FAQs

The Mindfulness Now Teacher Training Course in London provides exceptional teacher teaching in the heart of London. Our venue is within an easy commute for all of the capital, South East and home counties, as well as being easily accessible for those travelling from across the UK and internationally.

Below are some frequently asked questions about training in London, but if you require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact the college  on 0121 444 1110 or email us. Alternatively you can contact the course tutor, Tony O’Shea-Poon, via +44 (0)7769 688 573, or via email hello@mindful.me.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

You sign up by purchasing a course product on our website. Add the course to your basket and provide your details at checkout. You will have the option to pay in one of a number of ways, including by credit or debit card, PayPal, direct bank transfer or by requesting an invoice.

In order to provide open access to our training we make no assumption of any prior learning. We simply ask that students already practice mindfulness meditation personally and are committed to ongoing practice. This inevitably means that some students on our teacher training will have more experience than others. They may, for example, have already attended an eight-week mindfulness course but this is not necessary since we cover this in the course.

Yes, you can attend regardless of your country of residence. We have had students attend from all over the world. If you are attending in person, then you need to travel to the UK to attend. If you are attending online, you can join in your home country.

Our courses are currently held at Jacksons Lane Arts Centre in Highgate, North London, directly opposite Highgate tube station.

The current course fee is £950.

The fee includes 5 days intensive training, training manual, assessment, eligibility to join the Mindfulness Teachers Register on completion of assessment, the Breathing Space journal, eligibility to join the Mindfulness Now Facebook page and ongoing support, including access to supervision and CPD opportunities. A comprehensive training manual is included as well as PowerPoint slides for mindfulness teaching, working with children and for corporate presentations. All resources are supplied electronically so that they can be adapted for your use later.

Yes, you can.

Option 1 – choose to pay for the course in full at time of booking.

Option 2 – choose to pay 50% at time of booking and we will invoice you for the balance around one month before the course starts (this option is usually available 1 month or more before the course start date).

Option 3 – choose either of the payment in full or pay 50% options and then choose your payment method as three interest-free instalments with PayPal Pay Later or Klarna.

Unfortunately, we can only reserve a place for you on receipt of either full payment or 50% payment.

If you are unable to attend a course for any reason or wish to withdraw, we request that you give us as much notice as possible. Under UK consumer law, you have the right to cancel your booking within 14 days of purchase (the statutory cooling-off period) and receive a full refund, provided the course has not commenced. Where course materials have been distributed, physically or electronically, this means the course has already commenced. After the statutory cooling-off period has expired, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances. Requests to postpone attendance on a course may be considered at our discretion. Where a postponement is agreed, an administrative fee of £25 or 10% of the course fee, whichever is greater, will apply. All postponement requests must be supported by appropriate evidence demonstrating the reason for the request. Requests for postponement made within one month of the course start date may not be approved. Approval is especially unlikely where course materials have already been distributed. In exceptional personal circumstances, we may agree to a postponement outside of the above conditions. Examples of such circumstances may include, but are not limited to: serious illness or injury affecting you, bereavement of a close family member, significant and unexpected personal or family emergency. Requests for postponement must be made in writing (for example, by email), as soon as reasonably possible, and must include relevant supporting evidence. We will only agree to postpone a booking on one occasion. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled course date for any reason, no further postponement or transfer will be offered.

We send you a number of things when you purchase the course, including a welcome letter, reading list, local accommodation list and a registration form. Around one month before the course starts, or earlier in some circumstances, we will provide you with access to additional advance learning materials. Once you have accessed or received the course material you are deemed to have started the course.

The course has been running successfully since 2014 and we have trained students in many locations throughout the UK.

Nick Cooke is the founder of the UK College of Mindfulness Meditation. Nick developed the Mindfulness Now course after his own experience of using mindfulness to help him with his recovery and rehabilitation, including coping with pain following two serious and life-threatening illnesses. As a therapist, he has considerable experience of practising and teaching mindfulness to clients, leading to very positive results in managing stress, anxiety, depression, physical and emotional pain.

