Best Practice Guidelines
Best Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Teachers
These guiding principles have been developed by the Mindfulness Teachers Association (MTA) to promote integrity, consistency, and high standards in the teaching of mindfulness-based approaches. MTA-accredited teachers are expected to embody these best practices in order to support the safe, effective, and ethical delivery of mindfulness programmes across a range of settings.
These guidelines apply to secular, evidence-based, mainstream mindfulness programmes, typically taught over eight weeks and including structured home practice.
The Mindfulness-Based Programmes Covered
These programmes are:
Informed by a clearly articulated rationale;
Teacher-led and experiential in nature;
Based on a defined curriculum;
Normally structured across eight sessions with regular daily home practice;
Designed for scalability and accessibility in community, educational, workplace, and healthcare settings;
Committed to ongoing evaluation and grounded in research evidence
Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Mindfulness Now 8 week programme – developed by Nick Cooke
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) – developed by Segal, Williams & Teasdale
A. Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Requirements
Direct Personal Experience
Teachers must have completed in-depth personal experience with all core mindfulness and meditation practices. To have an established ongoing daily mindfulness meditation practice.Comprehensive Teacher Training
Teachers must have completed a rigorous mindfulness teacher training or supervised pathway. The training must have contained observational assessment during the course of the training by a trainer or tutor. Training should have included mindfulness teaching practice with fellow students, discussion and questions and answers with your trainers or tutors. All post-course assessments need to have involved both a practical assessment of teaching and a written assesssment of teaching.
B. Ongoing Best Practice Commitments
Sustained Personal Mindfulness Practice
All teachers must maintain a regular personal mindfulness practice, including:Daily formal and informal meditation;
Annual attendance at a teacher-led mindfulness retreat including extended periods of silence.
Ongoing Supervision
Teachers are expected to:Engage in regular formal supervision with an experienced mindfulness-based teacher;
Share reflective dialogue on teaching and personal mindfulness practice.
Continued Professional Development (CPD)
Teachers commit to:Ongoing training and CPD relevant to mindfulness teaching;
Staying current with emerging research and developments in mindfulness-based interventions;
Reflective journaling, peer forums, and professional dialogue.
Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct
Register teachers are expected to adhere to the MTA Ethical Professional Code of Conduct.
Becoming a registered teacher with the Mindfulness Teachers Association provides:
Public and professional recognition of your competence and integrity;
Inclusion in the searchable MTA Accredited Teacher Register;
Validation of your training, supervision, and ongoing mindfulness practice;
Connection to a professional body supporting high standards and trauma-informed practice;
Alignment with national standards such as those referenced in the UK Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Report.
Further Resources and Reading
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are.
Segal, Z., Williams, J. & Teasdale, J. (2013). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression.
Research summary from the American Mindfulness Research Association (AMRA)
Mindfulness: Evidence and Impacts – The Mindfulness Initiative
By upholding these best practice guidelines, mindfulness teachers affirm their commitment to ethical, reflective, and evidence-informed teaching. These standards ensure that mindfulness is delivered with integrity, safety, and compassion—honouring both its contemplative roots and its application in modern, secular settings. Registration with the Mindfulness Teachers Association (MTA) is a mark of professional responsibility, demonstrating that a teacher is trained, supported, and engaged in ongoing development. Through this collective commitment, we foster trust among the public, support the growth of the field, and safeguard the future of high-quality mindfulness-based teaching.
Welcome to the UK’s largest professional body of accredited teachers of mindfulness
The Mindfulness Teachers Association is the free professional register, and community of accredited teachers of mindfulness. It is open to all teachers of mindfulness who have a recognised, externally accredited training and qualification in mindfulness teaching. The MTA are commited to promoting, improving and upholding the highest professional standards of evidence based mindfulness practice within our community.