01
Know yourself
Observe the patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that shape the ways you experience and respond to life.
Meditation Guide Training TMT® · 2026–2028 Edition
First, experience.
Then, understand.
Then, guide.
A long-term journey of daily meditation, self-inquiry, reflective writing and ethical guide education. Discover your own path before learning to accompany others on theirs.
Beginning mid-December 2026Online · WorldwideSmall groups · Up to 5 people
The heart of the forest. The heart of the human. · 森の心・人の心
400Days of personal meditation
before theory begins
before theory begins
13Online reflection gatherings
throughout personal practice
throughout personal practice
8Weeks of online theory
and preparation for guiding
and preparation for guiding
10Practical guiding sessions
over 5 weeks
over 5 weeks
The philosophy
Meditation without doctrine. Learning without imposed answers.
“I do not wish to tell you what you should experience. I wish to accompany you as you discover your own answers.”Milena A. Guziak
We can learn about meditation from history, philosophy, psychology, science and contemplative traditions. Yet learning about meditation is not the same as experiencing it. This training begins with 400 days of personal meditation before formal theory is introduced.
By the time you study attention, emotion, consciousness, compassion and the responsibilities of a guide, you will have your own experiences to reflect upon. Theory becomes a way to examine and contextualize what you have discovered—not a set of experiences you must reproduce.
You do not need to become a monk, follow a religion, embrace a particular spiritual interpretation or leave ordinary life behind. You are invited to find a sustainable path within the life you already live.
First, your own experience. Then, thoughtful inquiry. Finally, responsible guidance.
Why we guide
A more peaceful humanity begins with the way we meet one another.
Our aspiration is to prepare thoughtful meditation guides who nurture awareness, compassion and responsibility—not dependence on a teacher or adherence to a doctrine.
02
Act with love
Bring awareness into speech, choices, boundaries and relationships, especially when doing so is difficult.
03
Care for the world
Let personal practice support kinder encounters with other people, communities and the natural world.
Meditation alone cannot solve structural or social problems. We see personal awareness as one contribution to wider ethical and collective responsibility.
The programme at a glance
One journey. Five consecutive stages.
The sequence matters: participants finish the full 400-day personal meditation journey before the eight-week theory stage begins. Guiding practice comes afterwards.
0015 December 2026
Orientation meeting
Meet your learning group, understand the commitment, explore emotional safety, and prepare your environment and routine.
0116 Dec 2026 – 19 Jan 2028
400 days of your own meditation
Daily personal practice and private journaling, with online gatherings on Days 31, 61, 91 and every 30 days thereafter through Day 391.
0225 January 2028
Post-meditation reflection
Review what 400 days have taught you. Explore unanswered questions before formal theory begins.
031 Feb – 21 Mar 2028
8 weeks of theory + organizing practice
Learn about research, traditions, the human mind, ethics and facilitation while planning your own meditation-guiding sessions.
0428 Mar – 25 Apr 2028
5 weeks of guiding practice
Organize, facilitate and reflect on ten structured meditation sessions. Complete the practice review and assessment.
Dates represent the proposed December 2026 intake. Final meeting arrangements are confirmed with enrolled participants.
A guiding thought
“The world does not simply need more people who know how to meditate. It needs people who bring greater awareness, responsibility and love into the way they live.”
The next edition · proposed dates
Your meeting schedule
Two online groups accommodate different time zones. All times below are Argentina time (GMT−3).
Asian region
Morning group
9:00 AM
Orientation: 9:00–11:00 AM, Tuesday 15 December 2026. Eight weekly theory meetings and five weekly practice check-ins use the same Tuesday start time.
Other regions
Afternoon group
3:00 PM
Orientation: 3:00–5:00 PM, Tuesday 15 December 2026. Eight weekly theory meetings and five weekly practice check-ins use the same Tuesday start time.
400-day meditation gatherings
Day 1 is 16 December 2026. Gatherings take place on the exact practice days below; their weekdays vary. Suggested gathering start times are 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM GMT−3, according to group.
| Gathering | Practice day | Date | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Day 31 | Fri, 15 Jan 2027 | First month of practice |
| 02 | Day 61 | Sun, 14 Feb 2027 | Routine and resistance |
| 03 | Day 91 | Tue, 16 Mar 2027 | Attention and thought |
| 04 | Day 121 | Thu, 15 Apr 2027 | Emotions and observation |
| 05 | Day 151 | Sat, 15 May 2027 | Compassion and boundaries |
| 06 | Day 181 | Mon, 14 Jun 2027 | Changing perspectives |
| 07 | Day 211 | Wed, 14 Jul 2027 | Consistency and change |
| 08 | Day 241 | Fri, 13 Aug 2027 | Meditation in daily life |
| 09 | Day 271 | Sun, 12 Sep 2027 | Responsibility and relationships |
| 10 | Day 301 | Tue, 12 Oct 2027 | Meaning and uncertainty |
| 11 | Day 331 | Thu, 11 Nov 2027 | Awareness and action |
| 12 | Day 361 | Sat, 11 Dec 2027 | Preparing for completion |
| 13 | Day 391 | Mon, 10 Jan 2028 | Final practice reflections |
Milestone
Day 400
19 January 2028
Your 400th day of personal meditation, followed by a final written reflection. The post-meditation online meeting takes place Tuesday, 25 January 2028.
