Loch Kelly

Loch Kelly, M.Div., LCSW, is an award-winning author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Effortless Mindfulness Institute. His teachings synthesize ancient wisdom practices, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology. Loch is dedicated to relieving suffering at its root and supporting people to live from their basic goodness. Loch is known for his warm sense of humor and his trust that awakening is the next natural stage of development. He teaches advanced, yet simple, nondual pointers and direct methods of nondual mindfulness, informed by psychology and social justice. As a licensed psychotherapist, Loch has been teaching seminars, supervising clinicians, and practicing awareness psychotherapy in NYC for 30 years.

Loch is a graduate of Columbia University and Union Theological. He was awarded a fellowship to study forms of nondual meditation in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal from 1981-1982 and has studied with teachers from around the world.

He studied Buddhism with Professor Lily de Silva at the University of Kandy, Sri Lanka; Insight Meditation with Godwin Samararatne and at the Theravada monasteries; Inter-Spiritual Contemplative Meditation with Fr. Bede Griffiths and Anthony de Mello; Advaita at Sri Ramana Ashram. He met one of his primary teachers of Dzogchen and Sutra Mahamudra Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche who said, “There are two types of mindfulness: deliberate and effortless.” In the first meeting Loch was introduced to this direct pointer that allowed him to feel in minutes, the same way he felt at the end of a 10 day retreat. Instead of just feeling calm, he was also full of joy and love.

Loch has written two books The Way of Effortless Mindfulness and Shift Into Freedom and has been offering retreats and workshops internationally and online for the past 25 years. He has taught in schools, retreat centers, and as a first responder in hospitals.

Loch currently lives in upstate New York with his wife Paige and their cat Duffy.