Today at 2pm, DU Meditation Society will host Prof Loch Kelly in the Joly Theatre of the Hamilton Building. Kelly will discuss his fascinating opinions, work and research on effortless mindfulness.
Effortless mindfulness is the next natural stage in mindfulness practice, designed to relieve the deepest levels of suffering. It is the advanced, yet simple form of mindfulness leading to awakening our essential wellbeing. Loch offers small glimpses, or shifts of awareness, to point us beyond our small sense of self to live from effortless mindfulness.
Kelly is a graduate of Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. His book Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness, was ranked in the Top 10 Best Books of the Year by Spirituality & Health Magazine. He is a contemplative psychotherapist and internationally recognized teacher of effortless mindfulness. Loch has worked in community mental health, addiction recovery and counselled family members of 9/11 victims. He is the founder of the non-profit Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. Loch collaborates with neuroscientists at Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania and New York University (NYU) to study how awareness training enhances compassion and wellbeing.
In an email statement to The University Times chair of DU Meditation Society, Czara Casey, said: “We are very excited to welcome Professor Loch Kelly tomorrow. As students, we all know how stressful university life can be. As many will know, mindfulness has proven benefits for concentration, emotionality and stress reduction. However, in hectic college life, it can be hard to feel like you have time to practice mindfulness or try out meditation.”
Casey said that organising the talk with the help of Clare Kelly from Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) has been a huge accomplishment for DU Meditation as a small society. It is the hope of DU Meditation that everyone who attends the event learns something new and leaves feeling less stressed and more mindful.
