While a mindful life still inevitably includes suffering, the suffering is greatly reduced, for when we encounter it, we don’t automatically, unthinkingly compound it through our non-working behavior.
This creates a great opportunity to experience true physical and emotional safety. We no longer put ourselves in unsafe situations; tolerate unsafe behavior in others; or upset ourselves unduly. We feel calmer, our nervous system relaxes, and we can enjoy the present moment without stress or strain.
Out of our newfound sense of safety, confidence naturally arises. This is because we’re no longer doing the same old thing and winding up in the same old situations. As we have success handling situations which used to baffle us, confidence naturally becomes a default setting. Additionally, as we develop mindfulness, we naturally develop another kind of confidence – confidence in the process of our lives, and in the unfolding of events in the correct time and way.
From here, we develop compassion for ourselves and others. It’s very hard to have compassion if we don’t first have confidence, but once we are confident, it’s much easier to feel kindness, love, empathy and patience – in other words, compassion – toward ourselves and others.
From a place of compassion, we are able to grow. We grow in new and exciting ways, and sometimes in challenging ways. We now have the mindfulness, safety, confidence and compassion to push ourselves gently, and to guide our own journeys. We don’t stagnate, nor do we overextend.
From this growth, more mindfulness emerges, thus begetting more safety, confidence, compassion, and growth, and the virtuous cycle continues.
These core values inform our choices at Red Mountain, our interview process, our hiring of staff, our students’ progression through the program, and our day to day interactions. They create a truly transformative process, and a program like no other.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the “backbone” of the Red Mountain program. While we engage in many practicalities such as teaching our students life skills, helping them achieve financial independence, and recovering from emotional issues, all of these activities take place in the space created by mindfulness.
Mindfulness is an ancient practice which achieves cutting-edge results. Through the simple act of noticing – becoming mindful of habitual thoughts and patterns – students learn to interrupt their self-destructive patterns of thought and behavior, and re-wire the brain to pause before acting and make better choices.
This is achieved through seated meditation; moving meditations such as martial arts, Yoga, hiking and other adventures; and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Our students often “catch” themselves before engaging in a non-working behavior, and are able to make healthier choices due to the power of mindfulness.
