Sumi Loundon Kim: Mindfulness for the Whole Family

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In this episode of the Wisdom podcast, we hear from Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim, Buddhist chaplain at Duke University and author of Sitting Together: A Family-Centered Curriculum on Mindfulness, Meditation and Buddhist Teaching. In this episode, Sumi shares many insights on the cultivation of mindfulness in children. Raised in a Sōtō Zen meditation community in rural New Hampshire, Sumi began meditating as a child and completed her first 9-day retreat at the Insight Meditation Society at 16. Sumi shares how spiritual values and practices instilled in her at a young age helped deepen her self-awareness as a young adult, giving her practical tools and resources in difficult times. You’ll hear Sumi and Daniel discuss the value of community-based spiritual development, and the need for more children’s programs in American dharma centers. Sumi also shares aspects of the curriculum she developed in her Sitting Together series, and ways mindfulness-based practices can benefit the entire family. Additionally, Sumi is editor of Blue Jean Buddha and The Buddha’s Apprentices, both published by Wisdom.

 

Sitting Together: A Family-Centered Curriculum on Mindfulness, Meditation & Buddhist Teachings

An all-in-one set to implement a family meditation course, regardless of your tradition or level of experience.

This three-volume set provides a complete curriculum for adults and children to learn about mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist teachings together, either in the home, in partnership with other families, or with a local center.

The Adult Study Guide (280 pages) offers thirty-six lesson plans including meditation practices, homework, readings, and reflection questions for group study.

The Children’s Lesson Plans (296 pages), used in conjunction with the Adult Study Guide, provides step-by-step instructions for teachers on meditation exercises, stories, crafts, songs, and games.

The Activity Book (136 pages) is a perfect companion to enhance the children’s education with over 50 coloring pages, puzzles, and other fun activities.

This comprehensive curriculum for adults and children ages 3–12 has five units on meditation, kindness, ethics, character, and service. It is perfect for any family, Dharma center, yoga studio, or religious, educational, or community organization that wants to incorporate a mindfulness program for children and their families.

“In Sitting Together, Sumi Loundon Kim has created a wonderfully rich mindfulness curriculum for families. She weaves together her great wisdom and compassion and a strong base of practical, real life experience. This book is a generous offering to parents, teachers, and children everywhere. Highly recommended.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness

“What a wonderful, and deeply needed, contribution to contemporary life: a course on ‘spiritual fluency’ for families and for teachers of young children. Sumi Loundon Kim knows her material from the inside out and conveys it in a caring, direct, fun-filled voice. I suspect this work will not only bring well-being to families and communities, it will bring great joy as well.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness

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Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim is the Buddhist chaplain at Duke University and minister for the Mindful Families of Durham. Originally brought up in a Sōtō Zen community in the 70s, Sumi has been a student of the Theravada tradition since her teens. Following a master’s degree in Buddhist studies and Sanskrit from the Harvard Divinity School, she was the associate director for the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband and two children.

Discover additional Buddhist resources for families on the Mindful Families website.