Becoming Human

In this episode, I talk about my history with developing vices and habits. It’s a lot like my body in my experience; neutral is a balance between two extremes. I can improve my poise at neutral by experiencing the extremes. If I became fixated on a single state of being, then it would be to the detriment of my well being. My spine can flex forward, backward, side to side and twist. That’s a lot right? Confine it to a single plain of motion. My spine can flex forward and backward which are the two extremes of a neutral spine. Through flexing forward and bending backwards, I will gain insight for being neutral.

Episode 155 of The Becoming Human Podcast features Daniel Rama, a Yogi, Teacher, and entrepreneur. He co-founded the app Becoming Balance which teaches techniques for self-improvement by poses, mindfulness, and more. Daniel was a restless youth who pointed himself toward Olympic weight lifting. After an injury, he found himself without his recreation and physical play. Daniel couldn’t return to Olympic weight lifting with his injury. He found himself practicing yoga and diving headfirst into becoming a devout yogi. He grew into his calisthenics practice with fantastical postures and as an entrepreneur with his app that he co-founded named Becoming Balance

Fabiola Chipoco is an entrepreneur and chef at Tita’s Kitchen, a peruvian food truck at The Portland Mercado. Fabiola and her sister Fabiana Chipoco are the heart and soul behind Tita’s Kitchen. The Chipoco sisters were born in Peru. They showcase their culture and love of communing with others through their peruvian fare. Fabiola named her restaurant after her childhood nickname, Tita. When her sister Fabiana was a kid, she couldn’t say “Hermanita” (Lil sister in Spanish) so she would say, “Tita,” and sooner than later the whole family started calling Fabiola Tita! Especially the younger cousins. Tita’s kitchen uses food to connect culturally and communally with everyone who stops by for a meal or a moment. 

In this episode Fabiola talks about how her mom raised her and her sister as a single parent after Fabiola’s father passed away. Her father was a businessman in a major city in Peru. He passed away when Fabiola was 3.5 years old. Fabiola admires her mother’s way of coping with being a single parent and the principles she’s passed down to Fabiola and her sister. Fabiola rose through the ranks in her marketing career in Peru. She practiced dance passionately as a hobby. She would form her first company as an advertising agent and she began stoking her entrepreneurial spirit. As her momentum in her advertising career crescendoed, she realized the role didn’t fit her as she expected so she dropped it all and went to travel by herself abroad. She turned her dance from a hobby into a career and then walked away from that level of commitment for dancing to travel even more. 

We discuss her host of experiences that led up to her settling in Portland to once again pick up the entrepreneurial reins but in a way that is an extension of her personality, principles, and love. Swinging like a pendulum, gathering experiential data, honing in on her personal middle way. Now Fabiola works in her food truck cooking with her sister and friends while in a partnership with another Portland entrepreneur Stephan Strauch of Chakraw Coffee. Checkout the episode Stephan and I did here.

Episode 153 of the becoming human podcast features Derek Notman, he is a teacher of physical culture specializing in XinYi, Thai Chi, Club Swinging, and a wide breadth of other healing practices.

In this episode, we talk about the ways our minds and emotions manifest physically and vise versa. There’s a lot of powerful experiences awaiting all of us. To get there, you can practice in many ways. Physical exercise is one of the most tangible ways I can engage with different states of mind. You can check out Derek’s classes, videos, and more at islandphysicalculture.com

You can find him on Instagram @islandphysicalculture

Every misbehavior in a child is an unmet need. Instead of focusing on why the child won’t do what you want them to do, think of what needs aren’t being met and how you can help them meet those needs. Hermetic stress in exercise is learning embodied. The process and physical growth of deadlifting 500 lbs(enter any physical goal here) is an example of learning embodied. 

Keevin Bybee is a General Practice Doctor and the host of The One School Project Podcast. His podcast showcases conversations with niche experts about creating learning spaces for children in their local communities. You can listen to it on his website oneschoolproject.com or on your favorite podcast app.

Davy Crockett is an Author, Historian, and long-distance runner who hosts the Ultrarunning History Podcast. In the span of 17 years, he’s finished 105 100 mile ultra races. Davey started backpacking at a casual pace with little to no fitness. He was self motivated to learn how to adapt and improve his speed and ease while walking and running. This blossomed into a love of traveling lightly and moving quickly through adventurous places. Davey combined his experience writing books on history with his love of ultrarunning by starting the site ultrarunninghistory.com There you can find his podcast, articles, the ultra running hall of fame, and links to historical references. Check out Dirtwire.net for more music by Dirtwire. In this episode, you can listen to The Whip at the end.

