Framework for Meditation Mentors to Follow

Meditation mentorship is one of the most rewarding activities as it can have a meaningful impact on someone’s journey. This type of mentorship provides significant benefits for everyone, which include: 

• The mentee feels that they are empowered by having a mentor who is invested in them, notices growth and satisfaction in their meditation practice, generates higher motivation and discipline for meditation, and increases performance in their meditation skills.
• The mentor refines their knowledge in meditation by sharing it with others, develops meaningful relationships with mentees and the community, and inspires others in their meditation path.

In order to maximize the experience of being an effective mentor, a framework to interact with the mentees is vital. This framework focuses on having meaningful conversations between the mentor and mentee so that positive results can be achieved.

1. Learn about the mentee: In the initial stages of mentorship, it is important for the mentor to establish a strong foundation in the relationship with the mentee. This is the time to listen to the mentee’s background, their experience in meditation, and their current situation regarding their well-being.
2. Ponder on the ideal situation: The next step is to discuss the ideal state for the mentee in their meditation practice by identifying the gap, determining aspects to improve on, and setting the mediation goals that are realistic for the mentee.
3. Determine the roadmap of actions: This stage of mentorship focuses on brainstorming ideas to solve the gap in their meditation journey and planning the actions to follow. The mentee should take the lead to determine the solution while the mentor simply guides them so that the mentee feels greater ownership and commitment to the solution. 
4. Follow up and support the mentee: The mentor plays a supporting role in the last stages of this relationship to achieve success for the mentee. The mentor sets up follow-ups (via calls or emails or meetings) with the mentee to ensure that they have the right support to achieve their goals and action plans. The mentor needs to keep in mind that the goals may need to be altered based on certain situations of the mentee and to adapt to these changes while keeping the mentee accountable for these changes.

Throughout this mentorship framework, the overarching theme is that the mentee needs to feel that the mentor is focused, engaged and invested in order to deliver great outcomes. Also, the mentor should have a positive attitude and refrain from any judgment of the mentee and their meditation path. Lastly, the mentor should create a safe space for the mentee to express their true self and enjoy the mentoring sessions.

Ongoing dedication to this framework for the mentor will lead to accelerating growth in the mentee’s meditation practice. As well, following this framework, the mentor will reap the benefits of mentorship by creating lasting impacts on the mentee’s well-being. As a result, due to this mentorship, society will have an abundance of happier and more compassionate people with greater engagement within the community.