Metta Meditation Center in Janesville, Minnesota, has opened applications for its 2026 to 2027 Mindfulness and Meditation Teachers Training Program. The nine month pathway combines online study with six residential weekends and is designed for established practitioners preparing to teach or bring deeper contemplative knowledge into their existing work.
A hybrid course with 200 hours of contact
The programme runs from autumn 2026 through May 2027. Its structure includes 35 hours of interactive Zoom teaching and approximately 165 hours of in person learning at the center. The residential element is spread across six weekends, beginning October 9 and concluding with a final gathering from April 30 to May 2.
Each weekend follows a retreat rhythm rather than a conventional classroom timetable. Days include seated practice, guided discussion, teaching sessions, independent practice and yoga. Participants also facilitate guided meditations or related activities with support from an experienced monk, making teaching practice a required part of the route to certification.
Curriculum connects history, practice and community
The first module introduces the historical development of mindfulness and its pathways through Eastern traditions. Later weekends examine the student and teacher relationship, Buddhist teaching methods and the Bodhisattva ideal. The course then moves through the Triple Gem, the creation of mindful communities and a final focus on insight meditation and cultivation of the mind.
The online sessions connect the residential modules and allow the cohort to continue learning between visits. Across both formats, the curriculum addresses core mindfulness principles, Buddhist and Hindu meditation history, the use of Suttas in teaching and the responsibilities involved in sustaining a practice community. The emphasis is therefore broader than learning a collection of guided meditation scripts.
Entry requirements favour established practitioners
Applicants are expected to have at least one year of weekly meditation practice or experience of more than three residential retreats lasting longer than three nights. People who are not part of the Triple Gem community are asked to provide a recommendation from a teacher. The cohort is limited to 18 participants, and applications remain open until October 1.
Certification requires attendance at five of the six residential weekends as well as active teaching practice. This balance of flexibility and sustained participation makes the programme relevant to practitioners who need a defined professional route but want training rooted in retreat experience and Buddhist study. It also places community building alongside personal practice, positioning future teachers not only as class leaders but as people responsible for creating supportive settings in which mindful living can continue.
Source: Metta Meditation Center
Web: https://www.mettameditationcenter.org/mindfulness-and-meditation-teachers-training-program-2026/
