5 reasons every coach needs guided meditation training

Guided meditation and mindfulness have become increasingly hot topics in the coaching industry in recent years.

Many coaches are catching on to the unfortunate reality that the cerebral processes of motivational interviewing are often not effectual in the long-term, or the short term, against anxiety and fear-ridden clients of the day. As a result, coaches are seeking to add skill sets to their repertoire that allow them to circumvent the physiological and emotional roadblocks to change.

Fortunately, there is a simple tool coaches can utilize to not only demolish those fear-based roadblocks but also differentiate themselves from a growing number of cookie-cutter coaches. That tool is guided meditation, and in this article, we are going to discuss the 5 reasons every coach needs guided meditation teacher training.

1. To increase the client’s receptiveness & the coach’s effectiveness

If you’re a coach, or if you’ve been awake in the last 15 years, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the recent and dramatic uptick of stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. in society. With the advent of social media and the ceaseless onslaught of notifications, information and opinions filling every moment of our day, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Our new technological lives distort and augment not only our perception of reality, but also our physiology.

For today’s coach, this is bad news.

Client’s characterized by sympathetic nervous system dominance (SNS) and ever shrinking attention spans represent a serious obstacle in the successful implementation of processes dependent upon rational thought and commitment.

Additionally, there are simply too many opinions floating out in the digital ether to contend with.

With the modern client, a lack of short-term results can quickly give way to the nervous curiosity borne of doubt and worry.

After a night of google searches, there is no telling what can happen between sessions.

At best, you may find yourself arguing the clichéd merits of an internet guru’s take on what’s best for your client.

At worst, you may get the call that they are gonna be taking time off from your work together to “try something else.”

Fortunately, guided meditation offers a reliable solution to this familiar cycle, because it addresses the heart of the issue…

…bad physiology.

Coaches who know how to utilize guided meditation to accommodate the hyper-reactive clients of today have the ability to frequently overcome the number one obstacle to getting results for their client: fear.

The inherent benefits of meditation are rooted in its ability to quiet the survival brain (amygdala) activity and restore the natural balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (PSNS).

It is this healthy, PSNS dominant physiology that frees the client from the clutches of the emotional brain, giving access to the higher cognitive functions necessary to be receptive to the logical processes of coaching.

Being able to shift the way a client feels, in a session, is an essential skill of an effective coach hoping to prevent or ameliorate the flood of emotions which too often accompany attempts to change.

2. To improve the coach’s agility

All coaches, especially those recently initiated, eventually bump up against the rigidity of the processes outlined in that thick binder.

When the fear dominated physiology mentioned previously presents itself as doubt, anger, worry, confusion, or any of its many emotional manifestations, a coach can quickly find themselves stuck in a cul-de-sac of repetitive questioning.

Often times, these questions serve to add to the cognitive congestion which got them there in the first place, further entrenching the client, and the coach, in a labyrinth of ‘yea, buts’, inevitably leading to stagnation.

It is in these moments where guided meditation can offer the coach, and the client, a way to step over the tarpit dysphoric rumination and pessimistic prospection and step into the realm of contemplative reflection and constructive imagination.

Utilizing outcome-oriented guided meditations at opportune moments gives a coach method over mood, expanding their ability to accommodate their clients from the limits of the predictable to the vast expanse of the possible.

3. To stand out from the rest

While the recent growth of the coaching industry is a testament to the demand for the discipline, the demand has naturally been met with an increasing supply of new coaches.

The issue for today’s coach is how to stand out in a saturated market of certified coaches utilizing many of the same tools and tactics, and how to distance oneself from the many well-meaning, but ineffectual “coaches” and “guides” on the fringe of the personal development industry.

In any market, there is no better differentiator than offering the best solution to your clients’ problems. For reasons we just outlined, coaching alone often falls short of being the best solution.

This is why so many coaches get stuck in the business of client replacement and end up spending tons of time, energy and resources trying to learn marketing and social media, instead of focusing on what counts: getting results for your clients.

So, in order to stand out, a coach must be able to get results.

And in order to get results, coaches must be able to breach the physiological limitations of cognitive processes, free their clients from their psychological genealogy, and have an on the spot method to shift focus and use the present moment as a basecamp for results driven exploration.

By infusing coaching with guided meditation, a coach can not only enjoy the satisfaction of being better at what they do but also the added benefits that come with satisfied clients.

Happy clients result in referrals, and in the coaching industry, there is no simpler, faster and more reliable way to grow your business than through the age old processes of word-of-mouth.

4. To grow your clientele and expand your business model

There is a seemingly endless supply of trainings on marketing, social media and the like promising endless streams of clients in a simple enumeration of “easy to follow” steps.

Some of these trainings are exceptional, many are disappointing, but virtually all of them end up a huge distraction from improving the foundational element of all healthy, growing businesses: the service.

All businesses rely on the same simple concept, taking their clients from their current situation to their desired situation, and if the business can’t accomplish that, it doesn’t matter how good they are at marketing, they are destined for failure.

Coaching is certainly no exception to this universal law, in fact, long-term growth of your business is dependent solely upon your ability to facilitate your clients’ transition between these two situations.

By now you understand that guided meditation is a vital catalyst in this transformation, but the result of facilitating this transformation is often overlooked.

Progress is contagious and happy clients love to share. In most all cases, a small client base of just a few content clients will quickly blossom into a vibrant and thriving practice.

By focusing on the methods that improve your ability to help your clients, not technology and marketing, you can save yourself a ton of unnecessary turmoil, and focus on what you enjoy doing.

Additionally, guided meditation opens up doors to a growing industry in high demand.

From group coaching to retreats to workshops, guided meditation gives you a way to expand your business from the realm of one-on-one to events, ultimately reaching more people, increasing your prosperity, growing your audience, and having more fun.

5. To take the pressure off of you

Coaching can be draining, both physically and mentally.

Often times, especially for those who are blessed with a multitude of clients, coaches can find themselves taxed by the assumed responsibility of having all the answers.

This can lead to exhaustion and gradually diminishing enthusiasm if left unchecked.

Fortunately, guided meditation offers a two-fold solution to issue…

For one, the strategy for guided meditation in one-on-one, is to assist the client in finding their own answers, not providing answers to them.

By realizing the power of inner dialogue in meditation as a source of insight, coaches can utilize this tool to fast-track their client’s focus and reinforce their resolve to achieve their goals internally.

This not only takes the pressure off of the coach but also is far more effective long-term approach to assisting a client in changing and sustaining progress.

Secondly, facilitating a guided meditation helps the coach to recharge their batteries.

Leading a client through a guided meditation, correctly, has many of the same physiological benefits for the facilitator as for the participant.

So, apart from the cognitive reprieve from continuous conversation, guided meditation enables the coach to self-regulate, restoring the physiology they need to tackle their own busy schedule.

If you’d like to learn more how you could integrate this powerful modality into your coaching practice, feel free to check out our meditation facilitator training.