Lynden Yoga Collective
Become a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher
200 hours. 13 weeks. Hybrid online + in-person in Lynden, WA.
When
Summer 2026
Duration
May 29 – Aug 30
Format
Hybrid
Location
Lynden, WA
The Invitation
Beyond the gentle shallows,
deeper waters.
Mindfulness meditation offers real therapeutic gifts: greater calm, clarity, reduced stress, and an increased capacity to meet life's challenges with steadiness and kindness. In the early stages of practice, we rest in the gentle shallows. Moments of peace. Flashes of insight. A growing sense of ease. These are real and precious, and we will honor them fully together.
Yet this training invites something more. Beyond the shallows lie deeper waters, the vast and sometimes turbulent ocean of wisdom. Here we encounter the fullness of our human experience: the places where we feel vulnerable, the patterns we prefer to avoid, the truths we have yet to face.
It is precisely in these depths that true character is formed. When we willingly turn toward what is difficult with curiosity and compassion, we develop resilience, humility, and courage. More than that, we cultivate the capacity to love, not merely as sentiment, but as a steady and inclusive presence that can hold both joy and sorrow.
The world needs teachers who have not only tasted peace but have also been shaped by the wisdom that arises when we meet life fully, without turning away.
"To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work."Mary Oliver
The Framework
An ecology of practices.
Not a single technique.
No single meditation practice covers the full terrain of human experience. Each technique illuminates certain dimensions of mind and heart while leaving others in shadow. Practiced in isolation, any one of them drifts toward its own characteristic distortion. An ecology corrects for this. The practices hold each other accountable.
Samatha
Builds concentration, calm, and stability. The capacity to settle the mind deeply and rest in stillness.
Alone? Can become a sophisticated form of avoidance — manufacturing pleasant states while nothing actually changes. You feel good, but you don't see clearly.
Vipassana
Sharpens awareness and reveals the impermanent, constructed nature of experience. The capacity to see what's actually happening.
Alone? Can become destabilizing — seeing too much, too fast, without the container to hold it. You see clearly, but you can't rest anywhere.
RAIN
A powerful framework for meeting difficult emotions with courage and honesty. The capacity to turn toward what you'd rather avoid.
Alone? Can become an endlessly recursive loop of self-examination. Every sit becomes therapy. You feel deeply, but you stay locked inside the story of "me and my stuff."
Metta
Cultivates warmth, goodwill, and connection. The capacity to hold it all — joy and sorrow — without collapsing into judgment.
Alone? Can drift toward spiritual bypassing — generating loving feelings while leaving unexamined the aversion, grief, or fear underneath. You love wisely, but you haven't looked at what you're afraid to feel.
The Curriculum
Seven modules. 200 hours.
A complete path.
The curriculum integrates traditional Theravada teachings, modern psychology, somatic understanding, and trauma-informed approaches. Whether your intention is to teach or simply to live with greater integration, this program offers a rich and rigorous environment.
The Mind and Foundations for Meditation
Welcome to Your Mind. The two modes of experience. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The Depth of Perception. The Five Hindrances. Building the ground for everything that follows.
Samatha Meditation (Calm Abiding)
Stages of concentration through breath, visual, and mantra practices. Introduction to jhana. The contraindications of deep absorption. How to teach samatha safely and effectively.
Vipassana Meditation (Insight)
The stages of insight practice. Impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self as direct experience. The dark night of vipassana. Liberation. The physiology and neurology of meditation.
RAIN Meditation and Metta (Loving-Kindness)
The five core emotions. Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture as a framework for difficult inner weather. Metta toward self, difficult people, and inner parts. IFS-informed compassion practices.
The Body: Scanning, Breath, and Mindful Relating
Somatic awareness, interoception, and the felt sense. Body scanning as a doorway to presence. Breathwork as regulation and inquiry. The body's role in processing experience. Mindful relating as embodied practice.
