Recognizing the Natural Rest of the Present Moment

Spiritual awakening begins to infiltrate our lives once we begin simple practices to bring us to the natural rest of the present moment.  Here’s an excerpt from Chapter One of Scott’s book, “Natural Rest for Addiction” to help you get started with these simple practices.

How do we experience brief moments of thought-free presence? Below, I’ve provided some portals.

Three to Five Seconds

Relax for three to five seconds right now and simply be, without any conceptual labels for what’s presently happening. Stop thinking for one moment! Right now! It’s easier to start with just three to five seconds at first. As you practice these brief moments repeatedly throughout the day, it gets easier and the moments become naturally longer. It’s like riding a bicycle: At first you may be able to stay on the bike only for a short time, before you fall over. But after practice, you are able to stay on the bike and ride for much longer periods of time, until eventually riding a bicycle is second nature.

Awareness of Breath

If you find it difficult to stop thinking for a few seconds, focus your awareness on your breath. Breathe through your nostrils, not your mouth. Take a few deep, long breaths, keeping your attention on the breath the whole time. Watch your breath move all the way down the body into the stomach area, then watch it move all the way up and out of your nostrils. Focusing on the breath helps to stop or slow down the mind.

Noticing Thought Followed by Thought-Free Rest

Another portal into thought-free rest is the noticing of thought. Notice that you have the capacity to be aware of thought. Remember, thoughts are either mental pictures you see in the mind or words you hear or see in the mind. Notice the words or pictures that are currently appearing. Look directly and gently at the thoughts and watch them fade away naturally on their own. Notice them from a quiet, witnessing space, without judging, analyzing, or commenting on them. As they fade completely, simply rest in the thought-free space that remains.

Inner Body Awareness

Inner body awareness can also be an effective way to experience a brief moment of thought-free rest. Bring your attention into the felt-sense of peace or stillness within your chest or stomach area. As you bring attention there, you will likely notice some sensation, but you should also notice that, as attention is drawn away from the mind, there is a subtle sense of peace or stillness in the inner body. Rest your attention in that area for a few seconds. As you experience the peace or stillness within the body, expand your attention to notice that peace or stillness all around the body and everywhere else.

It doesn’t matter which portal you use; the key is to notice what a brief moment of rest feels and looks like. What’s here, in this moment, when you aren’t labeling it? Nothing can be said. Nothing needs to be known. The mind is quiet for a brief moment. For a few seconds, past and future thoughts aren’t arising.

Addictive seeking arises through emphasizing past and future thoughts. When you’re taking a brief moment of rest, you’re already completely free of the story of past and future—for that moment at least. It’s important to gain this insight, even if you realize it for only a few seconds. That moment of insight is revealing that your addiction resides mainly in your mind, although there is certainly a bodily component to it, as we will discuss later.

The key is to find one of the portals to thought-free rest that works for you and to use it as often as possible throughout the day.

How often is often? Well…as often as you can. As often as possible. If you can only take a brief moment every fifteen minutes, then start there. If you can take it more often—such as every five minutes, every minute, or even every thirty seconds—then start there. You may even want to wear a wristband or use a timer to remind you to rest repeatedly. The more you repeat this practice, the more often you will be able to rest in thought-free presence automatically, naturally, and effortlessly, with less time between those moments of rest.

When you stop thinking for a bit, you tap into the experience of awareness. Awareness isn’t any thought, emotion, craving, obsession, state, experience, sight, sound, smell, taste, or other sensation that appears and disappears. It’s not any of these things. These things are all temporary.

Different stories have come and gone within this presence throughout your life. The story coming through when you were ten years old is different than the story coming through at age twenty, thirty, and so on. But the presence in which those stories come and go never changes. It’s always here. I’m using presence and awareness synonymously.

It’s the same presence, no matter what’s coming through. This is an important insight. To gain this insight, you have to experience these brief moments of rest repeatedly. You have to actually notice that each time you take a brief moment, that open, spacious awareness is available. It’s the same awareness each time you take a brief moment.

In taking brief moments of resting in presence, we come to see for ourselves that this presence lies at the foundation of our experience, always. It is fundamental to our experience. It provides a stability and well-being in our lives that temporary words, pictures, and bodily energies cannot provide.

Presence is that which is aware of all of these temporary words, pictures, and energies coming and going.

Each time we rest in still, quiet, thought-free presence throughout the day, we experience the relaxed, open view of the present moment. Instead of narrowly focusing on a story in the mind or a single object, person, or event, we take in the fullness of the present moment without thought and allow our focus to be wide open and relaxed. We notice space in front of, behind, between, within, and all around everything we see.

