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Meditation Teacher Training With Susan Piver
An 11-Week Exploration of the Path of the Teacher
A 75-hour Training
January 17–March 28
Open to All Who Want to Deepen Their Practice AND create a more sane, decent, and loving world
Classes on Saturdays, 11A ET – 1P ET | Limited to 50 Students
Hello! Thank you so much for your interest in this program.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT TIME TO CONSIDER TAKING THIS TRAINING:
I know we are all looking for strategies to create a more sane, decent, and loving world. One of the best ways to do so is to teach others how to work with their minds–which is why I am offering this program again for the first time in two years. (Though it is basically my favorite thing to teach, it is also quite intensive, so I’m not sure when I will offer it again.)
APPLY HERE for the Open Heart Project Meditation Teacher Training for 2026
ABOUT THE OPEN HEART PROJECT MEDITATION TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
This 11-week training program is not about viewing meditation from a so-called “secular” point of view. To really understand what we’re doing, it is useful (and important! necessary!) to study certain Buddhist teachings. To separate the practice from the teachings that gave rise to it, as many other programs do, is to leave most of the magic on the table. No one has to be a Buddhist to appreciate teachings on simplicity, loving kindness, and the real meaning of discipline–all of which are important qualities in meditation.
The Open Heart Project Meditation Teacher Training is not self-guided. All classes are taught by me, live. You are not left on your own with a bunch of videos + instructions for how to use the material. Rather, we will meet together as a class for two hours each week where new material is presented with plenty of time for discussion, questions, and small group breakout sessions. At the end of our time together, you will know much more: about the practice, how to share it with others, and, perhaps most important, about yourself. It would be a joy to go on this journey with you.
APPLY HERE for the Open Heart Project Meditation Teacher Training for 2026
PROGRAM DETAILS
From January 17 – March 28 we will meet on Saturdays from 11:00a ET to 1:00p ET.
After each class, you will be assigned homework to write your response to that week’s class material. Homework is to be posted to our private, members-only forum before the next class and each student is asked to share their responses to at least two other students’ reflections.
Beginning in week three, students will break into pairs to practice offering meditation instruction to each other.
During the final weeks of the program each student will meet with me one-to-one to give me meditation instruction and discuss how the program has gone.
During the final class there will be a test. Test questions are provided when you are accepted into the program, so there is plenty of time for review. On test day, each student will be asked one question at random to answer in front of the group.
What Do Past Students Have to Say?
I am so grateful to Susan for communicating with great simplicity her love and deep knowledge of Buddhism. The precision and clarity of her teaching radiated throughout the program.
I found it very rewarding to reflect and write an essay each week on a specific theme, thus allowing me to clarify my understanding through relating to my personal experiences, as well as reading other participants' essays in the forum.
By emphasizing the practice of meditation as a genuine approach to sharpening and cultivating presence and awareness, Susan has really inspired me to share with others, with heart and integrity, how they can discover and implement this way of being in their own lives.
Thank you thank you Susan and the OHP!
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
What a gift it was to learn more about the teaching side of meditation. My classmates came to Zoom from all over the world, with many different backgrounds, but one thing we shared was a desire to be kinder and more compassionate toward ourselves and others. I especially liked that most meetings included a chance to lead a fellow student in meditation, because there's nothing better than, well, practice. (See what I did there?) As with everything the Open Heart Project offers, this training was warm, witty, deeply honest, and full of those tricky places where theory crashes into real life. I can't wait to come back for another round.
Austin, TX
This training not only deepened my personal meditation practice but it also deepened my path as a Buddhist. The meditation technique itself is really simple, though takes a lifetime to integrate and learn, for there is no mastering of it. The Buddhist teachings Susan provided relating to the context of the meditation practice helped me take the steps towards fully embracing Buddhism, though this is not the purpose of this course. Yet, I have learned that consistent meditation practice has interesting side journeys which open new doors. So to anyone considering this course, I would say to expect your life to change in ways you could not possibly predict.
Cincinnati, OH
The meditation teacher training opened up my heart in a way I did not expect, and in a way I very much needed. It set me on a course that will enrich the rest of my days; helping me lean in toward sangha and spending focused time with the dharma. I appreciated Susan's candor and reverence as a teacher very much. Her style modeled a beauty in the world I longed to see and helped me discover many truths.
Steamboat Springs, CO
Who is this program for?
This program is for you if you want to:
- Stabilize and deepen your personal practice
- Teach meditation as part of your work as a yoga teacher, life coach, healthcare professional, team leader or any other profession that seeks to support others
- Learn more about Buddhism
- Spend time in community
- You don’t know why you want to do this, you just do!
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
- How to strengthen your personal practice
- Insight into your personal journey on the spiritual path
- How to work with strong emotion (your own and others)
- Foundational Buddhist teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and the Six Paramitas—and what they have to do with meditation practice
- How to offer the practice to others responsibly and with confidence
- How to keep the practice sacred (rather than self-help only)
- How to give one-to-one instruction
- How to give a talk on meditation to a group
- How to lead a short retreat
- Creating a conducive teaching environment
- Who not to teach and the importance of trauma-sensitivity
- The importance of respecting boundaries (your own and others’)
- How to answer the most frequently asked questions about meditation
APPLY HERE for the Open Heart Project Meditation Teacher Training for 2026
Requirements
Please read this carefully.
