EYE-TO-EYE: WORKING WITH PRIVATE STUDENTS
with Ethan Nichtern
Thursdays, April 3rd – May 29th, 2025 | 6:00pm-8:00pm ET
Register
Please note: This course is currently open only to Dharma Moon Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training graduates.
Working with students one-on-one is among the most powerful ways for teachers to help students connect with their path.
It’s also one of the most meaningful and effective ways to make teaching mindfulness and dharma a part of your livelihood.
Offering one-to-one guidance requires both presence and skill: knowing how to hold space, guiding students in working with their minds, and supporting them as they integrate mindfulness and insight into their daily lives.
The Eye-to-Eye Meditation Teacher Training, led by author and longtime meditation teacher Ethan Nichtern, builds on the skills taught in Dharma Moon’s 100-hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, offering teachers a comprehensive introduction to the art of working with students on a personal level along with the wisdom and insight necessary to begin to do this as part of your livelihood.
By working privately with a teacher, students experience greater accountability, a deeper commitment to their practice, and the inspiration to integrate mindfulness and related teachings into every area of their lives.
When students feel supported in their paths and have a present, kind, and knowledgeable teacher to work with regularly, they feel an immediate sense of value that enriches all of the work they do to know their minds and transform their challenges into opportunities for awakening.
This Training Will Cover
- Techniques for cultivating a grounded and gentle presence when working with private students
- Expanded guidance on Dharma Moon’s approach to listening and speaking with precision and compassion
- Strategies for helping students overcome their (many) meditation obstacles
- Instruction on when and how to introduce new techniques (like Metta or contemplative practices) as part of a student’s path
- Guidance on supporting a student’s exploration of Buddhist philosophy and psychology
- How to discern which challenges can be met with mindfulness practice—and when to refer students to other resources for additional help with their mental health and challenging life situations
- Approaches to help students discover paths, lineages of wisdom, and building a curriculum that deepens their progress
- Skills for holding space and guiding students through difficult emotions, both on and off the cushion
- How to help students apply these teachings in transformative ways to all areas of life, including family, relationships, work, art-making, social activism, and more
- Practical insights for incorporating private teaching into a sustainable livelihood model
Course Format
This course will combine pre-recorded video content with weekly live online sessions, allowing you to learn at your own pace while still providing momentum and support so that you don't get stuck.
- Video Teachings: Each Friday during the course, a new module of videos will open.
- Live Trainings & Support: Every Thursday, there will be a live group Zoom session (6:00pm – 8:00pm ET) where you can ask questions and discuss the week's topic with other students and the course instructor.
- Community Discussions: We will also offer a private online course forum, providing a space to check in and get support from others working through the material.
Course Curriculum
Module 1 – “Introducing The Kalyanamitra”
Module 1 - 40-min video from Ethan
- Welcome and Purpose of the Course
- Review of the Four Core Principles and the Four Skillful Responses from MMTT Weekend 3
- The Three Roles of the Kalyanamitra (Meditation Practice Guidance, Path Guidance, Life Guidance)
Week 1 Live Session | Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Holding Your Seat One-on-One: The Four Core Principles in Action
- Practice Interviews: Role-playing Students Trying to Start a Shamatha Practice
- Workshopping Obstacles to Starting a Practice or Re-starting a Practice
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 2 – “Obstacles to Meditation”
Module 2 - 40-min video from Ethan
- The Obstacle of Monkey Mind
- The Obstacle of Self-Aggression (Too Tight and Too Loose)
- The Obstacle of Losing Faith in Practice (Doubt)
Week 2 Live Session | Thursday, April 10th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Workshopping the Four Skillful Responses to Obstacles
- Practice Interviews: Role-playing each of the three obstacles
- Practice Interviews: Role-playing Students Trying to Start a Shamatha Practice
- Workshopping Obstacles to Starting a Practice or Re-starting a Practice
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 3 – “Incorporating New Techniques”
Module 3 - 40-min video from Ethan
- When to Introduce New Techniques to Students Without Overwhelming Them
- Building Confidence to Introduce Metta into a Student's Regular Practice
Week 3 Live Session | Thursday, April 17th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Supporting a Student in Expanding Their Practice
