There are a number of important factors to consider when choosing a meditation course, and many of these will require you to first ask yourself a few big questions about what you want.
After considering a range of different meditation courses available on the internet, the one that I would consider most effective for most people would be Giovanni Dienstmann’s Limitless Life program. It has everything you need to learn how to develop a strong daily meditation habit along with guidance on discovering the technique that is most powerful for you.
Everyone is unique, so different courses will suit different types of people. In providing these recommendations I’ve tried to select courses that are as non-sectarian, general and widely applicable as possible, without being married to one particular technique.
Why Dienstmann’s Courses?
Giovanni uses a non-sectarian approach, meaning, no matter your background, you will be comfortable using the techniques he prescribes.
Specifically, his Limitless Life program cover all the fundamental requirements for any successful meditation practice – a great targeted step-by-step system, a wise teacher, and a rich community.
The course has three pillars to help students develop a successful meditation practice:
- Habit – teaches you how to make meditation a part of your daily life.
- Technique – teaches many different styles of meditation so you can find the best technique for your needs.
- Transformation – teaches you how to go deeper and integrate meditation into every aspect of your being.
The program is structured to guide you toward this deeper aspect of meditation practice. This is essential for not only relaxation and reducing stress, but also permanently untying the knots that keep you from growing. It provides continuous support to its members and because it is a monthly program, it is not something you go through once like most other courses.
The access it provides to a community of like-minded people is priceless. It’s long been known that the social aspects of meditation are just as important as the individual practice aspects. You will me conscious individuals like you, who want to make meditation a bigger part of their life, and grow.
It is a membership-based monthly subscription course, so you can quit at any time. If you are unsure, you can always start a 14-day trial for only $1, after which it is $29 per month.
Think of it as a gym membership for your mind. We spend so much time working on our bodies, what about our minds? Psychologically speaking, you’re more likely to commit to the practice if you pay a monthly fee, rather than a one off fee. Since you’re continually paying for it, you feel like you have to use it.
If for any reason you are not happy with the program, you can relax knowing you have a 30-day money back guarantee. So you can feel safe at least giving the course a go.
Dienstmann’s Live and Dare site also has a few other courses available for a relatively inexpensive one-off payment, depending on your needs:
- Master Your Mind Beginners is great for those just starting out, as it helps one establish a daily meditation practice. It is a step-by-step 5-week meditation course, with 35 video lessons. It includes cheat sheets and access to a private forum, where you can interact with Giovanni.
- Calm and Free is another program that focuses on reducing stress and anxiety. Normally $47, you can get it for $9 using this link.
- Several other courses relating to sleep, performance and letting go are also available. If you want to check out the course directory, you can find them all here.
I still think that the Limitless Life subscription offers the best value. So, if you are ready to take the next step, as Giovanni says, “master your mind, and master your life”. Limitless Life will definitely help you do that.
Other Great Courses to Consider
Amy Pattee Colvin
Amy is one of the most genuine meditation teachers you could ever meet. She teaches how you can harmonise body, mind, and spirit to achieve true personal growth. Her focus is on self-acceptance and self-compassion, which is essentially the cornerstone of any good meditation practice.
All of her programs combine the essence of mindfulness and compassion with an awareness of our internal energy (or qi).
Ziva Meditation
Ziva is run by meditation expert Emily Fletcher, who has taught at Google, Harvard Business School, CEOs and various sports stars. The program teaches a well-contained systematic approach to meditation, mindfulness and manifestation. It uses these three approaches to tackle all areas of one’s life – past, present and future.
Each day, you are given guidance to develop a consistent daily practice, which includes videos and audio. You also get access to live, monthly group coaching calls, their Facebook group for support and bonus content including worksheets for an entire six months. You can choose to renew your subscription after six months.
7 Minute Mindfulness
Greg Thurston’s 7 Minute Mindfulness program is a great course for beginners who want to start getting into mindfulness. While it does focus on mindfulness, it also covers many other topic areas. It includes audio tracks and access to two of his books, the 7 Minute Mindfulness Guide Book and Little Book of Mindfulness Exercises.
The program is relatively inexpensive and provides excellent value at under $20.
For those that are interested, the audio tracks also combine the power of relaxing audio tones to help induce a sense of calm and relaxation – which is the overarching theme of the course (which is great, if this is what you are after!).
What to Look For In a Meditation Course
Obviously, you’ll want find a meditation course that arouses your interest, but what other factors should you look for? Here are some things to consider:
- Yourself – you need to ask yourself, what are you trying to achieve? What are your goals? Is it relaxation or going deeper? Which meditation practices have you tried already and which do you prefer? You don’t want to join a course that is the complete opposite to your preferred style of meditation
- The system – how is the course taught? Does it sound simple, systematic and understandable? Or convoluted?
- The teacher – is the teacher a qualified meditation teacher? How much experience do they have? What are they actually teaching? Read some of their work to get a feel for how their teaching would suit you.
- Support – is there someone available to help out if you get stuck? Whether this be a teacher, a community or even guidance documents – it these are important to have.
- Agenda – does the course have an agenda to teach you a specific dogma or religion or does it exist purely to help you come out of suffering? It is completely OK to base a course on the teachings of a tradition, but it must be done in a way not to try convert anyone to a particular religious belief system.
- Cost – is it affordable for you? Look at the content – are you getting your money’s worth?