Part of The Embodiment of Mindfulness · The Mindfulness Pathway
Continuing the Pathway: Modules 2 and 3
Deeper practice. Wider professional capacity. Full IMTA certification available if you want it.
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Clear Seeing and Energetic Depth
Going beyond stress management with the people you support. Insight and energetic grounding from the Rinzai lineage.
Maturity of Professional and Ethical Practice
The maturity to work skilfully with diverse people in diverse settings. IMTA certification available.
Where Module 2 and Module 3 Fit
These are the second and third modules of the Mindfulness Pathway, which is part of The Embodiment of Mindfulness, Zenways’ broader practice led development offering. Both modules deepen what was begun in Module 1 and are open to graduates of the earlier module(s).
If you have not yet completed Module 1, please visit the main Mindfulness Pathway page first.
Clear Seeing and Energetic Depth
Go deeper. Insight from the Zen tradition, paired with powerful energetic grounding practices from the Rinzai lineage.
Module 2 Mindfulness Pathway: Clear Seeing and Energetic Depth
Going beyond stress management with the people you support.
Module 2 of the Mindfulness Pathway takes you into deeper territory. Where Module 1 focuses on stress management, guiding mindfulness and (if you choose) delivering a structured eight week programme, Module 2 goes to the root: the Zen tradition’s understanding of the nature of self, suffering and reality.
This is more demanding work, which is precisely why Module 2 pairs powerful insight practices with a suite of energetic grounding practices drawn from the Rinzai Zen tradition. These practical tools, developed over centuries and proven over the last twenty years, are highly effective in meeting the demands of modern life.
The module is led by Daizan Roshi and the Zenways teaching team, and is part of a pathway accredited by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA).
Prerequisite: completion of Module 1.
Who Module 2 Is For
Module 2 is for Module 1 graduates who are ready for the next stage of their development. As with Module 1, both routes are equally welcome: those who are integrating mindfulness into existing professional work, and those who are facilitating the standalone eight week programme. Many participants do both.
It is particularly relevant for those who:
- Are already bringing mindfulness into therapy, coaching, education, healthcare or other professional work and want to go deeper
- Sense that there is more to mindfulness than managing stress and want to explore the Zen tradition’s perspective on insight, the nature of self and embodied awareness
- Want to understand how to work with energy in the body, shifting from a head heavy, overthinking, depleted state into grounded, centred, vital presence
- Want to develop insight practices that help people see through the narratives, beliefs and perception filters that keep them stuck
- Are considering continuing to Module 3 and IMTA professional certification
You do not need to be planning to facilitate a standalone course. Most Module 2 participants integrate what they learn into the work they already do.
What You Will Learn
Module 2 is not simply more of Module 1. It opens a different dimension of understanding and practice.
Insight and Clear Seeing
Practices and exploration drawn from the Zen tradition that develop your capacity to:
- Identify narratives, beliefs and perception filters in yourself and others
- Enquire into the nature of self, who and what you really are beneath the stories
- Let go of baggage and become a truer, more authentic, more genuine person
- See through the illusion of separation
You will work with koan practice, a centuries old Zen form of deep inquiry that goes beyond intellectual thinking, breath meditation at a deeper level, and the teaching on the Unborn.
Energetic Grounding
Modern life encourages people to live in their heads: in worry and anxiety, planning and thoughts, concepts and ideas. This, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, causes people to become energetically top heavy, ungrounded and depleted.
Module 2 teaches you a suite of energetic grounding practices from the Rinzai Zen tradition:
- Centring awareness within the body, and the belly (hara) in particular
- Shifting energy, awareness and your centre of gravity out of the head and into the body
- Energising the hara: building resilience, calming the system and increasing physical vitality
- Physical and postural stability and integrity
These practices include soft ointment meditation, ah un breathing, naikan (wavy arms), naitan (energy circling) and other methods developed over centuries within the Zen tradition.
