
Meditation Teacher Training
with Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500
August 10 - 23, 2026
Swami Satchidananda said: “Meditation is the most important practice. Most of our problems in life would be solved if we meditated regularly.” Why? Because our whole experience of life is based on the condition of the mind, and meditation enables us to understand and gain mastery over the mind. As the mind becomes stronger, clearer, and calmer, we experience greater efficiency, harmony, and balance as we move through life. Because of the mind-body connection, our health improves as well. Ultimately, we are able to transcend the mind and realize our true nature, a state of supreme peace and joy—free of all sorrow, fear, and delusion.
The Meditation Teacher Training will show you how to deepen your own meditation practice and guide others in establishing a practice of their own.
The curriculum includes:
- Theory of meditation
- Principal techniques of meditation, including mantra, witnessing, Self-inquiry, visualization, and prayer
- Relationship of asana and pranayama to meditation
- Overcoming obstacles to meditation practice
- Integrating meditation into daily life
- Leading guided meditations
You will develop a personal practice plan and will emerge with the knowledge, skill, and confidence to teach a six-week course, as well as comprehensive meditation workshops. In a world that is so much in need of peace, meditation is a time-honored practice that will empower you—and your students—to discover the peace within.
Prerequisites: The course is available to certified Yoga instructors of all traditions who have had a regular daily meditation practice for at least six months. We recommend that all students not trained through Integral Yoga (IY) familiarize themselves with the IY method of teaching Hatha Yoga by taking classes at an IY Institute or from an IY teacher.
Information on Integral Yoga teachers in your area can be obtained from the online Teachers Directory at www.integralyoga.org/directory or by contacting the Integral Yoga Teachers Association at 434.969.3121, ext. 177.
Continuing Education Opportunities
- Yoga Alliance (YA): Approximately 105 contact hours
- Integral Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) can provide you a CE certificate of your program’s total contact hours. For more information, email membership@iyta.org.
Testimonials
It was a big privilege to hear Swami Karunananda’s wisdom. – Luciano Vizzocini
Swami Karunananda is extremely knowledgeable and her presentation is without equal. Her use of stories to illustrate a point is superb. – Participant
Swami Karunananda has an amazing capacity to explain complex things in an easy way.
– Participant
Tentative Schedule
All activities at the Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, Virginia Ashram are structured around the daily schedule of the ashram which includes meditation and Hatha Yoga each morning and evening prior to breakfast and dinner, as well as noon meditation held in Guru Bhavahan and Lotus prior to lunch.
Time | Activity |
---|---|
5:30 AM | Wake up |
6:00 – 6:30 AM | Meditation |
6:40 – 8:10 AM | Hatha Yoga |
8:15 – 9:15 AM | Breakfast |
9:30 – 11:20 AM | Morning Session |
11:20 – 11:30 AM | Announcements |
11:45 AM | Van leaves for LOTUS (behind VV dorms) |
12:00 – 12:30 PM | Noon Meditation |
12:45 – 1:30 PM | Lunch |
1:30 – 3:00 PM | Study/Free Time |
3:00 – 5:45 PM | Afternoon Session |
6:00 – 6:30 PM | Yoga Nidra or Meditation |
6:35 – 7:15 PM | Dinner |
7:30 – 9:00 PM | Evening Session |
9:30 PM | Academy building closes |
10:00 PM | Lights Out |
Presenter
Swami Karunananda has had 50 years’ experience teaching all aspects of Yoga. She designed and conducts teacher training programs in Raja Yoga and in Meditation. She served as president of Satchidananda Ashram in California and in Virginia, and as director of the San Francisco and Santa Barbara Integral Yoga Institutes. She compiled and edited The…
Learn more about Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500