Interview with Dustin, Head Instructor at ReWildU

Description

I sit down with Dustin, my head instructor at ReWild University, to ask his thoughts on rewilding, martial arts, letting go, and more. Includes a surprise attack =)

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Visit http://rewildu.com/classes/ for unique educational opportunities in rewilding, wilderness skills, mindfulness, martial arts, primal fitness, and more.

Music is "Yard Sale" by Silent Partner.

Tags: Kenton Whitman,ReWild University,Human Rewilding,personal rewilding,mindfulness,how to,bushcraft,survival,wilderness survival skills,how to survive in the woods

Video Transcription

[Music]

greetings friends

so I think most of you probably know about Dustin by now and he is I had an instructor here Rewald University and it's been really cool to see you working with students over the last my gosh it's been off all summer yeah no yeah yeah been people they they say that the best way to learn is through teaching and I have learned a lot I have floated along you know when you first came here push it with hand ro watching you take on and on handrail and being so persistent with it never giving up and wanting to get that that wildfire out in the woods man that was fun to watch your job that was kind of different I would say versus my normal approach to things yeah you know I would say that I have this tendency to want to accomplish something like that but at the same time that was that was a definite definite effort I mean I would say at a lot of times trying to move to your life with out forcing things so much but that was a tack that was something that I just really wanted to it was just draw it drew me in there alexis was saying something that the other day like that was a very specific time in my life in which I was feeling completely different than I am right now I was very goal-oriented on on handrail and that would mean I spent a lot of time of year at work on true oh yeah oh yeah yeah she said I didn't know when I got here it Alexis said but I know I got here that you'd just be sitting in the floor all the times yeah making screeching sounds and such and it showed me what effort can accomplish because it's tough and really stuff yeah well I wanted to share just an interview with you today with Dustin because you have a missionary of all the universities really back and I call it unleashing your inner nature so so often there's there's things in life that want there's parts of ourselves that we know are these capacities and capabilities that we have we feel really trapped in the life were living and of course when people come out to the school we get to see them you know physically removing themselves from that trap at least for a few months and making some big changes but you were living in the city how did job and insurance I mean you not too long ago we're doing a much more standard thing somehow you got the courage and the impetus to make this move can you tell us how you did that because we all know it's like to feel stuff yes okay yeah I I'm glad you asked that because that that's like the one thing I feel like a I'm pretty proud of in some ways that that it was a slow transition that it didn't have to be like one thing or the other yeah there's not to be I lived in the woods and a hundred percent living off the land or you know living my apartment because start contrast is contrast there but

yeah it was very much a slow transition of giving myself permission to set a nearly unattainable goal I guess Rebecca says give it 10 years you know like you can't even think 10 years out that's kind of all I can think about so I kind of set a gold I was like that's there you know this is where I'm at right now and and I've worked with that so yeah worked in insurance for like four years spent a lot of time during that time making strong transitions in my diet and just lifestyle you know start incorporating picked up hunting in there's four or five years foraging and yeah it was it was it wasn't something that happened all at once at all you know at first I started by eating what I considered better and then I always came to the conclusion that there was something better so at first that meant better was once a week I might eat at the China Buffet or something okay yeah guess I was in school and so I would have time yeah less time at least I thought I had less time so I'd be rushing and I'd what you know maybe I want to eat a kind of a fee or something and so slowly that meant transitioning out of China Buffet and then so that I meant out of transitioning out of you know standard chicken that I buy in the store and going for free-range chicken so was like it was again a very long process as for the diet end of it and movement end and I guess the whole scope of rewilding has always pictured it is that it's a spectrum and for the sake of the spectrum McDonald's on one end which they're you know I guess they're making efforts to be better so maybe there's something worse and the cons on this end but and then you know living off the land hundred-percent self-sustaining yourself yeah and I just wanted to work on myself through this direction on the spectrum and not get too attached to this idea and so being that I was not it I wasn't like the goal was nearly unattainable it put me in a more content place where I could exist with and happy with where I was so I honestly thought I would be insurance for a long while I just accepted that and I made it work and I didn't wear shoes at my office I I was always working out or standing instead of sitting and every time it walks that doorway their little finger pull up something door jambs and brought a hotplate thing to work so I could cook on that anniversary versus buying food out I had tea yeah like it was just adding little things into your life that's good because that's you know often we think okay I've got to quit the job you were finding ways within that job to make this yeah moving you along that spectrum that you that you saw in the direction you wanted to go that's good advice and at the same time there was many moments of discontentment where I was not happy about my situation of course in the night and there I guess there was more moments early on eventually it became the point where I was I was actually just I was okay with it like he was just fine I wasn't I can't say there's like strong moments of this commit contentment but other than probably not much more strongly that I have right now you know it's just in a different direction you know yeah I need to work on the handrail again you know I don't have those calluses so it's this place somewhere else other than on attaining woods we've got how old are you 26 26 okay so we've got this age at least in my mind where I've come out of school high school I've maybe gone to college or a tech school and I'm I'm in my career and I feel like this age the late 20s maybe early 30s is a time when I can either resolve myself - I'm gonna stay here until I'm 65 or that discontent you were talking about becomes a a motive force for us and we decide we're gonna start to make changes I wouldn't go either either way you know or find a middle middle ground there but would you have a message for those people that are that age range that are watching that art or feeling that that split I mean go for it or donor what and then I can't say I have a really good answer for that honestly but the thing that came online didn't sell this and roll with that yeah is I decided at some point to invest in my local environment and so that meant you know okay Indiana is my home and I decided that I'm not moving I'm staying in Indiana even though I didn't know that for sure but that's just what I told myself is that I'm saying in Indiana invest myself in a local environment so I didn't just mean making a point to get out of the woods within range of me but also meant just like settling and being like and so my local environment also meant you know it's awesome at the Kroger is five minutes down the road and like that's my local environment so I guess and I don't know if that's a real shoe store you have people that don't yeah yeah it's like a natural grocery store come really they're pretty big chain and they offer natural - okay but mostly I would say you know it's a normal grocery I don't know it's really answering the question as to that age range and what and and that's something to do but other than choosing to just like look at your most immediate surroundings and see what how good you actually may have it and what potential for change is already existing here mmm