Adventurers of The Cascade

Pete Doorish and Bryan Burdo have set many First Ascents in the mountains of the Cascades in Washington. Pete is known for obscure and big wall first ascents along with some epic adventures that’ll leave your heart leaping for comfort. He has been climbing for over 50 years starting before the emergence of sport climbing and gym climbing. His passion evolved from climbing and first ascents to long adventures on High Routes in the Cascade mountains. Kyle Mccrohan wrote an article with some incredible adventures of a similar style.

Bryan has set one of the longest bolted sport routes in the United States totaling 1800 feet of pitches no harder than 5.9. He had started setting routes during the emergence of sport climbing and using fixed protection. His route setting style emphasizes safety even on all difficulties of climbing including easy climbs which was an unusual practice of his time. He is a prolific route setter with 100’s of first ascents in the Methow Valley in Washington and many more throughout the state.

Pete and Bryan have a deep friendship and a long history of adventures. Despite their passions no longer intersecting, they are close friends with ever-growing bonds. I see them as prolific adventurers climbing new routes in the Cascades in a time where climbing culture was emerging, beta was becoming less scarce, and adventure was more likely happenstance.

I look at Pete and Bryan as the embodiment of an adventurer and how it fits into our modern lives. They pursued passions that required them to confront and manage risk. Our life is tremendously easier than that of the intensity of wartime or maybe the physical and psychological demands of our pre-modern life. It is not to say that we do not experience adversity, some more than others, but there is a value in physical and psychological adversity.

We grow, improve, and transcend because of adversity. Imposing constraints on other people because you believe it to be good for them has a lot of inherent problems.

Rather, voluntary suffering, adversity, and even risk of life(whether real or felt) through recreation(a self-inspired hobby) may provide us the benefits of living in a world not as safe and comfortable as ours without disavowing making the world a better and less severe place. It is not that a person goes out to face risk wanting to die, it is that someone goes out to face a risk they believe they can manage and the commitment is dire consequences. However, the aim is to experience play in the context of your recreation while managing the risk to live another day. This dynamic is powerful for self-development.

For Pete and Bryan, over time they would find ways to more impeccably manage risk while achieving their goal. This encapsulates a kind of learning that I believe applies to a fundamental skill which is cost-benefit analysis. The cliche in our society is a partying teen pushing their limits and being foolish. Another example is Peter Doorish, partying into the night pushing his limits on a rock wall, and being foolish with wild bouts of adventure. However, this practice extends beyond your teenage and college years. Your recreational passions will last you as long as your body and love for the activity persist. As Bryan and Pete age in years and experience, they develop their risk-reward principles to a higher degree as a consequence of their chosen recreation.

If you don’t have a career that imposes this skillset then how would you improve your ability to mitigate and take risks? Taking risks is an important skill in modern life that is no longer essential but highly rewarding financially and spiritually.

Shirlz Rox Jocelyn is the host of The Canyons Are Calling Podcast, she’s a canyoneer and she works at Imlay Canyon Gear.

Her podcast focuses on canyoneers’ adventures, beta, tips, tactics, gear, and even some misadventure. My favorite episode on the podcast is her recent one with Scott Swany who’s a Death Valley First Descent Legend. You can find it on all podcast platforms. 

In this episode, Shirlz teaches us about canyoneering and how it has influenced her life.

Inglestead canyon zion national park

Arch Nemesis canyon

https://aesoprockhomeboysandman.bandcamp.com/track/ask-anyone

Aesop Rock and Homeboy sandman’s newest song - ask Anyone

How do you find your niche, set your aim, and express yourself?

Do you prefer more of an intuitive approach to learning or do you like more structure?

Chris Benchetler is an artist and professional skier. His art ranges from filmmaking to graphics, murals, and more. Chris has worked with GoPro, Atomic Ski company, Dakine, among others. 

You can checkout his art and videos on chrisbenchetler.com. He is intuitive in his approach to sport, art, and life. In this episode, we dive into how he balances his passions and resolves what he’s passionate about. Chris has a knack for diving into an experience and following his heart. 

Two my recent favorite videos are  Fire On the Mountain and GoPro: Chasing AdVANture

The music on this episode is Existential Blues by The Living Arrows
Check-out The Blizzard Ahhhs and Shane Mckonky

Movement is a way to express yourself and bond with other people.

Pola and Lamonte are the authors of the book, “Neosutras: Yoga for Love and Intimacy.”

The book features 50 asanas(poses) designed to strengthen the connection between partners. There are infinite ways to play in life and each way you have the opportunity to garner new knowledge and experience. Pola and Lamonte’s work focuses on connecting with our body through physical play and practice. They entertain people with their dance performances, heal the body with their yoga, and bond with people through moving together. Pola and Lamonte are a beautiful embodiment of a passion for movement.

You can find their book on neosutras.net

Check out their Instagram @neosutras @polarubis @cyberyoga

They have some rad performances on their youtube: Lamonte Pola Neosutras