We are excited to share Miranda’s Meditation and Mindfulness Community Work Placement (CWP) Experience this week!
Miranda is a Post Graduate Diploma graduate who has also now completed her Community Meditation and Mindfulness Work Placement (CWP) program! As part of this program, she ran a 6-week meditation program for Cancer Wellness Support based in Leura, NSW. Miranda is also in the process of completing her Masters with ACMM!
What is the Community Meditation and Mindfulness Work Placement Program?
The ACMM Community Work Placement program provides a 6-week work placement to graduates supporting vulnerable people in the community. This does wonders for graduate’s confidence and growth. It also supports the wellbeing of people who would not otherwise be able to access meditation and mindfulness training.
Continue reading to find out about her experience sharing meditation with her local community in this more formal setting.
Hi Miranda, tell us a little bit about yourself
I live on the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney with my husband, two kids and our young Spoodle Baci. He loves to meditate with me and quite often will race up ahead into my studio. He’s a great little energy to have around – dogs are exceptionally good at living in the present moment.
Tell us about your studies at ACMM
Initially, I qualified with the Advanced Certificate specializing in Workplace Meditation and mindfulness and have most recently completed the Post Graduate Diploma. Currently, I’m working on my Masters research project, looking at how our thoughts and emotions impact our physical health and wellbeing – the role of stress and inflammation. I’m exploring how disease shows up physically in our body and how this impacts healthy ageing process. Gathering together scientific research, listening to theories and conversations from holistic health professionals and bringing this all together. I hope to positively impact the way mainstream health and Western society view the mind/body connection. I aim to create inspired conversations and positive change around mental health services like meditation and mindfulness.
Currently, I work part-time at a High School as a Student Learning Support Officer, assisting kids with mild to moderate learning and/or behavioural issues. It’s a challenging but really rewarding role and my meditation background plays a large part in my day-to-day dealings with the kids.
Tell us about your meditation business
I run my own meditation business, Miranda Wise Meditation, which I established about 5 years ago. My teaching experiences during this time have been quite varied. Sometimes really rewarding and other times super frustrating. Lockdown during Covid was challenging. Whilst it was disappointing not being able to teach face-to-face, it provided the vehicle to pivot into the online world and from there more opportunities have arrived that I perhaps may not have taken otherwise.
How did you get started?
When I initially launched my business in 2018, I partnered with a local yoga studio running an 8-week Intro to Meditation course. I got my foot in the door by stepping out of my comfort zone and attending a Women in Business networking breakfast as a guest. There, I had the opportunity to stand up and share my business offering in 30 seconds or less. It worked!
Tell us about your Meditation Teaching Experiences
I have had many opportunities to teach Meditation and Mindfulness in various settings:
Successful Yoga Studios
I was invited to run a course after the owner attended one of my initial courses at another studio – a great reminder that you never know who shows up to your classes!)
Guiding clients in a 1:1 setting through my 6 or 8-week programs
The programs explored a variety of topics including the power of the breath, Meditation and our body’s energy centres (chakras) as well as Mind-Body Connection inspired by Buddhist Psychology. I love being able to dive deeper with a client and support their meditation journey. In particular, I was able to support one client through the process of losing her mum which was a true honour and again something I could relate to. Our role as meditation teachers can be so varied and the positive impact we have in people’s lives makes our work so meaningful.
Collaborating with a local physiotherapy business
I’ve run courses on and off out of their purpose-built yoga and meditation studio for the last 4 years. I work with clients experiencing chronic pain to help soften and relax the body and mind.
Pivoting into the online world during lockdown
This was challenging but also allowed me to expand my offering. I had the opportunity to guide online meditations for 70+ participants, an opportunity provided by Yoga Australia and Meditation Australia, which challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and gain valuable experience in guiding industry professionals.
I also guided sessions for staff at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT as well as conducted mindfulness workshops for CatholicCare crisis counsellors.
The pandemic also provided me with the opportunity to work with a global financial services organization based in Canada to create an online meditation and mindfulness toolkit to support staff mental health and wellbeing. The scope of this project was initially daunting but it provided an opportunity to move in a direction I may never have taken and I still receive positive feedback from staff who continue to listen to the resources I provided, regularly.
Working with children
In my most recent role as a part-time Student Learning Support Officer, I’ve brought meditation into the classroom. Seeing children with learning and behavioural issues soften and relax in meditation is so rewarding.
What attracted you to the Community Meditation and Mindfulness Work Placement program Miranda?
I jumped into the Community Work Placement program because I really value the opportunities ACMM provide. I was keen to see what might unfold experientially from the program and was curious to see how a professional 6-week program would be presented by ACMM. I’ve also really valued being able to take the supporting resources provided and incorporate them in my teaching toolkit tweaked to suit my own personal style and future clients.
How has the Meditation and Mindfulness Work Placement program impacted you?
My work placement was arranged with Cancer Wellness Support based in Leura with the initial session conducted in person to coincide with the ACMM retreat and the remainder online. This was fantastic as it allowed me to create a connection from the outset with the face-to-face session and the subsequent Zoom sessions allowed for a different teaching experience. Both were received well.
The sessions initially were geared towards volunteers however the majority of the sessions ended up being held for the beautiful staff at Cancer Wellness Support. This was perfect as an introduction to the corporate space and whilst the CWP program wasn’t designed for this purpose, the perfect opportunity presented itself.
What did you enjoy most about the program?
I really enjoyed being able to bring an element of calm to the work week through meditation and to receive feedback that the sessions were positively rippling outwards to families was so wonderful to hear.
I do have quite a bit of teaching experience under my belt however jumping into this program helped to reignite my confidence particularly as I move into the corporate meditation space. Having Lisa and Tim there to coach and guide me through the sessions, ask questions and bounce ideas off of was really valuable and I’m really glad I dived into the opportunity and did it.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about enrolling in the Community Work Placement program?
The CWP program is well worth doing especially if you feel you’d like some help to step out of your comfort zone or are unsure about where to begin your meditation teaching career. I found the resources provided by ACMM to be really valuable – I’ve added personal touches to suit my teaching style and taste so I can refer to them for future courses and programs. It’s a great experience.
Learn more about Miranda below:
Business: Miranda Wise Meditation – Meditation & Mindfulness Coach, Sydney
Learn more: https://linktr.ee/miranda_wise
Social media details:
Read about more of our graduates here.
We provide a range of post-graduate training options and support, including our Community Work Placement Program which supports new meditation teachers to begin or expand their teaching practice. Download a prospectus for all the details or book a discovery call with us here to find out more!