Advanced Topics and Meditation Instruction:
A Quick Orientation Guide
Advanced learning goals require more than conceptual understanding—they require lived experience through practice. When sharing dharma teachings, approach with genuine curiosity rather than certainty. If you feel uncertain, connect with experienced dharma teachers and local Buddhist communities who can offer guidance. Ground yourself thoroughly in study and practice before approaching teaching these topics. Through personal reflection, contemplation, and meditation, you’ll develop the experiential wisdom that transforms intellectual knowledge into authentic understanding, enabling you to guide others. Instead of explaining impermanence as a concept, you might invite children to notice how their feelings change during a single day, showing directly how nothing stays the same.
Advanced Topics
Recommendations
Students learn meditation best from experienced practitioners. When introducing these topics to your students, ideally:
- Initial instruction: Bring in experienced meditation teachers from your community
- Ongoing practice: Can be guided by classroom teachers with basic familiarity
- Different traditions: Approaches vary—honor the tradition you’re drawing from
Finding Meditation Instructors
Local Options to Explore
- Buddhist centers and meditation groups
- University contemplative studies programs
- Parent community with meditation experience
- Virtual guests via video conference
What to Look For
- Experience teaching children/teens
- Personal practice of 5+ years
- Comfort with secular/educational settings
- Clear about their tradition/approach
If You Can’t Find Local Instructors
Recommended Video/Audio Resources
- Tergar Learning meditation resources
- UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center free meditations
- Meditation for Kids, with Katherine Bailey and Zuisei Goddard, podcast.
- How to Meditate, Beginning Instruction with Zuisei Goddard
- Lovingkindness meditation practice for kids, by Sumi Loundon Kim.
- Tricycle’s Guided Meditation Video Series.
- How to Introduce Mindfulness to Children (3 Easy Tips) by Tricycle.
- The Pebble Meditation, Plum Village
- I Like the Roses, practice song for children, Plum Village
- Walking Meditation for Children, Plum Village
- Inner Weather practice, Plum Village
- We Are All Flowers, Plum Village
- How to Meditate, Beginning Instruction, audio, by Kaira Jewel Lingo
- Guided Deep Relaxation for Children, video, by Kaira Jewel Lingo.
Recommended Written Resources
- Meditation for Kids, by Zuisei Goddard
- Metta for Kids, by Gail Silver
- How to Meditate with Kids, by Anna Narvid
Start Simple
- Basic breath awareness (5 minutes)
- Walking meditation in silence
- Listening to bells/sounds
- Body scan relaxation
Important Considerations
- Teaching about meditation (academic) is different from teaching meditation (experiential).
- Some students may have strong reactions—It is important to have counseling support available.
- Teaching children practices that help develop self-compassion and resourcefulness before introducing awareness practices is a trauma-informed approach that can provide them with essential self-soothing skills to manage emotions that may surface during meditation.
- It’s best to invite rather than require participation. Children benefit most when they choose to join in.
For Learning Goals Marked “Advanced”
These require teachers with personal meditation experience. Consider:
- Co-teaching with experienced practitioners
- Taking basic meditation training yourself
- Focusing on the academic/analytical aspects until you build experience