versus out there and then once you once you actually start utilizing the tools around you whether that's you know getting out in the woods and getting inspired because you found that mushroom or something or just being content that you have the grocery store so close that that you see when you're utilizing this tools around you that it's exhausting a lot less energy than if you're like reaching out always trying to find something you're out there is that as easy trap yeah always looking yeah so I felt like I just started investing myself and what's close most closely around me so I'd also met in my family although now that means that I'm further away from my family so it isn't there's not like a direct correlation that invest yourself in local environments gonna mean your that's your local environment local being you know not necessarily environment I think environment being you know all the relationships we have around this human animal you know would soar city yeah I I really started really investing myself my family too and it just it just felt really empowering to have this network that's just right around me of tools and accessories that were that were empowering versus being out there looking looking out - yeah how about it's talking to men specifically in our in our culture there's you know so many messages of what it is to be a man what does that mean very confusing it's obviously the same with with being a woman but you know in your case speaking to two men as a man living in in regular civilization going to to work but feeling these changes what can I do what can be my guiding force and I'm finding masculinity defining that well I don't know that we have too much of a problem of finding masculinity in today's culture unfortunately a lot of times is probably open masculine so maybe about that like bravado like yeah destroy and conquer and dominate and manipulate like you know cut down all the trees - girl field or something so I don't know that it's actually in seeking the masculine as much as it might be seeking the feminine aspects to really define the masculine needs for you versus what it was given to you as a child I was an adult so yeah that's I guess that's it seeking with feminine versus the masculine and that and what comes up for me is doing things more feeling based versus doing things more logical based than that masculine or masculine energy it would be more of a logical decisive direct measuring type of energy versus a feminine I take it as more of like a feeling based intuitive softer energy and so seeking seeking that feeling as you use the word feeling be going going through things feeling based versus logical based of course using a logic line is that has helped us accomplish plenty but not discrediting the intuitive mind and for example right now I'm feeling like slightly anxious in like being willing to admit that mm-hmm because like what half the time we're not willing to admit that so here I am admitting being on video you know introducing myself in some way it brings up a side anxiety and so being willing to admit that to yourself and MIT that to people around you and humble yourself a bit because masculinity is not necessarily the humbling energy either you know it's like it's like the over top of you energy it's like the dominating energy again so the masculine side of yourself is yeah so admitting admitting your feelings and and doing doing things feeling based intuitively and then I bring that back to how do we actually do that through because if we use our logic mind but do something intuitive it it might be counterproductive so to me then there's like a return to the body and finding a place physically that I can anchor2 that feels like I'm moving through an intuition and then that comes to my theories about moving from from your Center your Center being here yeah I mean it's really like your Center I was thinking about this the other day if we're if we're is the center of the universe according to you and everybody'll have a different point point point for this but I think a lot of people might agree that this is the center of the universe where we're observing it from and then we're from observing is the center is it is it here is this well observation is happening from is this where the participation in the environment and the environments come from is coming from here but for me I prefer it to come from here and this is actually the center of your body it happens that this might just be the center of my universe yeah because like the physical tangible center and in a way we can talk about it maybe like an energetical center of your own universe at least that should bring us to Tai Chi but I want to quick just reference something you know when admitting that anxiety is I really feel like we've got this this view in our culture so if you think about being a man and being masculine as a man and not showing my emotions really unhiding hmm you know so in many ways I feel like the image of masculinity we've created in our culture mmm it looks strong on the outside but it's it's weak because it's a terrain it's hiding yeah and so as we start to redefine that in our culture nice to see more of that you know so if you can admit an emotion you've just brought it out you've had this strength and courage to say hey here's part of me that usually would be hidden away and I'm showing it so I mean I already feel better to submitting it and speaking to yeah you guys but also just to a camera like for some reason and of course to you but I feel better just admitting things oh yeah like it it comes down like I settle down versus being so up right yeah I can't seem that and you know sometimes I'm when we've had people out that are really strongly masculine and I always feel like those are the people that often break the first you know most easily under a lot of pressure cause is just you're hiding so much that it builds up it builds up and you're not developing skills to deal with those emotions but you have to do if you bring them out you know it shifts and changes things so martial arts has been really cool you know and I think you've got but okay yeah I teach one I always had that view of Tai Chi the Tai Chi was the perform you know it was not a martial art that I trained in and so it's been really cool to see that whether it's hard styles or soft styles that are being used against you that softness that you speak up is a really it's very powerful it's not we can think soft is weak heart is strong but you know there's your old story the oak tree and it just topples over in the wind but the willow tree you know it can shift and Bend and actually is stronger because of its suppleness it's a little bit about Tai Chi and how that feeds into your rewilding okay yeah so Tai Chi has a physical practice as you said a lot of people might see it more as you know the flowing arm bone arm cincy that's what I see it is and I can't say for sure but if I imagine someone doing Tai Chi prior to my practice it maybe be people doing Qigong practice which ends up looking like flowing your arms but Tai Chi actually has a strong emphasis on buildings from on building a strong base and