Then, and only then
Formal theory begins
1 February 2028
Weekly online learning begins after completion of the personal journey, continuing every Tuesday at your group's established start time.
Weeks 1–8 · 1 February – 21 March 2028
Theory rooted in lived experience.
Every theory meeting connects ideas with the observations accumulated during your 400 days and includes preparation for organizing your own guiding practice.
| Week | Tuesday | Theory | Preparation for guiding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1 Feb | What is meditation? History and diversity of traditions | Identify your practice foundations and guiding intentions |
| 02 | 8 Feb | The mind, attention, memory and habitual thought | Choose appropriate attention-based practices |
| 03 | 15 Feb | Breath, body, perception and embodied awareness | Prepare posture, setting and accessible alternatives |
| 04 | 22 Feb | Emotion, regulation and potential adverse experiences | Plan safety, consent, boundaries and referral routes |
| 05 | 29 Feb | Compassion, loving-kindness, gratitude and forgiveness | Design inclusive, non-prescriptive invitations |
| 06 | 7 Mar | Self-inquiry, belief, consciousness and interpretation | Use language that leaves room for others' experiences |
| 07 | 14 Mar | Ethics and responsibilities of a meditation guide | Develop a session outline and participant information |
| 08 | 21 Mar | Integration, reflective practice and facilitation | Finalize protocols for ten guided practice sessions |
The group meets on Tuesday each week: 9:00 AM GMT−3 for the Asian region or 3:00 PM GMT−3 for other regions.
Five weeks · 28 March – 25 April 2028
From personal understanding to guiding others.
Ten structured meditation sessions provide opportunities to practise facilitation, adapt to participants and reflect on real guiding decisions.
| Practice week | Tuesday check-in | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Mar 2028 | 01 + 02 |
| 2 | 4 Apr 2028 | 03 + 04 |
| 3 | 11 Apr 2028 | 05 + 06 |
| 4 | 18 Apr 2028 | 07 + 08 |
| 5 | 25 Apr 2028 | 09 + 10 |
Each participant organizes their practice sessions separately, including preparation and post-session reflection. A final review and assessment follows. Completion of the 400-day journey alone does not confer a professional guiding qualification.
Your first 400 days
Your routine. Your journal. Your path.
“Some days the routine carried me. Other days, discipline carried me. I kept returning.”Reflections from Milena's meditation journey
Make space in daily life. You will create a meditation routine suited to your responsibilities and circumstances—from approximately 10 minutes a day to longer periods when appropriate. Two hours is an optional upper range, not an expectation.
Prepare your space and body. Choose a safe, comfortable environment. Gentle movement, appropriate posture and simple grounding practices can help you transition into meditation. There is no need to endure discomfort or follow a rigid ritual.
Write for yourself. You are asked to keep a daily reflective journal. It remains private. You may share selected experiences during gatherings if you wish, but no personal disclosure is required.
Make room for ordinary life. A supportive understanding with family, friends or housemates can help protect your practice time. Interruptions, tiredness and changing circumstances are part of human life, not evidence of failure.
A personal invitation
Why I created this journey.
Milena A. Guziak, PhD
Founder of The Mindful Tourist®
My meditation journey did not begin with the intention of creating a training programme. It grew from a need to understand myself and my place in life. Following my mother's passing—an experience that felt like the final drop in an already full bucket—I found myself drawn towards deeper observation rather than continuing to run from difficult questions.
In Mendoza, Argentina, I began returning to daily meditation, often in the early morning with the Andes on the horizon. What began as a personal commitment became a long journey through grief, questioning, habitual thought, emotional difficulty, gratitude and compassion.
I am the author of a four-part meditation diary reflecting on my daily meditation journey, with further writings to come. The diaries do not describe a flawless path. They record changing experiences, difficult realizations and the continuing effort to bring thoughts, words and actions closer to the values of care, honesty and love.
