Written by Rebecca D'Onofrio

“In Buddhism, humility is an essential virtue, and we need it in order to self-reflect with honesty so that we can learn, grow, and progress along our path. At the same time, being too humble can also prevent us from progressing on our teaching journey because it leaves all the possible ways in which we can be of help totally unrealized.”

One of the biggest obstacles to becoming a meditation teacher is the question of readiness. I struggled with this same challenge myself. Being a practitioner is one thing, but guiding others through mindfulness meditation is a whole other ball game. So I completely understand feeling uncertain about taking that big step onto the teaching journey.

When I started practicing mindfulness meditation, it impacted me in a profoundly positive way. I experienced a new level of clarity and strength of mind that I didn’t have before, and noticed how less reactive I was in situations that used to put me over the edge. That was huge for me.

So I felt really inspired to help others in the same way because I could plainly see that so many people around me were in need of the same benefits that I was experiencing myself. But I felt unsure about where to start and overwhelmed with how to even go about talking to people about mindfulness meditation, and I stayed stuck in this state of mind for quite a while. Getting over that hump was my biggest obstacle in the beginning and one I see so many aspiring meditation teachers struggle with.

But I don’t see this as a negative thing. It’s actually a really good sign! Humility is one of the most important qualities to have as a meditation teacher and exactly the right foundation to start from. If someone is totally and absolutely confident with no level of questioning their readiness, that’s actually a red flag. In Buddhism, humility is an essential virtue, and we need it in order to self-reflect with honesty so that we can learn, grow, and progress along our path. Without it, we can’t move forward.

At the same time, being too humble can also prevent us from progressing on our teaching journey because it leaves all the possible ways in which we can be of help totally unrealized. In Buddhism, we refer to this as the trap of doubt — we’re too afraid of making mistakes so we freeze our potential.

What I’ve learned in those moments is that finding a balance between the frozen space of doubt and the frozen space of arrogance is powerful — somewhere in between, there is a sweet spot that acknowledges the importance of humility but it doesn’t prevent you from moving forward on your journey. So if you feel a call in your heart to teach meditation, don’t let the trap of doubt prevent you from taking just one small step toward your aspirations. What is one thing you can do today to progress along your path?