ABOUT WAFFLE

About Waffle

Waffle is my experiment. I’m taste testing and searching for Awe like I saw in the Big Guy.

I’m trying to solve the riddle of HOW am I alive? How did Braddah do it? I know where I was at. I know what my plans were. I am confused as to how I am alive. And now I often experience the sense of Awe knowing that it was him, Braddah. He’s the reason why I’m alive. 

I believe that he regulated my nervous system juuuuust enough. And I don’t believe any human could have done that for me. Nor any dog for that matter. I needed HIM. Dear Lord did he lead me to everything that was hard for me! He was the challenge I needed.

When Braddah passed on 02.02.2020 I made him a promise I was unsure I could keep. I promised him that I would LIVE. I learned through the biggest loss of my life, that I may have been alive, but I was merely surviving. By no means was I Thriving or Living.

If I could figure out HOW he did it, maybe I could replicate it. That sent me on a rabbit hole journey beginning with Yoga Nidra / NSDR, which led me to Andrew Huberman, PhD, which led me to Brian MacKenzie and Emily Hightower from Shift Adapt. I can clearly remember the sensorial experience of participating in N=1, now known as Shift Health.

That experience grew into getting involved with Jiujitsu, which led to more sprains and injuries. At Art of Breath, a Shift Adapt event, I met Dr. Andy Galpin, who suggested I take my yoga body and learn more about Kinstretch™ from Dr. Andreo Spina and Functional Range Systems. It didn’t occur to me that my hypermobility was affecting my ability to participate in a sport I really enjoy. I double downed on the recovery aspect as well and became a Certified Roll Model Method Practitioner® and Body by Breath® by Jill Miller. As well as lymphatic classes from Dr. Perry Nickleston of @stopchasingpain. To understand how Nidra could help in the assistance of my recovery, I had to also attempt to understand sleep more deeply. (Thank you Dr. Matt Walker for all your content)

And since breathwork is such an intimate piece with the nervous system and Yoga Nidra / NSDR, I decided to get a deeper understanding by taking an incredible massive dive of a 6-month course called Science of Breath by Martin McPhilimey.

All of these new concepts reaffirmed what I was theorizing with Yoga Nidra: That the more detailed we can “draw” a map of ourselves for our brains living in a black box, the safer our bodies can feel in the outside world. And the safer my body feels, the more cool things it can do. 

Great news… we can “draw” more of our motor maps through movement! Which is why I love CARs. And dancing. And being weird. And we can “draw” more of our sensorial maps, by having a more sensorial experience with life. Including practicing Yoga Nidra / NSDR.

We can ride within our Window of Tolerance by creating an intimate relationship with the signals our bodies are giving us. Giving us room to take risks otherwise unable to. Know each time we’ve peaked our arousal through stress of any kind is yet another opportunity to give our body the memory of being able to get grounded. Down-regulate (or up) to the place where your brain is a better listener, a better communicator, more empathetic and compassionate, and my personal favorite when you’re trying to solve an impossible riddle… you become a better problem solver!

I CAN replicate what Braddah did for me!!! And here we are!

Waffle is the compilation of all the things I studied so I could do more than survive. Waffle is all of my personal practices that I use to Thrive. So I can chase my biggest dream. To spread Big Bradds Love by telling his Story and what he has done for me.

May Waffle be a source where you can chase your own big dreams! In that way, we spread Big Bradds Love TOGETHER!

Robbie Man’s Certifications

Note: List below includes both Certifications and Courses without Certifications

• 500 hr RYT Yoga Teacher

• Yoga Nidra/NSDR teacher - the passion that started it all

• PBNC Professional (Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Professional) by eCornell

• Level 1 Kinstretch™ Certified (@kinstretch; Dr Andreo Spina; @drandreospina; Function Range Systems @functionalrangeconditioning)

• Certified Roll Out Method Practitioner® & Body by Breath® w/Jill Miller (@thejillmiller)

• FRCms™ (Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist)

• FRAms™ (Functional Range Assessment Mobility Specialist)

• Lymphatic, Tongue, and Glymphatic Mojo by Dr Perry Nickleston (@StopChasingPain)

• Private classes with Rob Wilson (@preparetoperform) and Barbara Tanze (@btbreathing)

• In process to be certified in a 6-month deep dive course Science of Breath™ by Martin McPhilimey (@performancethroughhealth)

• Mentorships and Courses through Emily Hightower & Brain MacKenzie from Shift Adapt (@shiftadapt, @_emily_hightower_, @_brianmackenzie)
  - Neuro Nidra I, II and III
  - Deviated Septum
  - Art of Breath (both online and in-person)
  - Skill of Stress (both online and in-person)
  - N=1 Events (2; now called Shift Health)
  - 6 month N=1 group mentorship (now called Shift Health)