I am a mindfulness instructor located in the Pohangina Valley, Manawatu area of New Zealand’s North Island. I have studied and practiced Buddhism for over thirty years and have trained in all three vehicles (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana) particularly in Vipassana and Zen. I hold higher degrees in Buddhist studies from Harvard, the University of Washington and the University of London. In today’s attention economy, training to prevent your attention from being hacked by strong learning algorithms and learning how to use your powers of attention effectively is crucial for personal and business success. Beyond this mindfulness forms the basis for advanced training in Buddhism meditation, the sine qua non on the path to nirvana.
I teach a free mindfulness class Thursday evenings at the Old Schoolhouse in Pohangina Village (for details, see our facebook page “Pohagina Mindfulness“) based on my own system of awareness practice, which shares important similarities to the Vipassana technique taught by my teacher and late meditation master Godwin Samararatne (1932-2000), the “just sitting” method of Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), and the Mahamudra approach of the Indo-Tibetan tantric masters. 
Buddhist training systematically teaches how to overcome attention addiction and optimize your time and energy toward beneficial outcomes for oneself and others. With over twenty years experience teaching, I can provide one-on-one instruction, or lead mindfulness and attention training workshops for companies, nonprofits, or governmental agencies. Previous clients have included a community educational center, a multinational diary corporation, and the NZ military.
Rates:
As a “Gift of Dharma” (dharmadana) the initial mindfulness consultation is free of charge. After this rates are by negotiation.
Contact me now at +64 (0) 210 442922
or email at: douglasosto (at) gmail (dot) com
Mindfulness training can be conducted in person or via Skype or Zoom online.
Click here for link to free audio files of guided mindfulness meditation exercises.
Comments about Dee:
I first met Dee at Massey University in Palmerston north where we got together to exchange our views on spirituality and life over a cup of tea. Dee immediately struck me as a calm and bright person who also shares a big interest in meditation and mindfulness. After a long conversation, Dee invited me to his meditation class which he teaches every Tuesday. This meditation class was to become my favorite thing to do and it was something I looked forward to every week.
(Philipp, Netherlands)
Comments from a participant in a recent workshop with a leading multinational dairy company:
Dee presented a workshop to our staff on ‘mindfulness’, including its nature, genesis and benefits, and, as an introduction to the concept, took us through an exercise in which we applied mindfulness techniques to our breathing. Not only was the session of great interest to everyone who attended, but the approach clearly has application in our personal lives as well as in the ‘busyness’ of our work lives. Dee is an excellent presenter – very much appreciated!
(Mike, General Manager, Research & Development)
For questions or more information contact de osto at douglasosto (at) gmail (dot) com, or txt +64 (0)210442922.