- Practice Interviews: Role-playing Students Ready to Work with Metta
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 4 – “Guiding a Student in Buddhism: Part 1”
Module 4 - 40-min video from Ethan
- When to Introduce a Dharmic Concept into the Conversation
- Assigning Homework or Readings to Enrich a Student’s Practice
- Addressing the Feeling of Not “Knowing Enough,” Especially with an Intellectual Student
Week 4 Live Session | Thursday, April 24th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Incorporating Dharma Simply but Effectively into One-on-One Sessions
- Workshopping Dharma Conversations in a One-on-One Setting
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 5 – “Guiding a Student in Buddhism: Part 2”
Module 5 - 40-min video from Ethan
- Helping a Student Identify Their Study Path and “Lineage”
- Assigning Homework or Readings to Enrich a Student’s Practice
- Recognizing You Don’t Have to Know Everything
Week 5 Live Session | Thursday, May 8th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Discussing “The Path” with a Student
- Workshopping Dharma Conversations in a One-on-One Setting
- Q&A and Group Discussion
- Reading List for Potential Dharma and Meditation Readings to Enhance a Student’s Experience
Module 6 – “The Kalyanamitra: Working with a Student on ‘Life Questions’”
Module 6 - 40-min video from Ethan
- The Kalyanamitra as the One Who Walks the Path with You
- The Mitta Sutta and an Attitude of Mutual Disclosure and Sharing the Path
- The Four Core Principles and Four Skillful Responses When Life Strikes
Week 6 Live Session | Thursday, May 15th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Why One-on-One Work Evolves into the Kalyanamitra
- Workshopping Conversations in a One-on-One Setting about a Simple “Life Question,” Employing the Four Core Principles and Skillful Responses
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 7 – “The Kalyanamitra Part II: Holding Space for Difficult Situations”
Module 7 - 40-min video from Ethan
- Helping the Student Identify Their Path
- Knowing What You Don’t Know
- Recognizing When a Student Needs Help You Can’t Provide
Week 7 Live Session | Thursday, May 22nd, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
- Holding Space and Modeling Basic Goodness with Unconditional Positive Regard
- Helping the Student Identify Extreme Mind States and Find the Middle Path
- Workshopping Conversations in a One-on-One Setting about a Difficult “Life Situation,” Employing the Four Core Principles and Skillful Responses
- Q&A and Group Discussion
Module 8 – “The Structure, Boundaries, and Ethics of Private Teaching”
Module 8 - 40-min video from Ethan
- Structuring the Work with Students
- Holding Students Accountable
- Maintaining Good Boundaries
- Setting Fees
Week 8 Live Session | Thursday, May 29th, 2025 | 6-8pm ET
In the final meeting, we will discuss the overall structure, boundaries, and final models that make private teaching sustainable, and workshop an introductory meeting with a potential student.
About Ethan
“[Ethan is] a supercool, deeply kind brainiac—imagine a very chilled-out blend of Pauls Auster and Rudd—who is also to-the-cushion born.”
Sally Singer, Vogue.com
Ethan Nichtern is a Senior Buddhist teacher, author, and podcast host. Since 2002, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology courses and workshops around New York City, North America and Europe. Ethan has worked one-on-one with thousands of students on their meditation, dharma, and life paths. He currently works with 70-80 private students who he meets with monthly in an ongoing coaching capacity to help them make meditation practice a consistent part of their lives, deepen their spiritual practice, and address life’s many challenges from a more awakened perspective.
Ethan is the author of the acclaimed books The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path and The Dharma of The Princess Bride: What The Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships. He is also the author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence, and his most recent book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds.
In 2018, Ethan launched his podcast, The Road Home, available on iTunes, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ethan has been featured on CNN, NPR, ABC/Yahoo News, The New York Times, Vogue.com, Business Insider, Nautilus, and Vice to discuss Buddhism and meditation in the 21st Century.
Join the Eye-to-Eye Meditation Teacher Training
Discover a clear, hands-on path to making one-on-one mentorship a fulfilling and sustainable part of your work as a meditation teacher.
Registration Options
In addition to the two options below, we now offer Afterpay and Klarna, which let you spread your payments over up to 12 months.
Eye-to-Eye Meditation Teacher Training Single Payment
Save $150 when you register by March 19th!
Register with one payment of $747
Eye-to-Eye Meditation Teacher Training Monthly Payment
Save $150 when you register by March 19th!
Register with four payments of $186.75
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