ideas for a meditation class, and am i qualified enough?

[jonesboy]

Judgements, smudgments :)

Do what your inner voice leads you to do. You are helping and being of service.

Do what feels right in this.

[Gem]

I followed the thread, but didn't say anything (until now, that is). It's hardly a whimsical thing because it affects people, and I don't know what methods are being proposed, but many methodologies aren't sound in principle and seem to neglect many ethical considerations.

I am interested in what you think about the ethics of teaching meditation, because I think it's a role that comes with a lot of responsibilities and a duty of care to the practitioners.

[jonesboy]

Remember not everyone is hardcore. Some may just need breath meditation. Simple easy, very little chance of overload. A foot on the path.

What is the standard. Experiencing the Witness state? That is the first level of enlightenment. Does that count? I know people who have meditated for a month and achieved it.

Time does not matter. Look at all of the different views of energy going on in the body on this board. I say kundalini and someone else will say it is me getting closer to the spiritual real or past lives, etc...

People will be drawn to what they are drawn to. The bad stuff happens when you are either stupid or you are doing stupid stuff without knowing it. An example would be doing a 1hr meditation twice a day with mantra. Big trouble, while breath meditation it could be ok. Or doing a form of pranayama that works the crown.

I always talk about learning a proven system. You know what the effects of the practices will be. It really can be a step by step process. It makes it very safe and effective.

So with all that being said. If someone wants to offer meditation at the public library or community center I see nothing wrong with it. If they are going to offer more then I would hope it is in a proven system not something they just found.

[sunsoul]

I think Gem raises some good points there. You also have to remember that some of the people who actually turn up on your doorstep may well be unbalanced or confused, etc! This is where experience, good instruction that you have received from a suitable teacher, and some know-how can make all the difference..

People will generally have a lot of questions, and often need some form of basic counselling on life and everyday matters in the beginner courses.

That is why I mentioned before that you should probably do a course of some kind yourself, and then learn from others on how to deal with all sorts of people and situations...

[sea-dove]

Anthony. None of us have asked thou we probably should of done before making so many comments, what kind of meditation are you refering to teaching?

Originally Posted by sea-dove

Anthony. None of us have asked thou we probably should of done before making so many comments, what kind of meditation are you refering to teaching?

As I read this thread, I had the same question. When I hear the word meditation, the first thing that comes to mind is zazen. But that is purely because of my background and history with meditation.

Originally Posted by Gem

I followed the thread, but didn't say anything (until now, that is). It's hardly a whimsical thing because it affects people, and I don't know what methods are being proposed, but many methodologies aren't sound in principle and seem to neglect many ethical considerations.

I am interested in what you think about the ethics of teaching meditation, because I think it's a role that comes with a lot of responsibilities and a duty of care to the practitioners.

Right on.

There are those posting here who are being dangerously flippant. One assumes they've had an easy time or got involved so superficially they're unable to appreciate potential problems.

Fine when everything goes right or nothing happens at all, but when things get out of hand someone can get seriously damaged. There are quacks in the medical field, and there are quacks in the field of spiritual practices. Gone are the old Orders where someone had to achieve a certain level of initiation/attainment before being allowed acolytes!

Some of the problems brought to this forum arise from these quacks.

[Anthony Ayahuasca]

Thankyou so much for your amazing advice

for your info, i was thinking about just doing a begineers class, basing the lessons on the simple breath and some mantra meditations.

i know a lot of people who would massively benefit from it so I feel it is something I have to take on :)

Thanks again!

much love x

[sea-dove]

Originally Posted by Anthony Ayahuasca

Thankyou so much for your amazing advice

for your info, i was thinking about just doing a begineers class, basing the lessons on the simple breath and some mantra meditations.

i know a lot of people who would massively benefit from it so I feel it is something I have to take on :)

Thanks again!

much love x

Breath work and mantras classes are advanced things, and those classes should be run by experienced teachers.. they can activate kundalini etc so can cause all kinds of issues. Just cause it hasnt done this to you, doesnt mean that another will not have issues (and it could be huge) with this kind of thing.

Im going to say now that you've said what you are planning to teach.. I personally dont feel comfortable about someone with your level of experience teaching that kind of meditation. Are you aware of kundalini? Do you know how to help a student if the mantras and breathwork triggers off kundalini syndrome for someone who is involved in your classes? Would you be able to recognise a spiritual emergency?

simple breath and some mantra meditations

I myself, knowing what I do, would only do that stuff under experienced yogi teachers. (the only exceptions to that for me would be if the person is strongly divinely connected and is being completely guided in what they are doing). I wasnt even doing those things with the ones I was teaching as I dont view myself qualifed enough to be doing those things with others (even thou Ive been taught some powerful breathwork techniques and mantras).. and I had 10 years experience under my belt and know quite a bit about kundalini.

simple breath and mantra meditations can be quite powerful

[sunsoul]

To be clear, breath meditation (anapatasati) and kundalini are not necessarily related and there is no direct link as such. If you read the Buddhist sutras and more recent teachings of meditation masters like Thich Nhat Hanh there is no mention of kundalini whatsoever.

What I would say, is that certain situations can arise when people are unbalanced or confused, and then a certain amount of experience and know-how would be necessary to provide proper instruction and guidance.

For beginners, teaching a simple technique like focusing on the breath will enable people to calm their stormy minds and this can be very beneficial to many people. It is a practical tool rather than anything overly esoteric.

Essentially though, I would be in agreement with those who suggest getting instruction from experienced practitioners before venturing out. Doing a retreat may also help.