In the beginning, resting in and as present moment awareness feels like a practice – something we have to do.  But as we continue practicing, resting begins to become automatic and natural.  We naturally begin to shift attention more and more to the peace and stability of the present moment, instead of being “in our heads” swirling in the pain of the past and worry about the future.

"Working with Dan has been nothing short of transformational. His open heart, honesty about his personal experience and permission to be real and not hide have helped me unlock those qualities in myself. And that has been a total game changer. I've been truly blessed, not only to have him as my KI Facilitator, but also as my mentor. Without a doubt, working with him has helped me to show up authentically, helped sharpen my tools and made me a better facilitator than I would've been on my own. I can't recommend him enough."
Darby Totten
Certified KI Facilitator

Dan McLintock is a Certified Facilitator, Trainer and the Co-Developer of the Kiloby Inquiries method/approach the New Model of Recovery along w Scott Kiloby. 

A Jacksonville, Florida native, Dan graduated Flagler College in 2004 with B.A. in Theatre Arts and English Literature and has played music professionally in bands for over 20 years. But his true passion lies in sharing the context, possibility and practicality of healing, awakening and release. 

Dan has worked one-on-one with clients in and out of the Kiloby Center since 2017 and has an unconditionally loving and earnest approach to healing trauma, dissolving the drivers of addiction/suffering and unhooking long-held toxic beliefs about ourselves, others and the world at large. 

He’s also worked intensively, side-by-side with Scott Kiloby for the past three years to develop the transformative tools of the Kiloby Inquiries as well as the principles and approach of the “New Model of Recovery” rooted in unconditional love and non-judgment. Much of this approach was borne out of Scott and Dan’s work with each other on their own personal traumas as well as their work with clients at the Kiloby Center. 

Scott and Dan have simplified, demystified and condensed some of the principles and practices of eastern/non-dual spirituality into an easily accessible set of tools most anyone can understand, learn and utilize to free themselves from their own suffering. 

What is a Clarity Call?

What is a Clarity Call?

A clarity call is a free 30-minute introductory call with a Certified KI Facilitator. During a clarity call, you can ask any questions you have about KI and see whether a particular facilitator is a good fit for you.

To book a clarity call, select your preferred facilitator (hover over their picture and click the “Meet” button). Then, enter your email and click “Book Your Call.” From there, you’ll be able to select your preferred date and time and schedule your clarity call (please double-check your time zone before booking).

Valerie Vinger is a thriving survivor of life’s painful challenges and growth opportunities. She has worked with 12-step programs and is currently a 13-year stage-III cancer survivor. Her cancer recovery journey started with the traditional “cut, poison, burn” approach but eventually led her down a natural path to healing her body, her pain and suffering, and her buried emotions.

Valerie first stumbled upon Scott Kiloby at a workshop of his in Boulder, Colorado in 2012, which she says is one of the most transformative experiences she’s ever had. She is filled with gratitude for the person she has become through her journey with cancer recovery and with the Inquiries, which she describes as “coming home to myself.” She loves working with people who are ready for relief from their pain and suffering.

Julianne Eanniello is a Certified Trainer and Facilitator of both the Kiloby Inquiries and the Unfindability Inquiries (formerly called the Living Inquiries). She is also a Certified TRE Practitioner, and the developer of the somatic movement process called Natural Flow Movement. She works with clients all over the world on virtually any topic, including spiritual seeking, stress, anxiety, depression, pain and health related issues, traumatic experiences, repression, relationship issues, and general unhappiness with ourselves and our lives. She does this through online sessions, deepening courses, workshops and facilitator certification training.

About Julianne:

For most of my life I’ve wondered who I am and why I am here. As I was growing up, no one else seemed to be talking about these things, or even thinking about them, so I buried it deep inside and tried my best to fit in the way I was “supposed” to, all the while feeling like there was something desperately wrong with me and that I needed to fix it.

In my early thirties, the death of a young relative left me feeling hopeless and helpless, wondering what is the point of life if we’re all just going to die anyway? This launched me on a search. I didn’t even know what I was looking for, I just knew that there was a longing – a desperate longing for something that actually made sense about life. I learned several alternative spiritual and healing techniques. I meditated. I read books and watched videos. I eventually learned of non-duality teachings, and I read more books, watched more videos, and even sat with several ‘awakened’ teachers. Yet I was still searching, something still felt missing. I was looking for the key that would unlock the mystery of me and of life.

In my early forties, I developed a chronic health condition that left me unable to work for several years, and most days barely able to get out of bed due to extreme fatigue, brain fog and pain. I lost my banking job, and eventually lost my home. I saw a multitude of doctors to try to find out what was wrong with me, and used every tool in my metaphysical and alternative medicine toolkit to try to heal myself. My seeking became even more intense, and I was looking for a way to escape my pain.

