Today’s guest is my friend and Sun Valley local Ryan Redman.
Ryan is an expert on mindfulness and services as the Executive Director of the Flourish Foundation.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), mindfulness is “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment”.
Get Mantra #3: Zoom out for the Best View, that I mentioned during the interview.
(instant download, no email required).
About Ryan: At an early age, Ryan developed an interest in contemplative-based practices and eventually traveled to India at the age of twenty to pursue his interests in meditation. Upon his return, Ryan began teaching and studying contemplative-based practices while studying at the University of California in Santa Barbara. After completing his undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies, Ryan traveled back to India several times to further his understanding of awareness-based practices. As a result of these early experiences, Ryan has dedicated his life to exploring the interrelationship between personal transformation and benevolent social action.
Ryan has been teaching in the Wood River Valley for the past twelve years and has a Master’s Degree in Contemplative Education from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, Ryan is also a certified instructor of Cultivating Emotional Balance and serves as a core faculty member in Susan Kaiser Greenland’s Inner Kids Program. He continues to study meditation with B. Alan Wallace, the director of the Santa Barbara Institute of Consciousness Studies. Ryan is a co-founder of the Flourish Foundation and, along with his love for teaching and community service, he is a devoted husband and father.
About the Flourish Foundation: The Flourish Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemplative based practices in communities for the purpose of achieving mental balance and compassion. The heart of Flourish’s work focuses on the human potential to be morally and ethically responsible world citizens.
The Flourish Foundation supports children, parents, teachers and all other members of the community in becoming effective instruments of positive change both individually and collectively.
The Flourish Foundation is currently engaged in the following areas of work:
*School-based programs. These programs include the MAP (Mindful Awareness Program), the Teacher Self-Care Program, and the Clear Mind and Caring Heart Project.
*Outreach Programs. These programs include the Compassionate Leaders Program (CLP), the Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) training program, and the annual Contemplative Education workshop.
*Childbirth and Parenting Education programs. These include the Mindful Childbirth class series and the mindful parenting class series.
*The Crystal Clear Initiative. Providing a new model for social interaction that is drug and alcohol-free.
