The Deepening Mindfulness & Mindful Communication (DMMC) teacher training is a practical and evidence-based training developed for mindfulness teachers and professionals who work with people and want to deepen their mindfulness and communication skills.
It offers a continuation of the 8-week MBSR/MBCT programme and provides you with concrete tools for mindful and authentic communication, helping you foster deeper connections and improve self-awareness. This six-day teacher training integrates meditation, mindful communication, yin yoga, and psycho-education to provide you with a well-rounded learning experience.
With its secular approach and a strong emphasis on experiential learning, this training not only enhances professional skills but also nurtures a deeper, more compassionate presence in daily life and work settings.
The DMMC course draws on a rich variety of evidence-based communication programmes, including Interpersonal Mindfulness (IMP), Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Greenzone communication, Deep Listening and Compassion-Based Training.
“This is one of the best teacher trainings I have experienced in my 60 years of existence. A rock-solid training… extremely practical, taught by teachers who know how to captivate and offer the material so clearly that it makes it easy for me to put down a good training course. I feel 100% supported. My thanks for that!”
Will
DMMC Trained Teacher
What to expect on this course
This teacher training covers five days, allowing for experiential learning and practice between sessions.
You’ll engage in:
- Meditation exercises such as mindfulness, tranquillity and kindness meditation, compassion practices, and contemplation on values.
- Mindful communication exercises to enhance listening, speaking, and responding, even in challenging situations like conflict.
- Body-oriented practices including yin yoga and yoga nidra to strengthen body awareness and calm the nervous system.
- Psycho-education on emotion regulation, the autonomic nervous system, and mindful interaction.
Between the training weekends/days, you’ll be invited to join homework groups to practise the exercises and share your experiences, enhancing the integration of knowledge into daily life and professional settings.
Full course dates
Training takes place on:
- Session 1: 20 February 2025
- Session 2: 27 February 2025
- Session 3: 6 March 2025
- Session 4: 13 March 2025
- Session 5: 20 March 2025
What others have said about this training
“The carefully curated programme made me realise how much there is still to learn about communication. It is an immense, unpredictable world, in which every encounter with another human being is unique. During the teacher training, I realised how essential the other person is: a human being with feelings, needs and challenges. We all long to be seen and recognised. What I learned further fuelled my curiosity about communication, and I feel honoured to share this knowledge.” – Marjanne
“The teacher training greatly enriched my toolkit as a trainer and therapist. It brought me new techniques such as meditations for relationships, mindful communication, Yoga Nidra and Yin Yoga. However, it also gave me something more subtle and equally valuable: missing puzzle pieces that make my work more complete, softer, and more from the heart. For the first time, my work feels completely “my own”, and I know that I am now moving in the right direction. I am acting more in line with my values, needs and feelings. For this I am immensely grateful.” – Anna
“This is one of the best teacher trainings I have experienced in my 60 years of existence. A rock-solid training DMMC, extremely practical, taught by teachers who know how to captivate and offer the material so clearly that it makes it easy for me to put down a good training course. I feel 100% supported. My thanks for that!” – Will
“The training days were very valuable to me. This teacher training was a beautiful, loving gift. I look forward to guiding others in the future contributing to harmony, connection and (self) love.” – Charlene
“A mindfulness teacher training in which I learned a lot in a short time. Through fun, playfulness, and trust, the process felt so natural that I didn’t experience it as hard work.” – Marleen
“The DMMC teacher training offers a toolbox full of mindfulness and communication techniques. With all the background information you receive, as a teacher you will have every opportunity to continue deepening your knowledge even after the training.” – Judith
What you can do after this course
Once you’ve completed this training, you’ll be able to integrate elements of the DMMC course and exercises into your professional practice whether you’re a therapist, mindfulness teacher, a coach or working in a similar role.
If you’re a mindfulness teacher, you can arrange supervision for teaching the 6-week DMMC course directly with ZoMindful and receive a certificate confirming you’re authorised to teach the course and the Practice Day.
On completion of this training you can:
- Teach the 6-week DMMC course to groups of participants as a follow-on course to other 8-week mindfulness courses (MBCT, MBSR or equivalent)
- Integrate the techniques of mindful communication, meditation, and body awareness into your professional practice as a coach, therapist, or yoga instructor.
- Guide individual sessions using elements of the DMMC course.
- Participate in follow-up supervision sessions and mentorship to further develop your teaching skills.
Please note:
We ask fully-trained mindfulness teachers to plan two supervision sessions with a DMMC supervisor in their first DMMC course. When you have fulfilled the supervision in good order you can be registered as a qualified group course DMMC Teacher.
Other professionals, with a strong mindfulness practice, can teach the course individually, in their own specific working environment or can integrate parts of the course into their own work. You cannot give the course to generic groups as a follow-up course. Supervision is not required for listing as a ‘Professional working with DMMC’, but we recommend it.
Entry requirements – who can apply for this course?
You can apply for this training if you are a:
- Trained mindfulness teacher (MBSR/MBCT or similar qualifications)
- Professional working in mental health, coaching, teaching, or yoga instruction with a background in mindfulness (at least one year of regular mindfulness practice)
- Meditation facilitator who would like to expand their teaching repertoire
About the trainers
Zohair Elabd
Zohair Elabd is a certified mindfulness teacher (MBSR / MBCT / DMMC) and founder of ZoMindful and the School for Mindfulness & Communication.
With a background in business, politics and education, Zohair integrates insights from various sectors into his mindfulness teaching. He developed the evidence-based and accredited in-depth programme Deepening Mindfulness & Mindful Communicating (DMMC).
Together with Frits Koster, he transformed the programme into a teacher training course. Zohair also leads projects that promote social and sustainable entrepreneurship
Frits Koster
Frits Koster is an experienced meditation teacher, author, and retreat facilitator with over 45 years of vipassana meditation practice. He lived for six years as a Buddhist monk and later worked as a psychiatric nurse. He co-developed the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate living programme (MBCL). Frits has co-authored several books on mindfulness and compassion and lectures at various European mindfulness institutes.
Lidewij Severins
Lidewij Severins is a co-founder of Yoga Circle in Amsterdam and a dedicated yoga teacher with extensive experience in yin and ashtanga yoga. Her teaching focuses on using yoga and mindfulness as tools for greater self-awareness and inner calm. She leads the yin yoga sessions during the training.