Buddhist Philosophy and Wisdom
- Compassion and self compassion as rigorous practice
- The Buddha’s view on suffering and the Middle Way
- Mindfulness within the broader Buddhist teachings
- Bankei’s life and teaching on the Unborn
- Yogacara: the structure of mind and reality
Energy Anatomy
- Tanden and hara: the body’s energetic centres
- Energy channels and how energy and awareness relate
- Zen sickness: understanding the imbalances that arise from forced concentration, chronic fatigue, energy depletion and being too head centric
Body, Breath and the Path of Awakening
- A deeper look at the physiology of meditation posture
- The physiology and science of breath meditation
- Introduction to the ten ox herding images, a centuries old Zen map of the journey of awakening
Insight without grounding can destabilise. Module 2 addresses this by always pairing insight practices with energetic grounding. This is a key differentiator: many programmes offer insight work without the grounding to hold it safely.
You will also learn a second complete structured programme: the Zenways eight week course in Meditation and Mindfulness for Grounding and Insight, written by Daizan Roshi. This provides a ready to deliver programme for those who wish to use it. Many graduates use it as a personal reference for integration work rather than as a standalone course.
How Module 2 Builds on Module 1
From stress management to stress elimination
Module 1 develops your ability to help people manage stress. Module 2 takes you to the root: understanding why suffering arises (resistance to how things are) and developing the depth to work at that level.
From cognitive mindfulness to energetic grounding
Module 1 works primarily with attention and awareness. Module 2 adds a powerful energetic dimension, learning to work with where energy sits in the body, how it moves, and how to shift from a depleted, head heavy state to one that is centred, grounded and vital.
From a single programme to a broader perspective
Module 2 gives you a perspective on mindfulness that goes beyond wellbeing and solutions to stress and into the higher realms of human potential. It draws on centuries of Zen wisdom, giving you depth and breadth that most training programmes simply cannot offer.
What Module 2 Graduates Do
- Integrating insight and energetic grounding practices into therapy, counselling or coaching
- Bringing a deeper Zen informed perspective into the mindfulness work they already do
- Teaching the Zenways Grounding and Insight programme as a standalone course
- Deepening their capacity for working with people in healthcare, education or pastoral roles
- Using the energetic practices to support their own resilience and sustainability in demanding professional roles
What Graduates Say
How Module 2 Works
Module 2 is available in two formats:
- Residential: full immersion in practice, learning and community.
- Online: three weekends, 9am to 6pm each day. Live interactive teaching.
Both formats cover the same curriculum. The training includes formal practice, inquiry, guidance, reflection and supervised learning. Coursework is completed at home.
After completing Module 2, participants can progress to Module 3, leading to IMTA professional certification (CMT P) for those who want it.
Module 2 Fees
| Early bird (book at least 3 months in advance) | £620 |
|---|---|
| Standard tuition | £695 |
| Booking deposit | £100 |
| Tuition (early bird) | £620 |
|---|---|
| Tuition (standard) | £695 |
| Accommodation (all meals and refreshments) | £500 |
| Total (early bird) | £1,120 |
| Total (standard) | £1,195 |
| Booking deposit | £100 |
Payment in instalments is welcome. Just get in touch via our contact page to arrange.
Module 2 Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prerequisite for Module 2?
Completion of Module 1.
Do I have to be a Buddhist?
No. The training is rooted in the Zen tradition but is not religious or dogmatic. Many participants are not Buddhist. The practices are delivered in a way that is accessible to anyone, including those working in entirely secular professional contexts. Some Buddhist concepts are taught for context and depth, but you do not need to share the worldview to engage with the work.
What are the qualification requirements?
You complete the residential or online training in full, engage with the practices and supervised elements between sessions, and submit the coursework set during the module. The only formal prerequisite is completion of Module 1. Detailed requirements are shared with confirmed participants.
How long does it take to qualify?
Module 2 is taught over a residential week or three online weekends. With coursework and integration afterwards, most participants complete the full module within six to twelve months of starting it.
Will I find students interested in this more esoteric material?
Yes, in growing numbers. Mindfulness, somatic therapy, trauma informed care and integrative wellbeing all increasingly point toward depth beyond stress management. The energetic grounding practices speak particularly to those working with the nervous system. The insight practices land for anyone supporting clients in exploring meaning, identity and what lies beneath surface experience. The audience is not as niche as the word esoteric might suggest.
