The Shift Is Much Closer Than You Think

Many seekers experience glimpses of awakening, spaciousness, or no-self… and then feel like they lost it. In this conversation, Ilona speaks with Loch Kelly about effortless mindfulness, awareness, nonduality, and what it means to live awake in everyday life. Together they explore awakening beyond the separate self, why seekers often feel stuck after a glimpse, and how emotional healing continues even after clear seeing. Loch shares a grounded and practical approach to direct experience, openhearted awareness, and the movement from “aware of” to “aware as” to “aware from.” Rather than escaping ordinary life, awakening becomes a deeply human unfolding — lived through relationship, emotion, embodiment, and presence. If you’ve experienced moments of clarity, spaciousness, or the feeling that something opened and then seemed to close again, this dialogue may resonate deeply. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introducing Loch Kelly 01:23 – What Is Awakening? 04:03 – The Small Self 07:23 – Effortless Awareness 08:56 – Getting Stuck 10:46 – Openhearted Awareness 13:22 – Awakening Is Already Here 15:12 – Recognize True Nature 17:49 – Why Seekers Feel Stuck 20:00 – The Problem Solver 23:42 – What Is Here Now? 25:28 – Awareness & Aliveness 28:00 – “I Lost the Shift” 31:13 – Awareness “From” 34:24 – Human Development 37:30 – Why Glimpses Fade 40:20 – Healing After Awakening 44:10 – Coming Back 46:19 – Guided Glimpse 51:07 – Awareness Has Your Back 53:52 – Waking From & As 57:00 – Resources & Closing If you want to explore this more deeply, I’ve put everything together here. You’re welcome to have a look. https://ilonaciunaite.com/8-week-prog... About the Guest: Loch Kelly is the creator of the Mindful Glimpses app, an award-winning author, meditation teacher, licensed psychotherapist, and founder of the nonprofit Effortless Mindfulness Institute. His work brings together ancient wisdom traditions, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology to help people access what he calls “effortless mindfulness” — a more spacious and compassionate awareness that can relieve suffering at its root. For more than 30 years, Loch has trained with meditation teachers around the world, studied nondual practices in Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal, and collaborated with neuroscientists at Yale, UPenn, and NYU to explore how awareness training supports compassion and wellbeing. Learn more about Loch Kelly: https://lochkelly.org/ Get 20% off your first year of Loch’s Mindful Glimpses app + a 14-day free trial: https://mindfulglimpses.com/specialof... This content is for educational purposes only and *not* a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If anxiety is severe or you have thoughts of self-harm, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional immediately. #LochKelly #Awakening #SelfInquiry #NonDuality #EffortlessMindfulness #Awareness #NoSelf #Consciousness #DirectExperience #IlonaCiunaite