Accredited Meditation Course

Course review criteria

The organization’s published rubric asks accredited courses to include:

• A healthy balance of background and history, theory, practical exercises, and teacher training.
• Common misconceptions and pitfalls for each practice, with guidance for avoiding problems.
• Guidance on when to refer students to qualified medical or mental-health professionals.
• Inclusive access without exclusion based on race, age, religion, or similar characteristics.
• Clear presentation and, for digital courses, usable video and audio.
• An engaging course experience and meditation exercises capable of supporting presence and meditative consciousness.
• An exam or certification process that verifies student qualifications before awarding teacher credentials.

Instructor criteria

• Regular meditation practice for at least one year, including regular practice of the methods taught.
• A daily meditation practice, allowing for occasional missed days.
• Experience of at least one retreat lasting seven days or longer; ten days is preferred in the legacy rubric.
• No violation of the organization’s Code of Conduct.
• Prior in-person experience teaching or guiding meditation for at least ten people before creating the course.
• A kind, helpful, and professionally responsible approach.

The legacy rubric states a preference for TMO Certified Meditation Teachers. Other instructors are asked to provide a statement of their credentials and experience.

Claims, safety, and professional conduct

Courses should not present one meditation, religion, spirituality, philosophy, or ideology as the only true or correct path; create hierarchical claims of personal perfection; or make absolute health claims without credible evidence. Terms such as “therapy” and “healing” should be used carefully and lawfully.

Teachers should stop and make an appropriate referral if course participation appears to be worsening a student’s physical or psychological condition. Harassment, abuse, threats, deception, unfair exclusion, sexual misconduct, and misuse of teaching power are inconsistent with the published standards.

Read the complete Code of Conduct

Application inquiry

The published application pathway is email. Send the following to [email protected] with the subject line AMC:

1. Where will the course be taught—at a specific location or online?
2. Who will teach the course?
3. Is the instructor a TMO Certified Meditation Teacher?
4. How can reviewers access the course materials and syllabus?
5. Will any of the published guidelines present a problem? If so, which ones, and how do you propose resolving them?