How is Module 2 different from Module 1?
Module 1 focuses on stress management and foundational mindfulness practice. Module 2 goes deeper, drawing on the Zen tradition to explore the nature of self, suffering and reality, whilst developing powerful energetic grounding practices that address the modern problem of living in your head. It is a qualitative shift from managing stress to understanding and addressing its root.
Do I need to want to facilitate a standalone course?
No. Most graduates integrate what they learn into existing professional work rather than delivering the programme as a standalone offering. Both routes are equally supported.
Is this a spiritual or religious training?
Module 2 is rooted in the Zen tradition and includes Buddhist philosophy, koan practice and energetic practices from the Rinzai Zen lineage. It is not dogmatic or religious, but it is deeper and more explicitly Zen than Module 1. Participants who are open to this depth will get the most from it.
What happens after Module 2?
Module 2 is valuable in its own right. For those who wish to complete the full pathway, Module 3 leads to IMTA certification (CMT P).
Is the training available online?
Yes. Both residential and live online formats cover the same curriculum.
Book Module 2
Upcoming Module 2 dates are shown below.
Maturity of Professional and Ethical Practice
The final stage of the Mindfulness Pathway. Wider understanding, cultural awareness and the confidence to work authentically in any context.
Module 3 Mindfulness Pathway: Maturity of Professional and Ethical Practice
The maturity to work skilfully with diverse people in diverse settings.
Module 3 is the final stage of the Mindfulness Pathway. If Modules 1 and 2 are the visible part of the tree, Module 3 fills in the roots. It takes the knowledge that was implicit in earlier modules and makes it explicit, building the confidence and grounding to work fluently with whatever arises in the room.
This is not a module about learning new meditation practices. It is about becoming a fully fledged practitioner: someone who can answer questions with depth, adapt to different groups, find their own authentic voice within the tradition, and respond to what is in front of them rather than holding tightly to the structure of the eight week course.
For many graduates, Module 3 brings the shift from competent facilitator to confident practitioner with their own grounded authority. The difference is felt by everyone who works with them.
Completion of all three modules enables those who want to do so to apply for individual certification with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA) at the professional level (CMT P). The accreditation itself adds a further dimension of confidence and recognised authority.
Prerequisite: completion of Modules 1 and 2.
Who Module 3 Is For
Module 3 is for graduates of Modules 1 and 2 who are actively bringing mindfulness into their work and are ready to develop the deeper understanding that supports doing so with confidence and authority.
At a certain point in practice, a different set of questions begins to arise:
- How do I respond when difficult experiences come into the room and I am not sure how to hold them?
- How do I adapt mindfulness for different groups and contexts rather than relying on a fixed structure?
- How do I work with people whose backgrounds, needs, abilities or cultures are different from my own?
- How do I find my own authentic voice within the tradition, rather than echoing someone else’s?
- How do I speak about mindfulness with credibility, depth and contemporary relevance?
- How do I build a sustainable practice over time?
Module 3 makes the implicit knowledge that has been quietly running through Modules 1 and 2 fully explicit. It is the difference between knowing how to facilitate a course and standing in your own authority as a practitioner.
What You Will Develop
Module 3 develops the deeper capacities that mark a mature, confident practitioner:
- The confidence to answer questions fully, drawing on a deeper understanding of mindfulness, its history and contemporary applications
- The fluency to respond to what arises in the room rather than holding tightly to the structure of the eight week course
- Your own authentic voice as a practitioner: rooted in the tradition, relevant to the 21st century, recognisably yours
- Cultural competency: working skilfully with diverse people including those from different cultural backgrounds, with disabilities, or from disadvantaged communities. Honest reflection on your own biases and prejudices
- The professional skills to run programmes, build a sustainable practice and communicate credibly across contexts
- The grounded authority that comes from speaking out of genuine understanding, rather than from a script
For many graduates, Module 3 brings an important shift. They move from being a competent facilitator following a structure, to being a true practitioner with confidence, range and their own grounded authority. The accreditation that follows simply confirms what has already taken root.
