Mindfulness Classes With Oli Doyle

When you learn to sharpen your attention down to this moment, you can focus just on the time you are spending with the person Now. You can really notice the person’s facial expressions today, the way the person is talking today—you can really listen. And in that listening, the relationship changes.

So you are no longer worried about the next Now or the last Now. It is just this; it is all just this. And suddenly difficult situations aren’t difficult anymore. They are just challenges that either require action or don’t. If they require action, you act, and if not, you leave it—very simple. The mind will try to complicate this and say, “Yeah, but … Yeah, but … Yeah, but what about … What if …” But there is no situation where being in the Now doesn’t apply. In any situation, all you can do is act in the best way you can, or not act. There is no other path or option. When you keep this in mind, life is very simple.

Experiencing life as it happens is not possible through the mind - it is only possible by stepping out of thinking and into curiosity and openness. If you listen to a friend without worrying about what it means for you, how what they’re describing may affect you and what you might say next, that listening will open up a whole new perspective. You can be wholehearted in your actions, which brings a sense of calm, peace and joy. It also makes you increasingly effective as old beliefs, assumptions and conditioning no longer contaminate your actions in this moment.

Instantaneous focus means bringing your attention so sharply into this moment that there is no room for anything else, for any thought, to take over. Now thoughts can still arise and they will and that’s fine, because we’re not trying to get rid of thought or to block it. We’re not trying to have a quiet mind. We just want to be primarily focused on our object of awareness, which in this practice will be the breath. With instantaneous focus, you are so sharply aware, so alive in this moment, that everything else fades to the background.

Today I want to ask you a question: What will you make of this life?

What is life like when we just stop thinking, unless it is absolutely necessary? Today we will explore what that world is like, and how we can all step into it whenever we decide.

Humans make one simple mistake that causes all our stress; we look for stability in the wrong place. We seek a predictable, safe experience in the outside world, which is constantly changing and evolving. We look for peace and happiness through external events and experiences. And in the end, we are left frustrated and disheartened.

Instead of blaming the external world, we should just stop asking it to give us what we want. And rather than giving up on what we want, we should start to look for it inside. In truth, you are peace, joy and brilliance all rolled into one. All you need to do is look.

Whether you call yourself religious or not, we all follow the biggest religion of all time - Should-ism. Those of us who (at least occasionally) follow this religion believe in a whole lot of 'Shoulds', which are different for each of us.

Today, I will show you a simple practice to help you notice when the shoulds are taking over and to step back into curiosity.

The mind and the world have convinced you of a simple but powerful lie: that happiness is determined by what happens to you on a day to day basis. This lie keeps your attention focused outside, your main interest in what others do, what life does, and how it affects you.

Today I will illustrate how this process itself prevents any chance of finding peace, of being truly happy. I will also show you how it is possible to take a different path and find peace right now.

So far this week we have explored how to catch your thinking before it takes over your attention, your feelings and your life. Today I will summarise the practices from this week into one powerful experience.