Awakening and Flow States, with Loch Kelly

In this episode, host Michael Taft speaks with meditation teacher Loch Kelly about what comes after the first glimpse. They distinguish "waking up"—recognizing openness, stillness, the absence of a separate self—from "waking with," in which appearances are seen as inseparable from awake awareness, or what is called "one taste." The conversation covers flow states as a natural portal to awake awareness in action, why direct pointing is safer than deconstructive mindfulness retreats that leave people flooded, the traditional reasons awareness gets missed (too close, too simple, too good to be true), the difference between awakening and liberation, and how Internal Family Systems pairs surprisingly well with pointing-out instructions. Loch also leads a guided practice, the Problem-Solver Glimpse.

Loch Kelly is an author, licensed psychotherapist, and recognized leader in the field of meditation and awakening. He is the founder of the nonprofit Effortless Mindfulness Institute and has worked in community mental health, established homeless shelters and counseled family members of 9/11 victims.

Loch graduated from Columbia University and received a fellowship to study in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. Loch has collaborated with neuroscientists at Yale, UPenn and NYU in the study of how awareness training can enhance compassion and wellbeing. His teachings are informed by Buddhist nondual meditation, psychology, and neuroscience.

Loch Kelly’s website

You can support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.