ME-CL2 Deepening your practice

ME-CL2 DEEPENING YOUR SKILLS AND PRACTICE

We are pleased to organize a ME-CL level 2 training that will be taught by Jan Chozen-Bays and Char Wilkins in Vaison-La-Romaine, France (Provence) from October 3 - 7, 2021.

This is a unique opportunity as this will be the last ME-CL2 training that Jan and Char will offer.

TRAINING

The heart of this second level training is an invitation for experienced ME-CL teachers to explore more deeply the principles that are the underpinnings of the ME-CL program and to step more fully into embodying this in their teaching. Teaching from this platform highlights the need for attendees to have ongoing formal and informal mindfulness practices. This training will focus on the cultivation of intentional presence, authenticity, integrity, and mindfulness-informed boundaries that support both the teacher and participants.

While it is true that any aspect of life can be an entryway to becoming more mindful, disordered eating often comes with a complex history that can manifest in reactive behaviors. We will examine the importance of meeting ourselves and our participants with steadiness and kindness, and carefully contemplate the place of compassion in this program.

How we facilitate mindful inquiry of our participants in the ME-CL program may be different than how we have led discussions based on our training in a particular field or modality. Throughout this training, there will be opportunities for participants to explore the intention and rationale of mindful inquiry, and explore in-depth the how, why, when and what is being taught in each class.

There will be discussion regarding mindful eating practices when doing one-on-one counseling, different cultural settings, and situations requiring special adaptations. And we will explore the psychological and spiritual aspects of eating which include craving, greed, and aversion.

This second training is limited in size so that the content can be tailored to those attending. All participants will be invited to provide input that will focus the training to meet their needs and questions. A higher level of collegial participation and sharing is invited at this level.There will be time to nurture these qualities and skills through silent mindfulness practices, instruction by the teachers, interactive exercises and discussions.

Note: This is a required course for Teacher Certification in ME-CL. For more information, go to ME-CL Teacher Certification Program.

OBJECTIVES

At the completion of this activity, the participants should be able to:

skillfully and with confidence deliver eating awareness practices and mindfulness meditations in the ME-CL curriculum
articulate how compassion practice is both implicit and explicit in ME-CL
mindfully facilitate a discussion of emotional, physical and psychological craving as it relates to food and eating, and how conditioned patterns of mind influence eating behaviors
explain the pivotal importance of mindful inquiry in teaching the curriculum
describe the relevance of their own ongoing mindfulness meditation practice and mindful eating practices in the successful delivery of the curriculum
acknowledge their teaching strengths and recognize areas that need strengthening in the facilitation of mindful meditations and eating exercises

TARGET AUDIENCE

This intensive, experiential program is intended for graduates of ME-CL1 who have taught at least one 8-week ME-CL-based program and who wish to further their teaching skills in mindful eating and supportive mindfulness-related practices. It is also intended for graduates of ME-CL2 who wish to refresh or deepen their ability to teach from a mindfulness stance. Whenever possible this training will be tailored to the needs of the participants and their input will be solicited.

The training is designed for clinicians in mental health or healthcare fields and clinicians-in-training in these fields whose interests lie in teaching from a mindfulness stance that understands eating and food as gateways to self-awareness, understanding, and better health

PARTICIPANTS GUIDELINES

It is our experience that successful delivery of mindful eating skills requires teachers to have a commitment to an ongoing, daily mindfulness meditation practice. To this end, we have created recommendations for acceptance to this training.

Completion of ME-CL1, or ME-CL2.
Applicants must have taught a minimum of one 8-week mindful eating program based on the ME-CL protocol.
A sustained, regular personal meditation practice.
Attendance at a minimum of one 5-10 day teacher-led silent meditation retreat is required. (PLEASE NOTE: Mindfulness-based professional training such as MBSR, MBCT, MSC, or ME-CL1 does not fulfill this requirement. (Parents of young children, caregivers, and others with special circumstances can submit an adapted schedule for attendance at silent meditation retreats).

PROGRAM FORMAT

Mindfulness Practice: Based upon the foundational assumption that the only true teaching of mindfulness comes out of regular and systematic personal practice, this training is steeped in mindfulness practice. Early morning and evening practice sessions are a crucial component of the training itself and will include a variety of mindfulness practices including sitting meditation, mindful movement, and mindful walking and body meditations. Selected meals will be taken in silence, some being designated as mindful eating practice sessions. Several evenings will include silence from the conclusion of evening practice until breakfast the next morning, and a half-day guided retreat will be provided.

Group Size: In order to facilitate the individualized and intensive nature of both mindfulness and mindful eating and teaching skills, the training will be limited to 20 trainees with 2 experienced teachers (Jan Chozen Bays and Char Wilkins) to keep the student-to-teacher ratio low and the learning environment intimate and direct.

RETREAT SETTING AND SELF-CARE

The choice of a relatively isolated retreat setting is intentional to facilitate mindfulness practice, reduce outside distractions and create a safe and productive holding environment for the unfolding of the work and the group. The training is intended to be a protected forum for facilitating experiential learning, group cohesion and dynamics, and deep abiding attention to self-care and compassion. Meals will be prepared and presented with deep intention to be tasty, healthful, and nourishing by staff that is sensitive to the intention of the setting and the needs of the participants. Breaks will be provided to allow for participants to walk, hike, run or explore the surrounding environment as a means of supporting the sometimes challenging work itself and to facilitate self-care.