Prior to becoming a meditation teacher, I was training to be a solicitor, working long hours in a human rights law firm was quite draining, mentally, physically and emotionally. I had always known that I wanted a career which helped people, but this just didn’t feel like the right way!
A few years earlier I had taken a break from my (long) studies and training to travel through Asia alone. I travelled to many different parts throughout this 6-month period, including stays at different Monasteries and meditation retreats in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar, and it was at this point that I delved into the teachings of Buddhism and the meditation practices taught alongside. I am not a practising Buddhist, but the philosophies resonated with me and still do to this day. Prior to these travels, I had dabbled in meditation here and there, mainly during stressful periods of work or study and when life felt overwhelming. I would listen to guided visualisation on Youtube, but not really having much of an idea of what I was doing. However, during this time, I deep dived into my meditation practice during silent retreats and learning Vipassana Meditation.
On return to the UK, I continued my meditation practice, usually through self-guided practice at home, continuing with simple breath meditations, and I also attended a local Buddhist meditation class regularly each week too. It was when my mum passed over in 2016 that I truly recognised the power of meditation and the benefits it had brought to me over the past few years, and particularly during this time. It was then that I decided I wanted to share this gift with others. The realisation came to me during a meditation practice at the Buddhist centre.
However, at this time, I didn’t know how to become a meditation teacher, I thought that this vocation was only reserved for those who were Monks or of another religion to which meditation was central. But I did some research, and I found the British School of Meditation. The course really resonated with me due to the depth of the content and the focus on teaching different styles of meditation. I was so eager to sign up and train that I chose the earliest course I could find and travelled down to Grantham to start my studies.
Attending the course was life changing for me. It truly affirmed my love and passion for meditation and desire for teaching this skill to others. I learned many different types of meditation that I hadn’t yet delved into, including mantra, chanting and Zen, all of which are practices that I still hold dear today. However, what I really loved about the course was learning how to teach, how to hold space for others, and the focus on delivering meditations in a safe and assessable way, so that I really knew I was supporting people with their wellbeing and mental health in the best possible way. I really loved learning the ethics and professional practices of a meditation teacher, as well as how I could build a sustainable business too, that is when it really started to feel real – putting together my lesson plans for an introduction to meditation course, which I would start to run on qualification.
Following completion of the course in early 2017, I decided to leave my job in law and focus fully on building up my meditation business. Since that time, I have taught hundreds of people how to meditate, through either courses, workshops, retreats or 121 sessions. My favourite part of teaching meditation is being privileged to witness the journey that people go on when learning this skill for the first time – seeing the profound changes it can bring to their wellbeing and their life.
For me, one of the main things I learned when training with BSoM, and which I continue to instil in my students now that I am a trainer and co-owner of the school, is that, when you have undergone professional training in this area, we can see that teaching meditation is not just about writing scripts and providing a calming experience for someone in that moment or session. That is definitely a big part of the role, but for me, the most important element of being a meditation teacher is the support that we provide around someone’s experience. It is teaching them HOW to meditate, and to do that it is necessary to understand what is happening in the brain and body when we meditate. It is also important to recognise that meditation is an individual, person lead experience - it should not be led by, but simply guided by the teacher. Finally, it is important to guide people in the best and safest possible way, so that they do not get put off by the practice – it is a journey, and setting the foundations of someone’s practice, before delving into deeper experiences, is key. These are all areas that we really focus on within our training courses and I am confident that all students I teach excel in!
Catherine Banks