Real-World Enlightenment is filled with 50 practical, approachable insights woven together from “golden threads” of mindfulness, psychology, science, and time-honored traditions and cultures. It’s an antidote to the chaos of modern life. 

towards Real-world enlightenment

Over the years, Susan has published books and a variety of tools, in addition to developing and teaching secular mindfulness and meditation to parents, educators, and children alike. That gift and practice of turning the abstract into the simple to understand has set her work apart. Her life’s work comes together in her latest book, Real-World Enlightenment.

Susan Kaiser Greenland knows what it’s like to be a seeker in the real world. A trailblazer in teaching mindfulness to children, parents, and practitioners, she’s spent a lifetime living out what it means to search for meaning and peace in a chaotic world.

Years ago, as a successful corporate attorney she discovered the mindfulness practices that would change her life’s trajectory. She believed that if children were given these tools they would not only benefit in the present but grow up to be healthier, more fulfilled adults. What started as volunteering at local public schools rapidly turned into Inner Kids–a mindfulness model dedicated to teaching secular mindfulness in schools and community-based programs throughout the world. This is where she discovered a true knack for distilling complex, powerful concepts and translating them into activity-based practices any child (or adult) could understand.

Since then, Susan has published books, given talks, recorded meditation collections, and created games, in addition to teaching these science-backed practices. 

Along the way, she never stopped learning and growing, passing the baton to thousands of professionals. Now those decades of research, experience, and knowledge have culminated in a book designed for the everyday seeker in all of us. Real-World Enlightenment is filled with 50 practical, approachable insights woven together from “golden threads” of mindfulness, psychology, science, and time-honored traditions and cultures.

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Susan Kaiser Greenland captures the essence of mindfulness in a way that very few people can.
— Andy Puddicombe, founder of Headspace
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
The Mindful Child is a superb and imaginative distillation of the essence of mindfulness made available to children, parents, and teachers in age-appropriate, wise, and playful ways. Sets a high bar for further work in the rapidly growing field of mindfulness in K-12 education.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. Professor of Medicine Emeritus, UMASS Medical School and author of Wherever You Go, There You Are.
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
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