Training FAQs

The Mindfulness Network offers a comprehensive training programme that is suited to anyone wanting to learn essential skills in delivering mindfulness within a wide range of professional contexts. ​

Our Pathway training events are delivered in collaboration with the Mindfulness Centre at Bangor University with options to specialise in one or more mindfulness-based programs, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and continued professional development, supported by retreats and mindfulness-based supervision.

Online: We run training events online at different times throughout the year.​

Modular: All of our training events can be taken individually, or as part of a Pathway.

Internationally Recognised: Our trainers are senior mindfulness trainers within Bangor University. The Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University was founded in 2001 by Mark Williams, following his leadership there in developing MBCT. The centre has been at the forefront in the emergence of the field of mindfulness-based teaching, training, and research.

If you are considering training to lead mindfulness practices, we recommend that you start by experiencing an 8-week mindfulness course in MBSR/MBCT as a participant.

Many organisations and mindfulness teachers offer 8-week courses as an entry level to practicing mindfulness. To find an MBSR/MBCT group you can search through a directory of teachers on the BAMBA website.

The Mindfulness Network offers an 8-week Online Learning Course for Individuals, whether as a first experience of mindfulness, as a refresher, or as an opportunity to deepen your practice.

Once you’re ready to start training, all of our mindfulness training and retreats can be booked via our CALENDAR, where full details and pre-requisites can be found.

For more details about our Training Pathway, see below.

No. All of our training events can be taken individually. You do not have to be on the Training Pathway to sign up.

Full details of each training event can be found in the event description when booking via our CALENDAR and, unless otherwise stated, the training will be delivered in English. We always recommend that you read the event description thoroughly before submitting an application and familiarise yourself with our Payment Terms and Conditions. When you fill in an application form you will be asked to provide information about yourself, your mindfulness experience and practice, plus some questions about your physical and mental health and a chance to provide any other information that you feel is relevant. This helps us assess your application for each individual event and allows us to best support you during the time you are with us. We do ask that you provide details for an emergency contact in case we are required to contact your next of kin. More details can be found in our Safeguarding and Data Protection policies.

The Mindfulness Network offers training online via our e-learning platform called the Mindfulness Network Community – a safe space for participants to access course materials and connect with the training team. We will enrol you onto each training event once payment has been received and we strongly encourage you to log into your account and familiarise yourself with the environment well in advance of the starting date so that you can begin the training feeling prepared. Sessions will be hosted via Zoom. You can read more about the experience of taking part in online training in this blog post written by a recent trainee. Even if the training is due to take place in-person, important information will be communicated to you via the Community site.

All of our events take place in UK Time unless otherwise stated on the course description. We welcome participants from all over the world and appreciate this means you may be joining us from a different Time Zone. While additional practice opportunities may be available in the morning or evenings, the core content will usually take place between the hours of 9am and 5.30pm UK Time – please check the course schedule for specific timings of each event.

Participants must commit to the entire core content of the training. If this is not possible, please contact us to discuss before submitting an application.

The Essentials is a 5-day training course open to anyone with at least 6 months regular mindfulness practice who wants to learn more about mindfulness, either to enrich your existing personal practice or as a first step towards leading mindfulness practices. After this course you should have more insight into your own mindfulness practice, be able to lead others in short mindfulness practices, and consider going on to develop skills to teach mindfulness.

You do not need to have been a participant on an 8-week mindfulness course before joining Essentials Training but if you wish to teach a mindfulness-based program curriculum or do further mindfulness training, then completion of an 8-week course is also required. The Essentials is not a substitute for an 8-week mindfulness course in MBCT/MBSR.

From 2023 onwards, the Essentials will be the starting point of our Training Pathway for new trainees. Existing mindfulness teachers or trainees wanting to re-establish a connection with the essentials of teaching MBPs are very welcome to join the Essentials training, too.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have previously completed a Level 1 training (TTR1, TTO1, TTC1 or Teaching 1 on the Bangor University Master’s) before 2023, then it is not a requirement to complete the Essentials as part of your Training Pathway. 

Read more about why we developed The Essentials Training as part of our expanded Training Pathway: Putting Out the Welcome Mat for Mindfulness

After completing the Essentials, you can continue to build on this learning with Specialist Trainings that are meant for those who already have some training in leading mindfulness practices (e.g. our Essentials training).

Specialist Training is for those who want to teach mindfulness programs, or who want to offer mindfulness in a particular context such as their workplace, coaching, counselling, yoga or psychotherapy.

Curriculum Specialists: For anyone wanting to teach one or more mindfulness-based program curricula, we offer specialist training to enable you to deliver Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and/or Mindfulness based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Context Specialists: Whether you are training to teach mindfulness or not, it is also possible to specialise in integrating a mindfulness approach within a professional context and with specific populations or communities. As part of our expanded Training Pathway from 2023 onwards, there are options to specialise in Workplace Mindfulness and One-to-One.

Domain Specialists: Mindfulness teachers can cultivate skills in Group or Inquiry which are central to the domains of competence within the Mindfulness-based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria tool (MBI:TAC) which was developed by Bangor University in collaboration with colleagues at the mindfulness centres at Exeter and Oxford Universities.