I do not offer my experience as a template you must copy. I share it so that you may find the courage and space to discover your own path. Having spent years working across research, contemplative inquiry, Shinrin-Yoku and nature-based education, I see this training as part of a wider aspiration: a more compassionate humanity and a more responsible relationship with the natural world.
Compassion · Not a prescribed experience
What I call the “light of love.”
During my meditation journey, I sometimes experienced profound openness, connection and compassion—experiences that I describe through the language of the light of love. For some people, such moments may be felt emotionally and physically; others will understand them in different ways or never encounter them at all.
This is not a promised event, a required vision or a measure of success. The more important question is whether meditation helps us act with greater care, maintain healthy boundaries and respond to life more consciously, even when circumstances are difficult.
Responsible practice
Meditation is personal. Safety matters.
Meditation can bring calm, interest or insight, but it can also be accompanied by anxiety, unwanted memories, discomfort, restlessness or other difficult experiences. Distress is not a necessary stage of progress and should never be romanticized.
Participants take an active role in attending to their own well-being and choosing appropriate practice intensity. You can shorten, change or stop an exercise, and seek qualified professional help when needed. The instructor has corresponding responsibilities to communicate risks, maintain boundaries, and provide educational support within the guide's scope.
This training is not psychotherapy, medical treatment or a substitute for professional mental health care. Participants are never required to disclose trauma or private journal entries. Experience and theory are explored with critical thinking; no guaranteed psychological or spiritual outcome is promised.
Training investment
A commitment to your practice—and the people you may one day guide.
Small-group online training · up to 5 people
USD 999
Or 10 instalments of USD 99.90.
Individual mentorship is also available on request; format, availability and any additional cost are confirmed separately.
- Orientation and programme preparation
- 400-day personal meditation framework and guidance
- 13 monthly online reflection gatherings
- Post-400-day reflection meeting
- 8 weekly theory and practice-planning meetings
- 5-week practice stage with 10 guiding sessions
- Final educational review and assessment
- Private daily journaling throughout the personal journey
For detailed enrolment conditions, attendance requirements and credential information, please contact us before registering.
Questions before you begin?
Frequently asked questions.
Open a question to explore the answer.
Why is the training so long?
Because acquiring information about meditation and developing a sustained personal relationship with practice are different. The 400 days provide opportunities to encounter changing circumstances, establish a routine and reflect honestly before learning the theory and responsibilities of guidance.
Why exactly 400 days?
Four hundred days is a deliberate educational framework inspired by Milena's longer meditation journey—not a scientifically established threshold for transformation. Meaningful practice may require more or less time for different people.
Do I start the theory at the beginning?
No. You begin with orientation and then complete 400 days of personal daily meditation and journaling. A post-meditation reflection follows. Only then do the eight weeks of theory begin, followed by five weeks of practical guide training.
How long should I meditate each day?
Develop a routine appropriate to your experience and circumstances. Approximately 10 minutes is a reasonable initial commitment for some participants. Longer practice, sometimes up to two hours, is optional and not inherently more effective. The aim is sustainability and responsible self-observation.
Do I need to follow a religion or spiritual doctrine?
No. We explore different contemplative traditions, philosophies and research critically and respectfully, without requiring any particular worldview. You are encouraged to discover your own path and interpretations.
Will I have to share my journal?
No. Your daily journal is private. You may voluntarily share insights or questions in meetings, but never have to disclose personal experiences or sensitive details.
What if difficult emotions arise?
You may pause, modify or stop practice. Difficult experiences do not prove progress, and support from a qualified mental health professional may be appropriate. This is educational training, not psychological treatment.
Can I join if I work or have family responsibilities?
Yes. The programme is intended for people living ordinary lives. You will need to organize time and a supportive environment for daily practice, online meetings and journaling, without neglecting your health or responsibilities.
Do I need prior meditation experience?
No particular qualification, religious affiliation or previous meditation training is required. Willingness to explore your own experience, engage thoughtfully with theory and work responsibly with others matters more.
Do the 400 days automatically qualify me as a meditation guide?
No. The 400 days establish the personal foundation. Participants then complete eight weeks of theoretical and ethical learning followed by ten practical guiding sessions and a final assessment. Contact us for the precise completion and credential requirements.
Can I learn individually rather than in a group?
Yes, individual mentorship is available by arrangement. Standard group training is limited to five participants. Please enquire for individual scheduling, availability and pricing.
Are the dates and meeting times confirmed?
This page shows the proposed mid-December 2026 intake, with orientation on 15 December and personal practice from 16 December. Group times are 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM Argentina time (GMT−3). Exact arrangements are confirmed before enrolment.
Begin with yourself
The answers are not mine to give you.
My role is to accompany you through a process of experience, observation and learning so that you may discover what is meaningful in your own heart—and someday hold that space for others.