How Module 3 Works
Module 3 has two complementary elements: a seven day residential training and an online study component that can be completed flexibly alongside.
The Seven Day Residential
The core of Module 3 is a seven day residential training at a retreat venue. This is where the wider professional understanding is developed alongside continued practice in the company of fellow graduates.
Online Study Component
Approximately 35 hours of online study, combining tutor led seminars with student directed learning. This can be completed flexibly to suit your professional commitments.
A practical note on assessment
Unlike Modules 1 and 2, Module 3 does not require written assignments or an assessed teaching course. The emphasis is on deepening understanding and professional confidence.
IMTA Certification
Completion of all three modules of the Mindfulness Pathway enables graduates to apply for individual certification with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA) at the professional level (CMT P) if they wish.
The IMTA oversees recognised professional standards for mindfulness education worldwide. The certification confirms that a practitioner has completed a rigorous, accredited training pathway.
For many graduates, the value of the credential is less about external validation and more about the felt sense of being qualified, certified, and able to step into the work with confidence and authority. It is available to graduates who want to pursue it. It is not required.
Module 3 Fees
| Tuition fee | £1,200 |
|---|---|
| Booking deposit | £200 |
| Accommodation | £630 |
Payment in instalments is welcome. Just get in touch via our contact page to arrange.
The tuition fee includes all training, mentoring, supervision, assessment, certification and practitioners forum access.
What Graduates Say
Module 3 is offered once per year. Next cohort: December 2026.
Module 3 Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prerequisite for Module 3?
Completion of both Module 1 and Module 2.
How is Module 3 different from Modules 1 and 2?
If Modules 1 and 2 are the visible tree above the surface, Module 3 fills in the roots. It takes the knowledge that was implicit in earlier modules and makes it explicit: the history and contemporary applications of mindfulness, cultural competency, professional and ethical grounding, and the confidence to respond fluently to what arises rather than holding to a fixed structure.
Are there written assignments or assessed teaching courses?
No. The emphasis is on deepening understanding and professional confidence rather than formal assessment.
What is IMTA certification?
IMTA Certified Mindfulness Teacher at the Professional level (CMT P) is a recognised credential demonstrating rigorous training. For many graduates, the certification adds an important felt sense of being qualified, certified, and authorised to step into the work with confidence. It is available to graduates of all three modules who wish to pursue it.
Is Module 3 only available residentially?
The core seven day training is residential. The online study component (approximately 35 hours) can be completed flexibly.
How often is Module 3 offered?
Currently once per year. Upcoming cohort details are shown in the booking section.
How much does Module 3 cost?
Tuition is £1,200 with a £200 deposit. Accommodation is £630. Payment in instalments is welcome.
What can I do after completing Module 3?
You will be eligible to apply for IMTA professional certification (CMT P) if you want it. More importantly, graduates describe a felt shift in how they work: greater confidence answering questions, the fluency to respond to what arises rather than relying on a script, the ability to adapt across diverse groups and contexts, and a clearer sense of their own authentic voice within the tradition.
Will there be a Q and A session before the December cohort?
Yes. An online Q and A session for eligible graduates will be held later in the year. Details will be shared. In the meantime, please get in touch.
Book Module 3
Module 3 is offered once per year. The next cohort:
6 to 13 December 2026 · Noddfa, Penmaenmawr, North Wales
Seven day residential training plus online study component
The Full Mindfulness Pathway
Module 1 — Foundations of Awareness and Mindfulness. Guiding mindfulness, holding a group and (if you choose) delivering a structured eight week programme.
Module 2 — Clear Seeing and Energetic Depth. Zen based insight paired with powerful energetic grounding practices.
Module 3 — Maturity of Professional and Ethical Practice. Cultural competency, diverse contexts and IMTA professional certification available.
The Mindfulness Pathway is the primary track of The Embodiment of Mindfulness, alongside two further training courses: the Zen Yoga Training and the Compassion Plus Training.
Need to Talk It Through?
Have a question, or would you like to talk things through? Just get in touch via our contact page. We will be very happy to help.