Return to Our Senses

You wouldn’t expect a book about being present in the moment and breathing to be riveting, but this one is!
Susan Moon, Zen teacher, Author of Alive Until You’re Dead
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Return to Our Senses offers a life-changing invitation to come home to what is most reliable and intimate: our direct, embodied experience. In a time marked by turbulence, speed, and chronic uncertainty this book presents the somatic, mindfulness practice of Sensory Awareness as a practical and deeply humane antidote to disconnection and overwhelm.
Drawing on over fifty years of teaching, Lee Klinger Lesser weaves together inspiring stories, simple yet profound practices, and clear guidance for cultivating presence in daily life. Readers are invited to explore how living more fully in their own bodies transforms the way they meet stress, conflict, and grief, and open to creativity, change, and possibility.
At its heart, Return to Our Senses is an act of love for life. It calls us to respond, rather than react, to the conditions we find ourselves in, to bring forward our unique gifts with care, courage, and compassion, and contribute to a more humane and resilient future for generations to come.
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Lee is a warm and wise guide through the sorrows and the joys, the depths and the heights, of this precious life.
Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha’s Brain, Resilient,
and Hardwiring Happiness

At this time of chaos in the world, Return to Our Senses is a godsend, a
moving and inspiring guide. With clarity, compassion and love, Lee has
written a book that can help us live a more conscious, peaceful and constructive
life.
David Sheff, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Boy, and Buddhist on Death Row

Reading Return to Our Senses felt like someone gently putting a hand on my shoulder and saying, “Slow down… you’re here.” Lee’s writing is deeply human and it felt like she was speaking to me personally! A beautiful read from a wonderful person!
Jon Macaskill, Retired Navy SEAL Commander, Mindfulness Teacher

Lee Klinger Lesser has devoted a lifetime to the study and practice of embodied awareness, education, and service. Her work is based on a deep respect for our inherent connection with nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of community. She studied Sensory Awareness with Charlotte Selver, the founder of this practice in the United States, and has been offering the practice nationally and internationally for fifty years. Lee lived at the San Francisco Zen Center from 1978 to 1983, and Zen practice has continued to inform and enrich her life. She holds a master's degree in education from Bank Street College, and has worked as an early childhood educator, coach, and college instructor focusing on equity and family support. Lee began offering programs to military veterans in 2008 and was the co-founder of Veteran's PATH, a nonprofit organization that served military veterans through mindfulness, community, and nature-based programs from 2015 to 2023. Her teaching and facilitation extend to diverse and often demanding contexts, including trainings for wildland firefighters, retreats for climate activists, and long-term work with communities facing stress, uncertainty, and change.Lee teaches Sensory Awareness bilingually in Mexico and Spain, bringing embodied practices across cultures and languages. She is also a mother and grandmother, roles that continue to enrich and expand her life. A deepest hope is that we will join together and work towards a better future for the children and future generations on our precious planet.