CPD01 Meditation as Lifestyle Medicine: Mind-Body Therapy
A Continuing Professional Development Specialty Intensive
The ability to connect with ourselves and others, is at the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well, what causes sadness and what brings happiness, what makes us suffer and what leads to healing.
Dr. Dean Ornish
Meditation and Mind-Body Medicine Teacher Training has been specifically designed to allow you to experience lifestyle medicine as attainable practices of compassionate connection with ourselves and others. While there is an explicit focus on mindfulness and meditation processes, this specialty intensive training elective shall cover both Yogic and Buddhist practices, making it perfect for those beginning their journey in either yoga or meditation teacher training.
Your journey into Mind-Body Medicine shall begin to explore the biopsychosocial model of health and well-being. We shall endeavour to impart foundational knowledge based on how all aspects of the mind-body directly affect who we are and how we live. Beginning with the science of the embodied brain and an understanding of illness and disease, including paradigms of inflammatory conditions, degenerative diseases, chronic pain, mental illness, and the like, you will find yourself beginning to conceptualize illness and disease from a new perspective. This perspective will encompass a holistic and evidence-informed knowledge base of root causation from both an eastern (Ayurveda) and a western (BioMedical) perspective.
Your journey will continue over four days, immersing you in a rich education of mindfulness and meditation practices for managing and overcoming states of disease – both physical and psychological. You will be introduced to a world of medicine where the mind and body are not seen as separate systems but rather a harmonious balance of affect and effect.
Most inspiringly, you shall not only come away with a knowledge base of biopsychosocial health and well-being, so too you shall be immersed in your practices for exploring human potential, heart-felt intuition, and creating positive, meaningful intent, as well as how to support the body’s natural healing processes, and therapeutic modalities for mind-body self-care, hosted by some of the most prominent experts in their fields. And, when your immersion into the world of mind-body medicine comes to an end, you shall find that you have been imparted with the knowledge of how to develop clear and healthy lifestyle goals for living a full and meaningful life with mindfulness and compassion as well as how to cultivate healthy relationships and compassionate boundaries – both professionally and personally.
Whether you do this course for yourself or to teach others, it is a highly valuable practice to live by and share with others. Meditation is an innovative lifestyle medicine of the 21st century.
Meditation as Lifestyle Medicine is taught by the Founder and Director of Biyome, Celia Roberts.
This retreat is run similar to what you may find in Theravada monasteries of South East Asia. In this retreat training, we take the time to focus on some classically strong seated practice, with walking meditation practiced true to its form and origins.
This retreat will follow similar daily routines to a monastic retreat with periods of silence and seated meditation. The practice will be coupled with scientific research, spiritual discussion, and theory. Students in the past have found this four-day silent meditation intensive to be life-changing, despite its intensity, finding themselves very able to dive deeply into the spiritual healing practice, interspersed with science.
Below is the daily schedule.
There are many comfortable ways to practice seated meditation, and Celia will be there to guide your practice at every step.
Daily (4 days)
Morning AM
Session 1
Welcome and Introduction
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Walking Meditation
30 minutes Seated Meditation
30 minutes Theory & Discussion
Session 2
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Walking Meditation
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Lying Meditation
30 minutes Evaluation of Methods, Theory & Discussion
Silent lunch (Eating Meditation)
Afternoon PM
Session 3
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Walking Meditation
30 minutes Seated Meditation
30 minutes Theory & Discussion
Session 4
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Walking Meditation
30 minutes Seated Meditation
10 minutes Lying Meditation
30 minutes Evaluation of Methods, Theory & Discussion
Course Code:
Next Date Offered:
Course is available to be taken online at any time.
Contact us for more details.
What You Will Learn
- Understanding the philosophy behind modifiable lifestyle factors, including creating positive intent through Yogic Sankalpa and Bhavana, and how to apply diverse practices to reduce states of dis-ease.
- Understanding the physiology behind the embodied brain, including the embedded nature of the nervous system and interactions between the brain, the body, the mind, behaviour and relational capacity.
- Understanding the psychology behind the practice, including how emotional states and traits affect the body, psychoneuroimmunology, competitive neuroplasticity for resilience, as well as the use of compassion-focused therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive behaviour therapy within teaching practices.
- Understanding from a complete immersive experience the foundations, applications, and teaching methodologies of Meditation and Mind-Body Medicine.
BIYOME’s Specialty Intensive Teacher Training can be undertaken as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with Yoga Australia and/or the Meditation Association of Australia, as well as obtaining Continuing Education (CE) recognition with Yoga Alliance. The course contact hours and non-contact hours (CPDs and CEs), allocated across Meditation Australia and the two registering yoga bodies do, however, differ. Please contact us for more information.
Should you wish to complete a full meditation certification (110 hours – 1000 hours) or yoga certification (150 hours – 1000 hours), please view this Specialty Intensive Training as an elective within our full course offerings. Details are available here.
Further Information & Requirements
Head Senior Yoga & Meditation Teacher
Yoga Therapist & Ayurvedic Practitioner
Director of BIYOME
There are no specific required texts however we highly recommend
- Siegel, D. J. (2012). Pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology: An integrative handbook of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton.
- Seligman, M. E. (2018). The hope circuit: A psychologist’s journey from helplessness to optimism. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.
- Hanson, R., & Hanson, F. (2018). Resilient: How to grow an unshakable core of calm, strength, and happiness. New York, NY: Harmony Books.
- Hanson, R. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness: How to reshape your brain and your life. New York, NY: Harmony Books.
- 1 yoga mat
- zafu (meditation cushion)
- zabuton (meditation cushion base)
Your CPD01 Investment
Face-to-Face
(Currently not available)
Full investment upfront $1,588
or choose a payment plan:
1x deposit payment $499
2x additional monthly payments $644
Certificate of completion / registration is not offered without complete payment
Online Learning
Full investment upfront $1,208
or choose a payment plan:
1x deposit payment $499
2x additional monthly payments $454
Certificate of completion / registration is not offered without complete payment
