The International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA), a registered non-profit 501(c)(3), is a global organization dedicated to the professionalization and standardization of the mindfulness field. The IMTA develops and maintains program and teacher standards, fosters an international community of mindfulness teachers, and offers two credentialing tracks – one for mindfulness teacher training programs to become accredited, and the other for individual mindfulness teachers to become certified.

The IMTA’s mission is to oversee, support, and provide guidelines for international mindfulness teacher education and training standards, in order to ensure teaching and education programs continue to meet a level of depth and rigor needed to serve students and clients at the highest level and standardize the mindfulness teaching profession.

The IMTA’s vision is to be the leading independent and guiding professional association for the mindfulness field around the world. The IMTA strives to become a central place where the public can come to identify high-quality, accredited training programs and institutions, as well as internationally credentialed and certified mindfulness teachers. The IMTA positions itself as a community for mindfulness teachers around the globe to network, share best practices, and work together to build a strong alliance of global mindfulness practitioners.

The IMTA is being implemented in a staged manner to ensure the professionalization and standardization of the mindfulness field.

As part of this phased approach, the IMTA will develop accreditation for programs with a specialized focus. This will include Mindfulness Teacher Training Programs in the areas of psychotherapy, children and youth, education-specific, and clinical programs belonging to Mindfulness Based Interventions.

There is a great need in the mindfulness field for standards and professionalization that will serve both the mindfulness teacher training providers, the mindfulness teachers and the general public. Previously, individuals would become mindfulness teachers with or without the appropriate training and deliver programs without any standards or oversight. These challenges impact the entire industry: high-quality instructors have challenges distinguishing themselves from others within the field; organizations, institutions, and individuals looking to hire mindfulness teachers cannot discern quality teachers to staff their programs; students looking to become teachers cannot easily distinguish between desired and undesirable education programs. The IMTA solves these problems by establishing and maintaining a recognized set of global professional standards and certification and accreditation framework to professionalize the mindfulness teaching and teacher training fields.

The IMTA will bring in standards and professionalization. It will help bring in rigor and clarity. It will help legitimize mindfulness teachers in the workforce. It will bring mindfulness further into the mainstream. It will help make mindfulness more respectable as a field of professional services. It might facilitate pathways to greater professional acceptance of mindfulness and coverage through health care providers. It will bring in professional connections and build community among members and pathways to continuous education and professional excellence.

The IMTA offers two credentialing tracks: (1) an accreditation track for educational organizations and (2) a professional certification track for individual teachers. It also provides its members with professional status, recognition, and affiliation. The IMTA plans to provide specialized program accreditation and individual credentials, as well as continuing education requirements and evaluation of offerings. The IMTA also envisions an annual Mindfulness Teacher Conference.

The IMTA was formed to meet the growing need and demand for professionalization in the mindfulness field. The IMTA is not rooted in any individual training philosophy, rather best practices gathered from a careful examination of a wide range of international mindfulness professional programs.

The IMTA is a Delaware Corporation with a 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Governed by a board of directors, the organization hosts a Credentialing Committee and Advisory Board. The IMTA plans to provide specialized program accreditation and credentials, as well as continuing education. The IMTA also envisions an annual Mindfulness Teacher Conference.

The IMTA’s founding board members are Phillip Moffitt, Dawa Tarchin Phillips and Diana Winston. Dawa Tarchin Phillips is also the acting President of the IMTA. Limited to 12 members, the IMTA will be selecting additional board members from among its existing members and member organization representatives.

Also, the IMTA’s substantial Advisory Board of leading figures in the mindfulness field provide support and direction, including Mirabai Bush, and Sharon Salzberg, among others. Visit the Advisory Board for a full directory of IMTA’s advisors.

The prospective members of the IMTA are operators of mindfulness teacher training programs, mindfulness teachers and mindfulness teachers in training. The IMTA invites mindfulness teachers from all around the world to join, as mindfulness teachers from various corners of the globe each have something unique to offer and can benefit from thought leadership and idea sharing with the other mindfulness teachers and practitioners in the IMTA community.

The IMTA supports organizations in countries seeking accreditation to implement standards that are culturally relevant. IMTA standards serve as important international guidelines and benchmarks, as they represent generally accepted training needed to become a mature and effective mindfulness teacher. However, we realize that different countries may have different needs and we are available to collaborate with interested institutions worldwide on ways to ensure standards adapt to their particular cultural settings.

Operators of mindfulness teacher training programs, mindfulness teachers, the general public, future students of mindfulness, as well as organizations, and individuals looking to hire mindfulness teachers.