IMISA Training Pathway
Tier 2: Practising Deeply, Guiding Wisely
Tier 2: Practising Deeply, Guiding Wisely
Deepening Personal Mindfulness Practice and Developing the Skill of Guiding Others
Overview
Practising Deeply, Guiding Wisely is the 2nd Tier of the 3 Tier training pathway offered by the Institute for Mindfulness South Africa (IMISA). The focus of this training is twofold: to extend and deepen personal practice, and to equip participants to competently guide 20-to-30 minute trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices within professional and/or community contexts.
Underpinning this training is the rich African teaching of ubuntu—the deep understanding that “I am because we are” and Thich Nhat Hanh’s concept of interbeing. By fostering our personal well-being, we simultaneously nurture the health of our communities, embodying our fundamental interconnectedness.
Who is the course for?
This training is designed for:
• Graduates who have completed the IMISA Tier 1 Training (Sharing Mindfulness in Context).
• Graduates of the Stellenbosch University/IMISA 2-year Certificate Programme in Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs).
• Mindfulness practitioners with training and experience in guiding brief or short practices who wish to further refine their skills.
Additional information
Structure
The curriculum blends personal experiential learning with practical guiding skills, including
• Experiential Learning: A participant-observer experience of a typical 8-week mindfulness-based intervention.
• Weekly Themes: Drawn from both traditional MBSR progressions and trauma and context-sensitive mindfulness-based interventions.
• Embodiment: A focus on deepening personal presence through formal and informal practice.
• Foundations & Philosophy: An overview of the foundations on which the practice of mindfulness rests, together with an awareness of safety, relationality, and community.
• Trauma-Sensitive Guiding: Understanding the intention, structure, and elements of core trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices, with support and experience in guiding 20 to 30 minute practices.
• Inquiry Process: An introduction to the Three-Layer Model of Inquiry and developing the skill of reflective self-inquiry.
• Integration & Community: Integrating mindfulness into everyday life, working with the support of learning partners, and participating in 2 mini-retreats.
Study format
Online via Zoom.
Duration
8-week online training led by skilled senior teachers and consisting of
Weekly Commitment:
• 8 x 2-hour weekly evening group sessions
• 8 x weekly meetings with a learning partner from the group.
Weekend Commitment: 2 Saturdays
• Saturday 1: A half-day mini-retreat focusing on deepening personal practice.
• Saturday 2: A full-day retreat during which participants will guide each other.
Dates
The first cycle will run from Tuesday 6th October to Tuesday 24th November 2026.
Sessions are run every Tuesday evening from 19h00 – 21h00, Saturday 31st October 9h00 – 13h00 & Saturday 21st November 9h00 – 16h30.
Course outcomes
What participants will learn
Participants will have the opportunity to:
• Deepen Personal Practice: Experience the sense of embodied awareness and presence that arises from the consistent formal and informal practice of mindfulness.
• Cultivate Self-Inquiry: Apply the reflective process of self-inquiry to gain clearer insight into personal patterns, reactivity, and capacity for self-regulation.
• Apply Trauma-Sensitive Principles: Articulate and apply the core structural elements, safety considerations, and intentions of trauma-sensitive mindfulness within diverse context-sensitive settings.
• Guide Core Practices: Skilfully and confidently guide 20-to-30-minute trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices within work and community settings.
• Facilitate Relational Inquiry: Demonstrate a foundational, working understanding of the Three-Layer Model of Inquiry to gently support and explore another’s direct experience.
• Embody Interconnectedness: Integrate principles of ubuntu into personal practice and when guiding others.
CPD points
CPD application currently in progress.
Course details
Duration: 8 weeks
Outcome: Deepen your personal practice and guide core mindfulness practices
Accreditation: TBC
Study format: Online
Course Curator
Barbara Gerber
Barbara is a Counselling Psychologist, senior mindfulness teacher, trainer & supervisor and Qigong teacher. As one of the early teachers of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in South Africa, Barbara brings decades of rich, varied experience across corporate, NGO, academic, and clinical settings to her work. She was an integral part of the teaching faculty for the Stellenbosch University/IMISA 2-year Certificate Programme in Mindfulness-Based Interventions.
Course Curator
Didi Mogashoa
Didi is a professionally certified life and business coach, certified with the International Coaching Federation, certified Mindfulness Practitioner, and founder of the non-profit organisation Didi and Friends. She has a BA in Industrial Psychology from UNISA and training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction through Stellenbosch University. Her mission is to make mindfulness accessible to people from all backgrounds.
