What Comes After Your First Awakening Glimpse?

Evelyn Reed · 2026-09-15

Ever had a moment where everything just... stopped? The chatter in your head went quiet, and you felt this strange, spacious openness? Maybe it lasted a few seconds. Maybe a few minutes. And then, like a fog rolling back in, it was gone. That's what meditation teacher Loch Kelly calls the "first glimpse." And according to him, it's not the end of the journey—it's just the beginning. In a recent conversation with host Michael Taft, Kelly unpacked what happens after that initial awakening. And honestly? It's not what most of us expect. ### Waking Up vs. Waking With Most people think of awakening as a one-and-done event. You see through the illusion of a separate self, and boom—you're enlightened. But Kelly draws a distinction that changes everything. "Waking up" is recognizing openness, stillness, and the absence of a separate self. It's like stepping out of a cramped room and realizing you were never actually trapped. But then there's "waking with." This is where things get really interesting. Instead of just resting in that openness, you start to see that everything arising—thoughts, sensations, the world around you—is inseparable from that awake awareness. Kelly calls it "one taste." It's not about escaping experience; it's about experiencing everything as already free. ### Flow States: The Sweet Spot of Awake Living You've probably been in a flow state before. Maybe while playing music, running, or even cooking. Time dissolves. You're fully absorbed. There's no "you" trying to make it happen—it's just happening. Kelly suggests these flow states are a natural byproduct of waking with. When you're no longer resisting what's here, you slip into a kind of effortlessness. It's not something you force. It's something you allow. And here's the thing: you don't need to meditate for 10,000 hours to taste this. You just need to notice. Right now, can you feel the space around your thoughts? That's it. That's the doorway. ### Why This Matters for Everyday Life This isn't just philosophy. It's practical. When you're caught in the story of "me" and "my problems," everything feels heavy. But when you shift into that awake awareness—even for a moment—the weight lifts. You still show up for work. You still pay bills. You still have difficult conversations. But you're doing it from a different place. A place that isn't so easily rattled. As Kelly puts it, the goal isn't to escape life. It's to wake up *with* it. > "The first glimpse is just the beginning. The real adventure is learning to live from that openness, moment to moment." ### How to Start You don't need a cushion or a retreat. Here's a simple practice: - Pause and notice the space between thoughts. - Let your attention rest there for a few seconds. - Ask yourself: What's here right now that isn't a problem? - Allow everything to be as it is—no fixing, no resisting. That's it. That's the practice. It's not about getting somewhere. It's about noticing where you already are. So if you've had a glimpse and wondered, "Now what?"—this is your answer. Keep waking up. Keep waking with. And let the flow find you.