Attendance is mandatory. You may miss one class (except for first or last class). If you miss a class, you will be asked to send me an essay recapping the material you missed. We really mean this! No successful completion of the program if attendance gets messed up! So please make very careful note of the dates.
You will give me meditation instruction before the program ends. This is not to make sure you do exactly what I do, but to verify that you’ve made a personal connection to the practice and are presenting it accurately. You should be able to teach it clearly without embellishing the technique but still sharing from the heart.
There will be a test (also called a “Warrior’s Circle”). During the test, you will be asked to answer one question and one question only, without referring to notes. There will be approximately 30 test questions but neither of us will know which question you are to answer until I choose it randomly. You should be able to answer the question accurately but in your own voice.
Upon Graduation
- Certification acknowledging successful completion of this program as a trained meditation teacher
- An annual subscription to the Open Heart Project Sangha to continue your education and deepen your personal practice ($270 value)
- A community you can turn to
Who teaches the program?
Susan Piver
Susan Piver has been a practicing Buddhist for more than 30 years. She is a Buddhist teacher and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books including Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation and The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships, and The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship. Her latest book is Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra.
In 2013, Piver launched The Open Heart Project, an online meditation community with nearly 20,000 members who practice meditation together and explore ways to bring spiritual values such as kindness, genuineness, and fearlessness to everyday life.
The Time Commitment
Class time: 2 hours per week
Homework and readings: about an hour per week
Personal practice: 10-30 minutes per day
What’s the cost?
New Applicants
Meditation Teacher Training Program: 2026
Early Bird Price: $2,200.00
(Ends Oct. 31)
(or 4 payments of $550)
Regular Price: $2,400.00
(or 4 payments of $600)
Space is limited.
Once accepted, applicants must make payment (full or partial) within 10 days of acceptance or by start date
(January 17, 2026) to secure a spot.
Payments may be made in 4 installments that will autocharge in an even timeframe.
Sangha Members
Meditation Teacher Training Program: 2026
Sangha Price: $2,040.00
(Join the sangha here)
Space is limited.
Once accepted, applicants must make payment (full or partial) within 10 days of acceptance or by start date (January 17, 2026) to secure a spot.
Payments may be made in 4 installments that will autocharge in an even timeframe.
Upon acceptance, we will send a payment link. Participation is not guaranteed until payment is received (in whole or in part)
SCHOLARSHIPS
Deadline to apply: OCTOBER 31
The deadline for scholarship applications has passed. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by November 7.
Refund Policy
Please note: Our refund policy is very strict.
Since attendance is limited, there are no full or partial refunds offered.
What happens when the program ends?
You have access to all class materials (videos, check-ins, forums) for life.
Graduates of the program receive an annual subscription to the Open Heart Project Sangha for one year so we can remain connected.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us here.
The Curriculum
Module One: Precise
January 17
Our View
- Overview of the program
- Our Practice: Shamatha-Vipashyana meditation
- Establishing the view
- Mindfulness and awareness in our practice
- Background on our practice and where it fits in the Buddhist tradition
- The importance of simplicity
January 24
Context for Practice
- The Four Noble Truths
- The Middle Way and Our Practice
- Not eternalistic
- Not nihilistic
- Not neither
- Not both
- Now what?
Module Two: Open
January 31
Not Self-Help
- The Meaning of Discipline
- Three Steps to Keeping the Practice Sacred
- Make Offerings
- Request Blessings
- Dedicate the Merit
- The Importance of Lineage
February 7
- Obstacles and Antidotes
- The Six Paramitas of Shamatha-Vipashyana
- Generosity
- Discipline
- Patience
- Exertion
- Absorption
- Wisdom
February 14
- Encountering strong emotions in self and others
- Helping students work with feelings during practice
- The role your own inner life plays while teaching
- The Importance of Sadness
- Vulnerability and Confidence: Same Thing
Module Three: Spacious: The Teaching Path
February 21
- The Four Karmas and the Teaching Environment
- Pacify
- Enrich
- Magnetize
- Destroy (or Let Go)
February 28
- Creating the teaching environment
- Meeting the mind of your student
- The importance of boundaries
- Trauma-sensitivity
March 7
- Money and other business-related concerns
- Attitudes about money and spirituality (your own and others)
March 14
- How to give instruction 1:1
- Knowing who to work with and understanding your limits
- The first meeting
- Next steps
- Setting up accurate expectations
March 21
- Giving a Talk and Instructing a Group
- How to plan
- Topics to cover
- Responding to questions
- Problems you may encounter
- Finding your confidence
- How to lead a retreat
March 28
- Now what?
- The Three Jewels
- Finding support
- Deepening further
- Our Test: A Warrior’s Circle
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