Mindfulness Classes With Oli Doyle

Once upon a time I thought I could cling to moments of peace, that passing joy could be made to last forever.

But true peace doesn't come from anything that's passing, it's in you, now and forever.

Today, come find it.

Once I thought mindfulness meant blocking all thought, silencing the mind, and this led to predictable consequences. I felt sluggish and strained and when thought came back it came hard!

Luckily, someone told me the secret - just watch those thoughts, don't block, don't get lost, just watch!

Learn this, and life is a breeze.

There was a time when I hid from life in books about meditation, in silent contemplation and by sitting staring at the wall. I wasn't really connecting with the present moment, but I thought I was progressing.

In truth, I was opting out, and my practice lacked a connection with my day to day life. I was hiding in a cave, without bringing that practice back to the world.

True practice is ordinary, grounded and deeply connected with daily life, but if you have ever used it as an escape, you might enjoy today's exploration of this common trap, and of how to untangle yourself.

I'm sitting here listening to you, watching you, but mostly I'm judging you. I can see by the faraway look in your eyes that you're lost in the future, and I can hear from your voice that you don't get it, that you need my help...

Welcome to the mind of the judge, the character I became when I memorised some Hindu quotes, digested the ideas of the Dalai Lama and learned to talk about meditation. I thought I had it figured out, and that was the problem...

You see, figuring it out has nothing to do with mindfulness, in fact it gets in the way! But when I was on my early journey, I believed that I had it all figured out and now I was going to tell you all about it!

The lesson I learned from this was simple: forget about everyone else, and focus on your practice this instant. I hope this simple shift helps you tap into peace right now.

Welcome to another week here at A Little Peace and Quiet.com!

All this week I am sharing some of my biggest struggles, hurdles and challenges when I was learning how to meditate. I hope that by sharing these, I might make your path a little smoother!

When I first sat down to meditate, I had already set up massive expectations for the future, like "When I'm enlightened, my life will be like this..." I had goals, I had ways to measure progress and I completely ruined it!

The result? I felt like a failure, I wanted to quit (I did several times actually) and the story that I wasn't good enough found its way into meditation too.

If I had realised what to do with all those expectations, beliefs and goals, things might have been a little simpler, and so I offer you today's class.

I hope it brings out a little more of the peace that's already inside, right now.

Enjoy!

Oli Doyle

"Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier." Lao Tzu

When I set out on the path of mindfulness, feeling that I was a good person was very important to me.

Now, I don't much care about holiness nor wisdom, but my actions are much kinder and wiser.

Today I would like to share how this transformation came about.

Today I was inspired by Byron Katie's work over at www.thework.com, and I wanted to share something profoundly simple (or simply profound):

Your relationship with us mirrors your relationship with your thoughts. Make peace with thought, and world peace is inevitable.

Have fun!

A mindful stop is a powerful way to step out of anxious, stressful stories and into peace and tranquility.

Thinking is a choice, and today I will show you how to stop.

Come for an adventure in the present moment today, as we journey into that quiet place within.

Over the next 13 minutes, I invite you to change the way you see the entire world.

Most of us prioritise instants. It sounds a bit funny written down like that, but the job interview is more important than brushing your teeth, your wedding day is more important than last Wednesday.

Certain instants matter more than others, which leads to two things:

1) Important moments become anxious, stressful and nerve wracking and

2) Other moments you can stay on autopilot, just awake enough to avoid accidental death.

So we stress, and we daydream, neither of which is much fun.

What is a lot of fun, as it turns out, is treating every instant with respect, paying careful attention no matter what you are doing.

Treasure every instant, and you will be able to relax through the important ones and thoroughly enjoy the rest!