In 2009, I met Scott Kiloby. Since I started working with him and doing the Living Inquiries, the seeking for enlightenment has stopped, and the question of ‘who am I’ is no longer relevant. My victim stories around my health started falling away. Once I started looking at my experience through inquiry, everything changed. I stopped chasing something ‘out there.’ I no longer seek some future state of happiness or peace. This is not to say that I don’t have problems, or ever experience pain. Quite the contrary. I still use the inquiries regularly, and now there is much less avoidance or resistance to what I’m experiencing. I experience more and more freedom in the present moment, exactly as it appears.

Having trained with Scott, I was one of the first to be certified as a Senior Living Inquiries Facilitator and Trainer in early 2012. In 2014, I moved to CA and became a business partner with Scott at The Kiloby Center for Recovery, where we worked with people suffering from addiction, anxiety, depression and more for the next 8 years.

I can’t imagine my life without these inquiries. They saved me from myself. If you are still suffering, searching, longing… I encourage you to give this a try.

As a young child I saw a picture of Jesus gazing lovingly at some children around his feet. I immediately longed for the unconditional love I saw in his gaze. At the same time, I was being read fairy tales, like Cinderella, and came to believe that romantic love would satisfy that longing for love.

So, I married my handsome prince at age 19. But then, by age 29, I found myself alone, as a single mother, with four young children. I was devastated and convinced that something was terribly wrong with me, to have ended up in such a predicament. 

I had learned to love and please others, but not how to love and respect myself. I was a “good girl,” and repressed my urges to have my own needs acknowledged and met. A wise teacher later told me, “We need to love everyone, including ourselves.” This was an amazing revelation for me!

Learning to meditate helped immensely to bring moments of peace, while I was sitting still, though I was still being triggered regularly in my relationships. Finally, the Kiloby Inquiries taught me how to turn my attention inside in daily life – towards the trapped thoughts and emotions I’d been running from – so that I could face and release them. It was like some tender, lost children began coming home, to take their rightful place in my inner world. 

I am honored and excited to be able to facilitate these wonderful inquiries for others.

Sumitra lives in Eugene, Oregon, US.  She has four grown children and six grandchildren. For many years she lived and worked in a yoga retreat community in California, and has taught yoga, meditation and Compassionate Communication in addition to facilitating the tools of the Kiloby Inquiries (since 2013).

Working with compulsions – especially regarding food – is a special interest for Sumitra. 

She also loves working with couples and others with relationship challenges in a simple deep listening practice that allows each person to be truly heard and acknowledged.

Kiloby Inquiries all dimension certified trainer & facilitator ✅.  

 

I am a non bypassing non-dual teacher with 13 years of direct experience. Waking up and abiding in our true nature was not enough. Some unconscious repressed fear was debilitating my expression for years. Stepping into the power of my voice fully was only possible with KI. In 2020 signing up to KI training with Scott and Dan changed the trajectory and the quality of my life and work. I released loads of repressed shame and anger from my system and now am able to let live manifest and express effortlessly. And I know you can live and be the fullest free expression of YOU!

 

I am so passionate about this method of deprograming & embodiment that I am here to inspire others to experience it for themselves. These tools and my perseverance in experimenting with them brought effortlessness, ease in the unknown, financial abundance, freedom of expression, burst of creativity and such a fulfilling work environment, where everyone is honoring integrity, authenticity and inner deepening. I’ve learned so much from all my fellow trainees and clients, it’s been such a privilege to hold space and witness their growth and transformation. I’ve been training in KI with Scott and on my own since 2021 and now so excited to train all dimensions training for full immersion in this work. 

 

I have experience working with: parents and children, childhood trauma, repression of voice/power/expression, non-dual bypassing, spiritual seeking, emotional repression, addiction, chronic pain, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual repression, depression, PTSD, birth trauma mother and baby, grief and loss, couples counseling, lack and scarcity mindset. 

 

I can help you move beyond suffering and fear into the world more fully with your gifts, authenticity and uniqueness recognizing your unbroken, true nature. 

 
Alec Rodrigues has been certified to facilitate inquiry since 2015 and brings a keen sense of intuition to his work. He believes that in connection, the deepest healing takes place, that the mirror of relationship is the best crucible for transformation. Through rest and inquiry, Alec has found the empowerment to meet others authentically and stop running so damn fast from the seeming “ordinariness” of life.

He currently lives in Washington state with his girlfriend and works as a training assistant for the KI Personal Mentorship Program, where he empowers enrollees by teaching them the KI tools.