Question 1

What is a REBEL HUMAN

Accepted Answer

A rebel human is someone who has the strength and clarity of purpose to challenge the status quo in defense of a better future. A person who can do the hard thing when it’s the right thing. There are countless examples of “doing the hard thing when it’s the right thing.” It can be as simple as following through with a commitment, to as challenging as speaking your truth in a roomful of naysayers or standing up in defense of another at the expense of your own comfort and privilege. Regardless of the specific “thing,” doing the hard thing when it’s the right thing is, by definition, hard. It takes resilience, clarity, and the capacity to see beyond oneself. So why do it? Pushing back against the norms that are harmful to yourself and others and acting in accordance with your values is how you begin to construct a life of meaning and purpose. A life of connection and creation. A life that is bold and kind. A life of which you can be proud.

Question 2

What are the CORE COMPETENCIES of a rebel human?

Accepted Answer

There are three skills that underlie one's ability to be a Rebel Human: resilience, equanimity, and transcendence. We teach practices that strengthen and build competency in these skills.

Question 3

What is RESILIENCE?

Accepted Answer

Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from stress and adversity. It is marked by grit, high tolerance for uncertainty, and the ability to choose courage over comfort. Resilience is a protective factor and is positively related to many well-being dimensions including positive affect, optimism, life satisfaction, and physical health.
 
Resilience is characterized by:
- a high tolerance for uncertainty
- getting back up 
- sitting with one's feelings 
- bravery (i.e., choosing courage over comfort)
- ability to be uncomfortable and vulnerable (i.e., grit)

Question 4

What is EQUANIMITY?

Accepted Answer

Equanimity is an even-minded mental state or dispositional tendency toward all experiences or objects regardless of their affective valence (pleasant, unpleasant or neutral) or source.
 
Equanimity is characterized by:
- awareness of one's false thinking and implicit biases
- a well-developed "neutral mind" (i.e., calm and centered))
- humility (asking for input and help)
- utilizing strategies to remain within the "window of tolerance" 
- self-awareness (knowing one's strengths and weaknesses)
- a beginner's mindset (i.e., openness and curiosity)
- befriending/understanding one's nervous system

Question 5

What is TRANSCENDENCE?

Accepted Answer

Transcendence is an expansion of awareness beyond the self. A connection to a higher purpose and a greater good. An inherently pro-social and other-centered state of being.
 
Transcendence is characterized by:
- discernment
- creativity
- perspective (sees the opportunity in challenges/mistakes/failures)
- clarity of purpose
- intuition
- wisdom
- sense of connection with something greater than oneself

Question 6

What is NEUROCOACHING?

Accepted Answer

Neurocoaching is an approach to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional change that makes use of the scientific evidence about how the brain works and how individuals best change. Central to neurocoaching is the concept of neuroplasticity--the finding that the brain can and does change continuously throughout a lifetime and that many aspects of the brain (including the physical structure) can be actively influenced by what you think, feel, and do. Rebel Human training provides a framework for putting the latest research on neuroplasticity and the brain into practice.

Question 7

What is your approach to EMOTIONS?

Accepted Answer

Rebel Human trains you in practices that give you the resources to observe your emotions without being carried away by them. We teach you how to shift into a physiologically calm state while simultaneously experiencing your emotions. This gives you a new vantage point to view your emotions as helpful guides. Anger is there to tell us something. Shame tells us something different. Sadness is guiding us to something else. When we are resourced enough to fully feel the feelings, rather than ignoring or denying them, we can begin to remove some of the unnecessary suffering from being human.

Question 8

What is BREATH WORK?

Accepted Answer

In yoga, breath practices are called Pranayama. Manipulation of the breath is one of the fastest ways for humans to shift their physiology. There are countless breath practices available that bring about different effects, for example: calming, energizing, intense focus, clarity, and a true altered state of consciousness. Breath work can shift our brains into a theta state where the frequency of the brain waves are in the same state as when we are napping. We can enter a deep state of meditation where the parietal lobe activity slows down and brings us a feeling of losing the “I” or the ego so that we feel connected to everyone and everything.

Question 9

Why do you teach us how to be COMFORTABLE WITH DISCOMFORT?

Accepted Answer

We teach you how to become more comfortable with discomfort so that you no longer need to reach for an escape hatch in the form of alcohol, food, screens, shopping, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms. In a nourishing, supportive, and calm setting, we help you practice discerning between discomfort and pain and then help you become more comfortable with discomfort. The "small doses" of discomfort we intentionally build into our classes, is a microcosm of our life. When we practice getting increasingly comfortable with discomfort, handling the everyday challenges of life (e.g., challenging relationships, triggers, old trauma, fear, stress, insecurities, obsessions, anxiety, et al.) becomes easier. We are even able to respond to big challenges with more grace.

Question 10

What is YOGA?

Accepted Answer

Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning “union” or “to yoke.” It is a philosophy that proposes that through certain practices and lifestyle, one can attain a union of mind, body, and spirit, or a union with the infinite source, transcending the suffering of the finite body-mind organism. On yoga’s rise to popularity, many of the spiritual teachings have fallen away and been forgotten in favor of “yoga workouts,” “hot yoga,” SUP yoga, and other trends that focus on physical fitness rather than mastering the mind, or the lifestyle practices like non-attachment. 
 
