extensive training experience helps trainee mindfulness teachers. The list of authors represents some of the leading trainers in the world.

    This edited collection is timely in resourcing both trainees and trainers in mindfulness-based interventions. I can easily see this being a contribution that will evolve through many editions in decades to come.'

    Willem Kuyken, Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science, University of Oxford, UK 

    'This is an outstanding book. As mindfulness-based programs enter the sphere of evidence-based medicine, it is imperative that teacher training programs are consistent with the randomized controlled trials that built the evidence. This book is a rich guide that invites us to travel the high road in teacher training so that we skillfully serve learners, while fitting within healthcare delivery systems.'

    Eric Loucks, Associate Professor and Director, Mindfulness Center at Brown University, USA

    'Mindfulness-based programs ask much of teachers who, in turn, are poised to deliver much to program participants. This book will ably guide, support and nourish teachers in linking the implicit knowledge embedded in their curricula with skillful, explicit means for conveying it. It should be required reading for anyone in our field.'

    Zindel Segal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada

    'This is a jewel of a book, reflecting the multi-faceted nature of teaching mindfulness in our present society, the explicit and implicit aspects of curriculum, and how to nourish ourselves as its teachers. It is the fruit of the experience of a worldwide network of experienced and committed trainers, to whom I am very grateful for this priceless resource. I can warmly recommend it to beginning and advanced teachers, and to teacher trainers. May it lead to even wider and tighter connections of mindfulness teachers and their students around the world!'

    Anne Speckens, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Radboudumc Centre for Mindfulness, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

    'The authors of this book bring many years of collective wisdom to the process of teaching mindfulness-based programs. As such, this book will be a valuable resource for all aspiring mindfulness-based teachers.'

    Susan Woods, Senior Faculty at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto, Canada, an international MBSR/MBCT senior level trainer/teacher and author 

    'What an incredible resource! Rich in depth and breadth it will surely become an essential companion for any mindfulness teacher. I am struck by the generosity and humility of the authors and the great integrity with which it is written and compiled. A tremendous contribution to the burgeoning field of mindfulness.'

    Vidyamala Burch, Co-Founder of Breathworks and author of Mindfulness for Health, Mindfulness for Women and Living Well with Pain and Illness, www.vidyamala-Burch.com, www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk

    'This is a remarkable contribution to the field. This book delicately, deliberately and generously unfolds the architecture and essence of compassionate and competent mindfulness teaching. It is an essential companion for the experienced mindfulness teacher and a precious resource for those training to teach mindfulness-based interventions.' 

    Dr. Paul D’Alton, Head of the Department of Psychology at St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin, Ireland, and Associate Professor at the School of Psychology UCD where he is co-director of the MSc in Mindfulness Based Interventions

    'This resource is so rich. It touches upon most relevant issues the MBI teacher will come across when starting (and continuing) to use their wings after a teacher training. This book is an invitation to continuous learning. Dearly needed, for continuous learning is an important quality of embodying mindfulness.'

    Rob Brandsma, author of The Mindfulness Teaching Guide: Essential skills and Competencies for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Interventions

    'This book is a rare combination of rigid scholarship, practical pedagogy, and embodied mindfulness. Mindfulness-Based teachers and supervisors will find the wisdom and skills in this book essential for helping not only their participants, but also their own personal and professional growth.'

    Heyoung Ahn Ed.D., Executive Director of Korea Center for Mindfulness

    'This book is a treasure and a generous gift to the mindfulness community and beyond. Each chapter is grounded in a deep understanding of mindfulness and it´s applications. The book reflects the profound experience of the authors in the domains of self-reflection, in practicing and teaching mindfulness and in training other to teach. A MUST for everyone involved in teaching mindfulness or training mindfulness teachers.'

    Petra Meibert, Psychologist, MBSR and MBCT teacher trainer, author, Head of the Mindfulness Institut Ruhr (MIR), Germany.

    'This book is a beautifully clear and accessible guide for potential and experienced mindfulness teachers alike. The rich history of these particular teachers, the depth and the wisdom of their contributions and their compassionate commitment to sharing what they know leaves a precious legacy to the global mindfulness community.'

    Maura Kenny, Founding Co-Director, Mindfulness Training Institute Australia and New Zealand, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide, Australia

    'This is as comprehensive, detailed and inspiring as one could wish for in a handbook for mindfulness-based teaching. Infused and informed with the many years of experience of its contributors, it is a rich resource that will be invaluable for many years to come. In our institute’s teacher-training programs, it will be a standard work for our faculty and trainees. At this point in the development of the field, it truly celebrates and documents the coming of age of Mindfulness-Based Programs. Well done!'Linda Lehrhaupt, Executive Director, The Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches, co-author of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: The MBSR Program for Enhancing Health and Vitality