What would the world be like if each of us discovered for ourselves how to live an awakened life? Awakening begins with a shift out of our small, separate sense of self, to discover an “awake” consciousness that we sense has been there all along. When we begin to inhabit this space, we discover that awakened awareness is inseparable from unconditional love and the dynamic aliveness interconnected with everything.

The first premise of Loch Kelly’s approach Effortless Mindfulness is that the freedom, connection, and awakeness we are seeking is already here within us. Effortless Mindfulness does not mean it “takes no effort”, but that there is an effortless awareness from which we are mindful. In this way, when we experience painful emotions, we can immediately shift out of our “chatting mind” and small self, and into an awakened consciousness that has the capacity to be compassionate toward ourselves.

In this workshop, Loch will present easily accessible methods that weave together different approaches to awakening — from neuroscience to cutting-edge psychological research to wisdom practices from around the world.  You will be offered the keys to supporting the awakening as the next natural stage of human development. You will learn how to shift out of your chattering mind and into embodied, openhearted awareness in the midst of everyday life.

By comparing and integrating contemporary psychological models of healing like IFS (Internal Family Systems) alongside an ancient wisdom map of awakening to our true nature, we will build deep somatic understandings of the unique energetic ways of connecting in order to talk, walk, create, relate, and live from a wise heart.

The retreat will include several practices…

• Awareness Yoga (moving awareness through the body and mind)
• Short, micro-meditations to help you immediately access awake consciousness
• Peer Inquiry as a way to begin to communicate from the awakened heart-mind
• Spontaneous Qigong, gentle yoga, and embodiment exercises
• Methods for bringing the open-hearted, compassionate Self to soothe the stressed body, mind, and emotions
• IFS-style exercises to bring your shadow parts and inner critics into healing, revealing our authentic self

Prerequisite: Familiarity with Loch’s Effortless Mindfulness glimpses from his community audio program.