• Interactive Inquiry and Conveyance of Course Themes (Domain 5)
• Holding the Group Learning Environment (Domain 6)

To complete our full programme of training and retreats, including registration and assessment, the estimated costs are:  

• Route One (Train to teach a mindfulness-based programme) – from approx. £3800   
• Route Two (Train to facilitate a mindfulness-based approach) – from approx. £3000   

The overall cost of your Training Pathway will vary depending on the number of Specialist Training modules take and whether any previous training counts retrospectively towards your portfolio. A breakdown of costs is listed below as a guide: 

• Individual events can be booked through the Mindfulness Network CALENDAR and has full details of the costs involved. We aim to offer a range of online and in-person events, including non-residential and varied accommodation options to suit all circumstances. Accommodation and travel costs for in-person events will vary and are not included in this estimate. 
• Portfolio submission and assessment – £200 
  • NB: Practicing Teacher Certification (for those registered on the Pathway prior to April 2023 is £150. 
• Most supervisors and mentors offer 1-hour individual sessions between £50-£60.
  • Mindfulness-based Supervision and/or Mentoring is a requirement to support you through the Training Pathway.  Some supervisors are also happy to offer shorter sessions and reduced rates.
  • Please see our Supervision FAQs  and Mentoring FAQs for more details. Payment terms and fees for mindfulness-based Supervision sessions will be agreed and arranged directly with your supervisor and are not included in this estimate.    

Bursary-assisted places are available across all Mindfulness Network training, retreats and supervision for those in need of financial support and who work in a way that is aligned to our vision and mission. Find out more about our available bursaries. 

Please contact us via training@mindfulness-network.org to discuss your individual needs and any pricing queries further.

After completing the Pathway, those following Route One have the option to apply for Competency Assessment: Mindfulness Facilitation module with Bangor University – from approx.  £865. 

Part of our vision involves removing financial barriers, as much as we can, by offering bursaries so that people from all backgrounds can afford to train to be mindfulness-based teachers, receive supervision and attend mindfulness retreats. Find out more about our available bursaries.

The Pathway can be customised to suit your professional and personal circumstances so the certification that you receive will depend on your route through the Pathway and the training specialisms you have chosen. There are two routes to certification through the Training Pathway:

• Route One is for those wanting to teach one or more mindfulness-based program curricula, with the option of specialising in a particular context.
  • Certification: Trained to Teach Mindfulness-based Programs with Specialisms in  your chosen curriculum/context(s)
• Route Two is for those wanting to bring a mindfulness-based approach to other professional contexts.
  • Certification: Trained to Facilitate a Mindfulness-based Approach with specialisms in your chosen context(s)

It is possible to specialise in multiple curricula and contexts, for example, Trained to Teach Mindfulness-based programs with specialisms in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) and MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) in the workplace, one-to-one and in the general population.

Your Training Pathway portfolio tells us about your training, retreat, delivery, and supervision. Once you have completed all parts of the Training Pathway you can submit your portfolio for certification from the Mindfulness Network and Bangor University. Once successfully submitted you will receive certification of completion of the Training Pathway.

PLEASE NOTE: If you registered on the Training Pathway before 1st April 2023 you can still choose to be certified as a Practising Teacher (as outlined in the Trainee Handbook 2022/23 or earlier), providing those training, retreats, supervision and reflective writing requirements have been met. This is only for previously registered trainees who are on the the Teacher Training Pathway (Route 1) and should include an MBSR and/or MBCT Curriculum Specialist Training.

Certification as Competency-assessed Teacher  

When you have successfully submitted your portfolio and completed the Training Pathway as ‘Trained to teach Mindfulness-based Programs’ (Route One) you can enrol on the Competency Assessment: Mindfulness Facilitation
module with Bangor University. It is wise to either have a course already recorded prior to registration, or certainty that it is achievable within this time span. Module registration fees cannot be refunded if you are unable to submit on time. 

The module will involve: 

1. Attending online teaching on professional and ethical issues in mindfulness-based teaching 
2. Submission of a portfolio for MBI:TAC assessment which includes audio-visual recordings of an entire 8-week MBCT or MBSR  course with an accompanying written reflective analysis. 

If successful, you will receive certification in competency assessment – the highest standard of a certification available for mindfulness teachers.

Engagement in the Training Pathway enables you to begin delivering mindfulness in line with Good Practice Guidelines and to register with the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA). You don’t have to wait until you are certified to apply for the BAMBA Register. From the BAMBA website: “There is currently no competency assessment or accreditation process involved in joining the Register. However, applicants are required to provide evidence of training completion and of compliance with the Good Practice Guidelines along with a supporting statement from their supervisor and relevant insurance.”

The retreat requirement for the Training Pathway is to engage in annual mindfulness meditation retreats of a minimum of five days. This is in line with Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Teachers. While on the Training Pathway, we recommend you sit the Foundations of Mindfulness Retreat and the Deepening and Extending the Foundations of Mindfulness at some point as these have been specifically designed for mindfulness trainees. These would count towards your annual retreat requirement. Visit our CALENDAR to browse retreats.

Our Supervision website has more information and a list of recommended supervisors and their availability. The supervisors within this group are senior teachers, have taken mindfulness supervision training and have been carefully selected to join this team. There is a particular section that lists supervisors specialising in supervising those on training programs..

Once you have registered and chosen your supervisor, you will follow up discussions with that supervisor and agree a contract together.

Supervision is typically arranged on Zoom or telephone. Your supervisor will support you through all stages of the Training Pathway and at some point watch videos of your teaching. Read more in our Supervision FAQs.

Email us at training@mindfulness-network.org.