Teaching Skills and Ethics
The art of guiding meditation. Trauma-informed teaching. Group dynamics and facilitation. Holding space. Building your authentic teaching voice through supervised practicum.
Integration, Wisdom, and the Business of Meditation
Mindfulness in daily life. The Circle of Peace. Awakening beyond wellness. The Three Marks of Existence as lived practice. Accreditation pathways. Building your teaching career.
Have questions about the curriculum?
- Seven integrated modules from samatha to teaching practicum
- Led by Kyle Kloostra — CMT-P, E-RYT 500, Kornfield/Brach lineage
- Small cohort of 10 for deep, personal mentorship
See clearly. Feel fully. Love wisely.
The arc of the training
The Schedule
Five immersive weekends.
Weekly sessions between.
The training unfolds over 13 weeks in a hybrid format: weekly Wednesday evening online sessions for teaching, reflection, and dharma inquiry, anchored by five intensive in-person weekends at our Lynden, WA studio.
Weekend Intensives
Friday 6:00–9:00 PM · Saturday 12:00–8:00 PM · Sunday 12:00–6:00 PM
- May 29–31 Samatha Meditation
- June 26–28 Vipassana Meditation
- July 17–19 RAIN & Metta
- August 7–9 Body Scanning, Breath, and Mindful Relating
- August 28–30 Integration and Peer Teaching
Wednesday Evening Sessions
Wednesdays 6:00–8:00 PM · Online via Zoom
June 3
June 10
June 17
July 1
July 8
July 15
July 22
July 29
August 5
August 12
August 19
August 26
Ready to commit your summer?
- 13 weeks: May 29 – Aug 30, 2026
- Designed for working professionals — no need to leave your job
- Five in-person weekends + twelve Wednesday Zoom sessions
Independent & Practicum Hours
Beyond the classroom,
the real work.
In addition to 109 contact hours across weekend intensives and Wednesday sessions, you will complete 91 hours of independent practice, study, and peer teaching.
Lead Trainer
Kyle Kloostra
Founder of Lynden Yoga Collective. Trained in the Theravada Vipassana, Samatha, and Metta traditions. Kyle's primary teacher is Dawn Mauricio. He has studied under Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and brings advanced degrees in philosophy with particular interest in the philosophy of mind and consciousness studies.
His teaching centers on embodied presence, integrating trauma-informed practices with inquiry-based learning. He draws from both ancient contemplative traditions and modern neuroscience to create a safe, transformative learning environment.
The Reading List
Six core texts.
The Wise Heart
Buddhist psychology blending ancient wisdom with modern insights. Mindfulness, compassion, and the nature of consciousness.
Radical Compassion
The RAIN meditation practice as a tool for loosening the grip of difficult emotions, limiting beliefs, shame, and fear.
The Path of Insight Meditation
A practical introduction to vipassana. Exercises for developing mindfulness, cultivating compassion, and living ethically.
Loving-Kindness in Plain English
The practice of metta meditation. How to overcome anger, aversion, and emotional obstacles toward greater peace.
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness
How standard mindfulness practices can exacerbate trauma symptoms and the research-based modifications that make meditation safe for everyone.
No Bad Parts
The Internal Family Systems model. How our psyche consists of protective and wounded parts, and how to access the compassionate core Self.
The world needs teachers who have been shaped by the depths.
Not just wellness — wisdom
Investment
One training.
Multiple pathways in.
Tuition
$2,399
Or 6 monthly payments of $400
Enrollment capped at 10
Not sure if it's the right fit?
- 6 monthly payments of $400 — same training, easier start
- Significant scholarship opportunities available
- Reach out with any questions, no commitment required
Accreditation
Recognized credentials.
This program is accredited by the International Mindfulness and Meditation Alliance (IMMA) and recognized by Yoga Alliance as continuing education. Graduates are eligible to register as Certified Mindfulness Teachers (CMT).
This journey will ask much of you.
It will also give much in return.
Questions? Reach Kyle directly at hello@lyndenyogacollective.com or 564-213-6563