The earliest mentions of yoga date back to the Rig Veda, written between 1500-1200 BCE in India. There are many lineages of yoga with attention on different aspects of the practices, but most lineages acknowledge eight limbs of practice written in the Yoga Sutras which began to be compiled around 500 BCE.
 
The following eight limbs are listed here in brief. Each limb could be many years of deep study. 
Yamas - ethical external disciplines and lifestyle practices (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, no coveting, moderation)
Niyamas - internal self-disciplines (cleanliness, contentment, disciplined practice, deep study, surrender)
Asana - physical postures
Pranayma - breath manipulation
Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses, transcending the senses
Dharana - concentration
Dhyana - meditation
Samadhi - transcendence, merging, enlightenment

Question 11

What is VINYASA?

Accepted Answer

This practice connects long deep breaths with fluid movement. It is a style of asana practice, the physical practice of yoga. Vinyasa is a Sanskrit word that translates to “to place in a special way” and can refer to a gradual progression that takes a student from one point to the next point. In a typical asana practice, it often refers to placing a particular body part in a particular place with a particular part of the breath connected to it. It is know to strengthen r muscles, increase flexibility, and improve balance.
 
At Rebel Human we encourage a mindful Vinyasa practice with particular awareness of breath and anatomical cues.

Question 12

What is YIN YOGA?

Accepted Answer

If you want to experience what yoga was like thousands of years ago, Yin Yoga is for you. The name has been newly coined but the practice is ancient. The poses are all on the ground, and held from 3-10 minutes with a focus on stillness and meditation. This style works the connective tissue, providing lasting structural change in your body. We pair our Yin Yoga class with power of a Sound Bath. To build resilience, we must get a little uncomfortable and do hard things with the body in order to have the courage to do hard things in our lives. Yin Yoga gets us into poses that we hold for long periods of time in order to make change in our ligaments, tendons, fascia, and joints. This is uncomfortable. It’s fabulous training in getting more graceful in choosing courage over comfort.

Question 13

What is a SOUND BATH?

Accepted Answer

Befriending the nervous system is essential to mastering the Rebel Human core competancies. Sound baths are an integral part of this practice. Why are they called "baths" if there is no water involved? Because your are being "bathed," that is suffused and enveloped, in sound.
 
At Rebel Human we use both crystal singing bowls and the hand-hammered bronze Chau Gong. These instruments produce a rich and complex blend of harmonic overtones that are deeply compelling to the mind and calming to the nervous system.

Question 14

What is your 20-20-20 (Signature Class)

Accepted Answer

Our Rebel Human Signature Class is a unique and innovative approach to body-mind-soul transformation that integrates sound healing, Kundalini Yoga, calisthenics, mind-mastering techniques, Vinyasa, breathwork, body weight resistance, plyometrics, and meditation.
 
The Signature Class systematically trains you in skills that fall under the three core competencies that build a Rebel Human: resilience, equanimity, and transcendence. 
20 min of resilience training- (cardio, calisthenics, HIIT -> grit, courage over comfort, get back up)
20 min of equanimity training- (yoga -> calm, neutral, aware, observe without judgement, discernment)
20 min of transcendence- (deep relaxation, meditation -> transcend the finite body, the ego, and fear, connected to something bigger, connected to your wisdom, intuition)
 
The Signature Class is artfully crafted to guide the body and mind into a deep state of relaxation and transcendence. When we are activated, on high alert, anxious, or in hyperarousal, it can be impossible and even cause further anxiety to attempt to sit and do meditative breath work. This is why we start class with intense calisthenics (no equipment required). This is a safe way to help us drop back into our bodies and feel safe. We have to feel safe before we feel calm. The movement portion of the class can often feel playful as well, and that’s another way to regain a feeling of safety and grounding. We “get the wiggles out,” so to speak, so that we can be in stillness without effort. 
 
Resilience training - This part of class is a unique, innovative approach to challenge you physically and mentally. It integrates repetitive movements drawn from the Kundalini Yoga tradition, weight bearing exercises, and low-impact calisthenics with inspired music, powerful breathwork, and mind-mastering techniques. You will always be educated on modifications so that you can meet the challenge no matter where you're at. 
 
Equanimity - You will be guided through simple yoga poses with longer holds in an effort to give yourself some challenge, while cultivating calm awareness. This retrains the nervous system to remain calm while under pressure. You will observe your thoughts and sensations with a neutral mind. 
 
Relaxation - This is when your body and brain integrates all the work it just did. It gives your body to fully feel the effects of being in its "rest and repair" state. In this state, your body can repair cells and detox. You will lay down for seven minutes while the sound of crystal singing bowls and gong aide this processing and healing.
 
Transcendence - You will learn techniques that hack the nervous system, control your mind, and get you to a place where you can observe your thoughts and feelings without fear and judgement. This is where you connect with your ability to see things clearly, without illusion. You will learn techniques from the yogic sciences including a myriad of breath exercises, neurocoaching visualizations, and acoustical science. All of this practice helps us feel more connected to ourselves, our wisdom, each other, and something greater than us.