What Comes After Awakening? Loch Kelly on Flow States

Amanda Wilson · 2026-09-15

Ever had a moment where everything just clicked? The noise in your head went quiet, and you felt completely present. That's what meditation teacher Loch Kelly calls a "glimpse" — a fleeting taste of awake awareness. But what happens after that first glimpse? That's the question host Michael Taft digs into in this fascinating conversation. ### Waking Up vs. Waking With Most of us start with "waking up" — recognizing the openness and stillness that's already here, beneath the chatter of a separate self. It's like stepping out of a cramped room into fresh air. But Loch points to something deeper: "waking with." Instead of just noticing awareness, you start to see everything — thoughts, sounds, the cup of coffee in your hand — as inseparable from that awareness. It's what traditions call "one taste." Think of it this way: waking up is noticing the ocean. Waking with is realizing every wave is the ocean. ### Flow States as a Gateway Here's where it gets practical. Flow states — those absorbed moments when you lose track of time — are a natural doorway into this "one taste." You don't have to be on a cushion to experience it. It can happen while you're cooking, running, or even answering emails. > "Flow is not something you achieve. It's something you stop interfering with." — Loch Kelly Loch suggests that these states aren't just peak experiences. They're training grounds. Each taste of flow can retrain your nervous system to recognize awareness as your home base, not a rare vacation. ### Bringing It Into Daily Life So how do you work with this without turning it into another project? Loch offers a few simple pointers: - **Pause and notice:** In the middle of your day, ask, "What's here right now when I'm not trying to fix anything?" - **Welcome the wave:** Instead of pushing away a distracting sound or feeling, let it be part of the awareness you already are. - **Drop the goal:** Flow isn't a state to chase. It's what's left when you stop grasping. The conversation also touches on common traps — like mistaking a blissful state for permanent awakening, or getting stuck in the identity of being "the meditator." Loch's gentle humor and decades of experience make these subtle points feel accessible, not abstract. ### Why This Matters for Mindful Living If you're a mindfulness professional — a coach, therapist, or teacher — this episode offers a fresh way to talk about the fruits of practice. It's not about adding more techniques. It's about recognizing what's already awake in you and your clients. And for anyone who's ever wondered, "Is this it?" after a profound meditation experience, Loch's answer is a resounding no. There's a whole landscape of "waking with" waiting to unfold. The first glimpse is just the beginning.