It is vital when undertaking training of this nature to ensure that the approval meets your needs. Our training has been rigorously assessed and is approved through the BPS CPD Quality Mark Scheme for the purposes of continuing professional development. However, you don’t need to be a psychologist to undertake this training. With the BPS seal of approval many of our former students teach mindfulness within the NHS, mental health services, all levels of the educational system, within the charity sector, complementary therapies, as well as many other environments.

It is vital when undertaking training of this nature to ensure that the accreditation meets your needs. Our training has been rigorously assessed and the training is fully accredited by The National Register of Psychotherapists and Counsellors (NRPC).

You can read some testimonials about the course on our website. You can also watch a short video where some graduates of the course talk about their experience. You can also read testimonials for Tony O’Shea-Poon, who leads the Mindfulness Now course in London.

See the course syllabus on our website for a breakdown of the course content.

The programme is designed to guide students, over 5 consecutive days, through a combination of practical ‘hands on’ learning along with the teaching of underpinning theoretical knowledge. There is plenty of time built in to ask questions, to get to know other participants and to learn at a pace that is focused yet unhurried.

To qualify and obtain the certification as an accredited mindfulness teacher, students are required to attend the 5-day intensive course and complete two assignments – one a case study report and the other a brief written question and answer paper. The case study must also include an audio recording of teaching mindfulness to an individual or a group. These have to be submitted together, within 6 months of attending the training. Further guidance is provided during the training.

Qualified teachers through this programme are offered to opportunity to sign up as licensed and accredited teacher on an annually renewable basis. There is no charge for this.  Licensed and accredited teachers will be able to apply to be members of the Mindfulness Teachers Register. Once again, no charge applies to this. Licensed and accredited teachers are required to observe a code of ethics which includes the necessity for professional insurance, continuing professional development (CPD) and supervision.

The Mindfulness Now accredited teaching qualification can lead to a rewarding career teaching mindfulness, one-to one, or in groups. Mindfulness Now graduates work in many diverse environments including the NHS (including mental health), schools and further/higher education, learning disabilities, hospice movement, charities, as well as in complementary health and in corporate settings. Many mindfulness teachers are self-employed and many incorporate it alongside coaching or other therapeutic work. As part of the training all students receive instruction on practice building and developing corporate work opportunities. Graduates are eligible to obtain professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

Supervision is considered to be helpful and beneficial to all mindfulness teachers and is essential if you wish you maintain your Mindfulness Now license and be included on the Mindfulness Teachers Register. Supervision allows you to bring a wide range of issues and challenges in order for you to obtain information, advice and guidance from your tutor and other students. Individual and Group Supervision are offered and your tutor will provide further information about Supervision during the course and after you qualify.

Continuing Professional Development is helpful and beneficial to all mindfulness teachers and the UK College of Mindfulness Meditation provides an ongoing programme of training events. Relevant CPD may also be undertaken elsewhere providing it is directly relevant to mindfulness. We would normally expect licensees to attend a minimum of 3 days (18 hours) CPD per annum, at least 6 hours of which should be a retreat experience. We will provide further information about CPD requirements and opportunities during your training and after you qualify.

It’s easy. Once you have your certificate, which is proof of your qualification, you visit the Mindfulness Teachers Register online and complete the short application form. Once your entry has been approved, you will be able to edit the entry at any time yourself. You can visit the Mindfulness Teachers Register here.

The Mindfulness Now training team is a small team of professional mindfulness trainers, who between them have decades of experience in practising and teaching mindfulness and personal experience of its benefits. The London course is led by Tony O’Shea-Poon. Tony is a therapist, clinical hypnotherapist, coach, mindfulness teacher and peace activist. He has been practicing meditation for more than 25 years and is a practitioner of mindfulness in the Plum Village style, a tradition taught by Buddhist Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. Tony is sometimes supported on this course by Rachel McKenna. Rachel is a mindfulness teacher, trainer and NLP Coach. She has extensive experience working with children, young people and families.

The hours are normally 10am to 5pm, although we may finish a little earlier on some days.

The course is not residential but some students, because of the distance they may need to travel, decide to stay locally. (See our FAQ about local accommodation)

Yes we can. We have collected together a list of accommodations and details about how to search for hotels, hostels, B&Bs and other accommodation in the local area. We send you this as soon as we receive your booking.