Susan Kaiser Greenland

Susan Kaiser Greenland is an internationally recognized leader in teaching mindfulness and meditation to children, teens, and families. She played a foundational role in making mindfulness practices developmentally appropriate for young people and helped to pioneer activity-based mindfulness with her first book The Mindful Child. Her second book, Mindful Games, offers simple explanations of complex concepts, methods, and themes while expanding upon her work developing activity-based mindfulness games. Susan and her husband, the author Seth Greenland, founded The Inner Kids Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that taught secular mindfulness in schools and community-based programs in the greater Los Angeles area from 2001 through 2009. In 2006, Susan was recognized as a “Champion for our Children” by First 5 LA, the largest and most influential children’s advocacy group in Los Angeles. Susan was on the clinical team of the Pediatric Pain Clinic at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, co-investigator on several UCLA research studies on the impact of mindfulness in education, and a collaborator on an investigation of mindful eating for children and caregivers. Research on the Inner Kids elementary school program has been published in the Journal of Applied School Psychology. Her website is www.susankaisergreenland.com.

"Enlightenment for an everyday person like me? Susan Kaiser Greenland shows us that awakening can be found not only in a cave but in a kitchen. This much-needed set of beautifully written, relatable, and down-to-earth teachings helps those of us living in the real world learn how freedom is found right at home. If the Real Housewives of Buddhism had a book on their nightstand, it would be Real-World Enlightenment." —Sumi Loundon Kim, Buddhist chaplain, Yale University, and author of Sitting Together

"In Real-World Enlightenment, Susan Kaiser Greenland offers wisdom and practical advice for living a more meaningful, purposeful, and joyful life." —Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO, Thrive Global

"Real-World Enlightenment is a roadmap for anyone asking, ‘How can I lead a more meaningful life?’ Weaving together Buddhist wisdom, literary insights, and personal anecdotes, Susan Kaiser Greenland takes enlightenment down from the pedestal and empowers us to find kindness and connection in the precious moments of our everyday life. With rich wisdom offered through approachable takeaways and practices, this book can serve as a cherished companion you can return to again and again on the path to freedom." —Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life

"Susan Kaiser Greenland has improved the world immensely by bringing mindfulness to kids and parents at a time of escalating mental health challenges. Now she’s taking the concept of enlightenment, often shrouded in exotica and esoterica, and bringing it into the lives of regular people in doable and fascinating ways. Bravo." —Dan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of 10% Happier

"Real-World Enlightenment is a beautiful book. In easily accessible, down-to-earth language, Susan Kaiser Greenland helps us appreciate that everyday glimpses of enlightenment are available right now. She shows us that it is about the small things we say and do each day. Sprinkled with compelling anecdotes and simple, easy-to-implement short practices, this book has something for everyone." —Richard J. Davidson, New York Times bestselling author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain

"Susan Kaiser Greenland’s beautifully written new book ‘enlightens’ us as it masterfully weaves together personal stories; Buddhist practice and teachings; literary, cultural, and philosophical references; scientific research; and practical exercises. Susan’s gift, honed from years of teaching mindfulness to children, is her ability to take complex and even esoteric concepts and make them immensely relatable and accessible to us all. This book is thought-provoking, inspiring, and a joy to read." —Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of The Little Book of Being

"A true practitioner, Susan Kaiser Greenland shares creative tools to help us begin to recognize our innate wellbeing. These simple practices, steeped in the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, offer the potential to alleviate suffering. May this book be of benefit to many." —Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, author of Turning Confusion into Clarity

"Imagine the humility of an everyday sage who lives with the mortals among us and has the wisdom and clarity to share her hard-earned insights and deep, contemplative practice from ancient traditions—and to weave these with lessons from modern day science for us all to benefit from. This is the profound gift that Susan Kaiser Greenland has offered us in this compelling compendium of insights from around the world that can transform a life of chaos and confusion to one of clarity and connection. This is a book to treasure on each reading, to keep on our bed stands for ready access each day, and to offer as a gift that keeps on giving to anyone we care about, including ourselves. Thank you, Susan, for such an important offering to the world during these challenging times for us all." —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times best-selling author of Aware, IntraConnected, and Personality and Wholeness in Therapy

"Inspiring, clear, and practical, Real-World Enlightenment offers an accessible guide to seekers everywhere looking to taste the fruits of spiritual practice in everyday life. Through touching stories, scientific principles, and personal insight into timeless teachings, Susan has woven an indispensable guide to a meaningful life in these challenging, modern times." —Oren Jay Sofer, author of Say What You Mean and Your Heart Was Made for This

"This book offers a practical way to find what many of us are seeking—waking up to a reality that’s bigger than our limited self-perceptions. It draws on many spiritual traditions as well as personal stories to illustrate how enlightenment isn’t some mystical state to be found only in a cave. It’s a way of relating to each ordinary moment that can break us out of our usual way of seeing things and show us the beauty that’s already there." —Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion

"Every so often a book or teacher comes along that manages to be both simple and profound. In Real-World Enlightenment, Susan Kaiser-Greenland does just that, stripping the esoteric from the idea of enlightenment. The real world is heavy enough, and Susan Kaiser Greenland brings light and a playful energy to practice for anyone, anywhere, anytime." —Dr. Christopher Willard, author of Growing Up Mindful