Miranda – teaching meditation and mindfulness online

2 min read – This month, we chat to Miranda Wise.  A graduate of the Advanced Certificate and a recent Diploma student. She shares the amazing impact meditation has had on her life, as well as her experience of transitioning her meditation business to an online format.  

Hi Miranda. Tell us a little bit about yourself ….

I live on Sydney’s beautiful Northern Beaches with my husband Alex, our kids Lochy 14 and Gabriella 11
and our spoodle pup Baci… (Italian for kisses, pronounced like the chocolate). Whilst I’m a meditation
teacher and enjoy peace and quiet, I also love harnessing my fiery side! I  play electric guitar, paint art
pieces inspired by music and the female form, bellydance, love driving fast cars and of course have my
meditation business, Miranda Wise Meditation.

What attracted you to become a meditation teacher and study with The Australian Center for Meditation and Mindfulness?

I felt really lost when my kids started school. Having worked as a Marketing Manager in London and then
spent time as a full-time mum, I knew I didn’t want to go back to work in an office based role. My life had
become way more meaningful than that. I had taught myself to meditate when my kids were really small – I
found parenting and my patience didn’t gel well together and meditation helped to calm and settle my
temper. I would often talk passionately about meditation, all things Universe related etc and began to
notice the positive ripple effect my practice was having on my family. After a few years of daily practice, I
realised it was the perfect opportunity to teach what I loved, what I knew worked, and share it with others.
I looked for a qualification that would give me really practical teaching and communication skills and a
course that would also give me a good understanding of a range of meditation techniques… Hello ACMM! I
completed my Advanced Certificate and have recently returned to complete my Graduate Diploma after
some time away setting up my meditation business.

How has meditation impacted you on a personal level?

Recently I’ve been through a period of uncertainty, chaos and overwhelm.  Meditation has been a really
practical and accessible tool that has allowed me to successfully navigate the chaos. I was able to find
moments of relief from very dark, chaotic and negative thoughts and it has been a lifesaver for me.
Knowing I have the power inside myself to step back from the edge can make all the difference.

What does your personal meditation practice look like? What styles or types of meditation do you
enjoy?

I get up early most mornings and do my practice before the kids wake up and life gets going. I have my
own studio space upstairs so I allow about 40 mins. Some mornings I need that time and some days
perhaps a little less, maybe 25 mins. Some mornings I hit the snooze button a little harder than expected
and simply have time for a 15 minute grounding. I’ve become more relaxed about going with the flow and
not getting too caught up in the “should”… that’s when it feels boring and a chore. I try to include a shorter
session in the evening, even if it’s simply sitting on my mat and allowing some stillness to arrive.
My go-to technique when my mind is busy is simply counting my breath – it’s easy to drop into and stay
with until my thoughts soften. I also find manta really powerful, vocalising helps dissipate any heaviness and
I often feel lighter and more spacious in my mind. When I feel in need of guidance I listen to the ACHS
meditation library – I have to say my fave audio is Julie’s meditation for relief which has really helped me
though some dark times… thanks Julie!

We’d love to hear more about your meditation business. What is it called?

My meditation business is called – Miranda Wise Meditation – which I started about 18 months ago
after completing my Advanced Certificate. In the beginning, I attended a breakfast meeting for local Women
In Business Association where I met a range of female entrepreneurs. I approached a yoga studio owner
about running a meditation course which I did for about a year. The owner of another yoga studio, Bikram
Yoga, attended one of my courses, loved it and invited me to run a course there which was a big
opportunity to reach her large database of clients.

How has the recent pandemic shifted the way you do business?

The arrival of COVID-19 meant I had to change the way I was delivering my work and has offered a range of
unexpected opportunities that I would never have considered before. I’ve been working with the Guide
Dogs Association guiding weekly Zoom sessions for staff and have created an online Mental Health,
Wellness & Happiness Toolkit for a global financial services firm based in Canada. Part of this has included
delivering a company-wide mental health & wellness survey to assess areas where staff are struggling in
order to provide ongoing targeted meditation tools and online resources. It’s a big step up from where I was
18 months ago and I never expected to be working in the corporate sector again. I can now see how my
skills from my previous career are now supporting my own business. The move to online has provided the
opportunity to deliver mental health & wellness tools on a much larger scale and with that charge fees that
are deserving of my experience, qualification and time. I feel really grateful that I had the courage to step
out of my comfort zone and having a professional qualification behind me has really helped to boost my
confidence in delivering meditation on a bigger scale. It’s really scary but as the saying goes ‘treasure
awaits you in the cave you fear most to tread”.

How does meditation compliment other skills you have developed in your professional life?

I also have a beauty health and wellness business with Arbonne and have delivered corporate meditation to
regional consultants via Zoom during COVID. This business beautifully compliments my meditation
business and I have a bigger vision to bring meditation into the corporation at a higher level.

Can you describe your client base?

When I first started out my clients tended to be female, mums and older women as I was offering weekday
morning classes which fit within school hours. I found it frustrating trying to bring in a few people for a
relatively low cost. It seemed time-intensive and dollar poor. The move to online has opened up a wider
business opportunity and my clients are based in metropolitan and regional areas in Australia, Canada, UK
and Manila. The corporate sector used to make me yawn and I never thought to go there with meditation
but I’ve changed my mindset and now see that what I really deliver through meditation is freedom,
inspiration, idea generation calm and joy… and there’s nothing to yawn about there 🙂
Work IS personal and even more so at the moment. I’m inspired to increase the awareness of meditation as
a powerful mental health tool through the corporation. The current global health situation is a wonderful
opportunity to really engage business leaders to provide wellness resources to staff and really harness the
positive ripple effect meditation can have further outwards to family and community.

Do you have any events, workshops or classes coming up in the next few months?

With restrictions lifting here in Sydney I’ve thrown open my doors to the studio space I leased just as
lockdown began and am beginning to offer some small group sessions. I’m excited to return to some face to-face teaching to compliment the online side of my business. I also have another class I’m in the throws of putting together – a dance meditation combining my music and belly dancing experience. I think it’s time for some fun and playfulness and the innovation that can come with that.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about becoming a meditation teacher?

I think the role of meditation teacher is really expanding. There is an increasing need for mental health support and with the world changing and experiencing increasing levels of chaos we have a valuable role to play as meditation teachers in promoting and supporting mental health. It’s an exciting time to be in this role and to have the capacity to really change the way people view and access mental health resources.

What have you enjoyed about studying with ACMM?

I love the community and of course all the beautiful coaches. ACMM has such a grounded approach to meditation teaching which I really value. I’ve loved the guided Zoom meditations offered by the coaches this year, it’s been a wonderful opportunity to experience some calm and continue learning in a really experiential, relaxed way 🙂

If you would like to learn more about Miranda’s business, you can visit her website, her Facebook page, or follow her on Instagram.

We absolutely love to highlight all the amazing paths of our graduates. They are so inspiring, and really illustrate the huge amount of doors a qualification in meditation teaching opens. Here are some other graduates we have spoken to recently: Meet Kate, Meet Tirrell, Meet Bronwyn.