What Comes After Your First Glimpse of Awakening?

Amanda Wilson · 2026-09-15

### The Question Most Meditators Eventually Ask You've had a moment—maybe on retreat, maybe washing dishes—where everything felt open, still, and strangely perfect. Then it faded. And you're left wondering: was that it? What now? That's exactly the territory meditation teacher Loch Kelly explores in a recent conversation with host Michael Taft. And honestly, it's one of those discussions that stays with you. ### Waking Up vs. Waking With: A Simple Distinction That Changes Everything Kelly draws a line between two phases of contemplative life that most people lump together. The first is **waking up**—recognizing openness, stillness, and the absence of a separate self. It's the classic glimpse. Powerful, yes. But also fleeting. The second is what he calls **waking with**. Here, appearances—sounds, sights, thoughts, emotions—aren't obstacles to awareness. They're inseparable from it. This is sometimes called "one taste," and it's less about escaping experience and more about recognizing that experience itself is already awake. Put simply: - Waking up is noticing the sky. - Waking with is realizing the clouds *are* the sky. ### Why Flow States Matter More Than You Think The conversation also digs into flow states—those moments when effort drops away and action feels effortless. Athletes call it "the zone." Musicians call it "being in the pocket." Meditators might call it home. Kelly suggests flow isn't just a performance enhancer. It's a doorway. When you're fully absorbed in something—a conversation, a run, a piece of music—the separate self quietly loosens its grip. And what's left? Awake awareness, doing its thing. Here's the kicker: you don't have to chase flow. You just have to notice it's already happening. > "The glimpse isn't the destination. It's the invitation." ### What This Means for Your Daily Practice If you're a mindfulness professional—teacher, coach, therapist, or just someone who's been sitting for years—this distinction matters. Because a lot of us get stuck waiting for the next big opening. We treat awakening like a mountain peak instead of the ground we're already standing on. Kelly's invitation is gentler than that. He's not asking you to try harder. He's asking you to shift where you're looking. - Stop chasing the next glimpse. - Start recognizing awareness in the middle of ordinary life. - Let flow states be teachers, not trophies. ### A Small Experiment for This Week Try this: pick one routine activity—brushing your teeth, walking the dog, sipping coffee. For that brief window, drop the idea that you need to *get* somewhere. Just notice what's already aware. No fireworks required. No special state to achieve. Just this. And if nothing shifts? That's fine too. The invitation isn't going anywhere. It never was.