Oasis- An Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Innovation

Becoming an MBSR Teacher

Teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) requires the capacity to meet our own suffering and that of others with attention, resilience, transparency, and compassion. For most people, cultivating these qualities is both cumulative and non-linear. Therefore, we encourage you to proceed through Oasis training programs slowly and thoroughly, allowing time to integrate your learning into your life and your teaching.

It is not necessary for you to become certified by the Center for Mindfulness (CFM) to teach MBSR. However, before beginning to teach, we strongly encourage you to participate in one or both of the Oasis Foundational Training Programs - MBSR in Mind-Body Medicine and/or Practicum in MBSR. In addition to participating in Oasis foundational training programs, dedication to the on-going exploration of the following interconnected pathways of study and personal development is essential:

Personal psychological development

Your ongoing commitment to learning as much as possible about your own personality and patterns of relating is necessary if you hope to teach MBSR. Such knowledge requires ongoing self-inquiry and inner work.

Meditation training, including silent retreat attendance

Because wonder and inquiry into the nature of the self and reality is an essential practice for MBSR teachers, your engagement in a daily practice of mindfulness meditation and on-going participation in silent, teacher-led retreats is critically important. We recommend attendance at retreat centers that emphasize Theravadan Buddhist teachings because the spirit, practices, and attitudes of MBSR are reflective of this tradition. Other consciousness disciplines that include many days of silence, interaction with a meditation teacher, and practice in a
style of meditation that encourages spaciousness and introspection may be acceptable.

Yoga or other bodywork training

Recognition of the body as a vehicle for mindfulness is essential. We recommend that you practice and train in mindful hatha yoga, or in some other form of body-centered awareness practice.

Professional training and graduate degree in a related field

Teaching MBSR requires an intellectual understanding of the scientific, medical, and educational roots of MBSR, and the capacity to articulate these aspects of the teaching. For that reason, it is essential to pursue a graduate degree in a field connected to MBSR. Psychology, education, and medicine are typical fields of study, but any program that emphasizes an understanding of the mind and body, and includes service as a component, may be acceptable. You do not have to have a graduate degree to teach MBSR, but if you wish to receive certification, you must have completed your graduate program.