Sharon Salzberg – Metta Hour

Ep. 103 – Mindful Parent, Mindful Child with Susan Kaiser Greenland

For episode 103 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague, Susan Kaiser Greenland.

Susan Kaiser Greenland is an internationally recognized leader in teaching mindfulness and meditation to children, teens, and families. She is the co-founder of The Inner Kids Foundation and was on the clinical team of the Pediatric Pain Clinic at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Susan has also been a co-investigator on several of UCLA’s research studies on the impact of mindfulness in education, and a collaborator on an investigation of mindful eating for children and caregivers.

In this episode, Susan and Sharon speak about how Susan began her work bringing the tools of mindfulness to parents and children, and her personal journey as a practitioner. They discuss many of the challenges that kids today face withthe rise of technology and social media, as well as the nuances of parenting in today’s fast-moving digital culture. The episode closes with a 5-minute guided meditation led by Susan. To learn more about Susan’s work, visit: susankaisergreenland.com

Becoming a Mindful Parent

Susan shares her introduction to mindfulness during a challenging period early in adulthood. She speaks with Sharon about how mindfulness and meditation practice helped bring balance to her life and role as a mother.

Sitting with the Modern Age (7:50)

It has been often said throughout the past several generations that the current generation has it harder than the rest. Is that true today? Sharon and Susan talk about the unique challenges facing young people today and how mindfulness allows kids to cope with them.

“I think it is tougher for this generation of kids. There are studies coming out that are supporting that rise in anxiety. There are pointers that a lot of it is coming from social media. Then also, they are sponges for their parent’s anxiety.” – Susan Kaiser Greenland

Mindful Parent, Mindful Child (20:00)

Susan shares details about her newest offering via Sounds True – Mindful Parent, Mindful Child. A collection of simple guided practices created to help busy parents fit mindfulness into their daily routine. Sharon and Susan look at the system-wide change that is possible when mindfulness is introduced into the lives of parents, educators, and children.

“If we learn mindfulness and self-regulation strategies first, then we can be in a position to have the bandwith to be open to new ideas.” – Susan Kaiser Greenland

Mind-Body Awareness (42:50)

We close the podcast with a 5-minute guided meditation practice led by Susan that opens awareness to the mind-body connection.