Return to Our Senses
A Path to Stability in an Unstable World
A New Book by Lee Klinger Lesser
Drawing on over fifty years of teaching, Lee 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.
Return to Our Senses: A Path To Stability In An Unstable World 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.
Dedicated to Charlotte Selver
From the introduction
Return to Our Senses is a celebration of the fact that in each moment we have the opportunity to be present and to let our energy rise to choose life over and over. It is through our openness to respond in the midst of change that we can find stability in the midst of instability. There is no place we can live our lives other than in the moment. Every moment offers a new possibility for responding to what is being asked of us and what is being offered to us. Our response opens the door to how we affect the world around us. As you journey through this book, may you be inspired to fully savor the precious moments life offers you and find the fulfillment of discovering and sharing your embodied joy and capacity with our world.
The book is dedicated to Charlotte Selver, who opened the path that has guided Lee’s life, and to each of us as we return to our senses and honor the precious gift of being alive.
What people are saying
“With remarkable courage and creativity, Lee Klinger Lesser shows us how to enter into our most difficult experiences with acceptance, healing, and grace …”
Rick Hanson, PhD
author of Buddha’s Brain, Hardwiring Happiness, and Resilient
“ … 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
“Return to Our Senses is Lee Klinger Lesser’s quiet, luminous, and powerful invitation for us to come home to the living intelligence of our body, our breath, and the Earth itself …”
Richard C. Miller, PhD
Founder iRest Institute, co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy
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
“The impact of Return to Our Senses is simple, direct, and powerful … This path of profoundly accessible practices is truly life-changing and life-expanding, both timely and transformative.”
Linda Graham, MFT
Author of Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being
“ … With warmth, humility, and hard-won wisdom, Lee Klinger Lesser shows how embodied awareness can restore our sense of belonging to ourselves, to one another, and to the living world, even in times of profound personal and collective challenge…”
Mark Coleman
Mindfulness teacher, wilderness guide, and author of A Field Guide to Nature Meditation
“ … If presence is the greatest form of love, then Return to Our Senses is a beautiful love story told by an expert in self-compassion and self-awareness…”
Vicente Gracias, MD
Senior Vice Chancellor, Clinical and Health Affairs, Rutgers University
“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
“…This book is a practical framework for moving beyond overwhelm and a vital source of encouragement for anyone looking to turn Hope into Action.”