and a lot of footwork so working from the ground up but I Chi and this principles of being single weighted single in a single leg before delivering a punch or a push or something like that these these are very applicable they can be applied to fighting or sparring situations or moving through the woods quietly or moving to the woods fastly and in quick manner to so the the principles found in Tai Chi are where I extract I extract the principles for Tai Chi and then I apply them to my life and then they end up coinciding with rewilding principles as the principles taught in Tai takes you often natural principles there's a lot of removing of things to return to like a more natural movement and natural movement for me it would be like a relaxed posture movement versus a tense posture so always with students I'm always trying to get them to soften up and myself to always trying to soften up be more relaxed and then that relaxed state comes a more fluid natural principle movement and and that correlates with rewilding through from a relaxed state you know I actually get to see what's in front of me and I'm utilizing this tools as I was saying within your local environment the relaxed state

makes four I guess I guess it really this program specifically the unleashing nature intern Eicher like that is pretty well exactly what I feel like you're seeking in Tai Chi like there's a self cultivate cultivation aspect of it that that gets you to get some has made me revive to the place that well again I think this is my Center like this is my inner nature like to be involved from here with what's actually going on around me versus out there and up here and out there especially that's that's the idea of any nature for me and so I guess that would be where it would be related to rewilding trying to think of some other ways that I would I would say this as I would normally have all kinds of days to core they do things but on the spot a little different no no if something comes up into your mind of that definitely go for that's that's one of the fun parts about this whole experience with you is we can have surprise attacks and you know obviously this is off the cuff but but that kind of martial arts training it reminds me of my youth when I had people that I could do that with and you know it's jump out at each other and and have it be more of a whole life thing instead of instead of like just at the at the door oh yeah you've had some powerful experiences out here I know can you share with people to end us unless something pops in your head tied to you guys to end the video one experience out here that would be fun to hear about that also had some depth of change for you or something like that yeah so I'm gonna go with some more most recent once okay some go with my mosquito shower oh I wouldn't wanting to hear about this as you haven't fully told me yeah so okay good timing can I okay I'll give you my perspective because you and you're out hunting I believe I was scouting before hunting you're scouting before hunting and you came back in the evening and he and he takes off his shirt and turns around and his back is just he looks like he's got some kind of really bad disease it was all red and had mosquito bites well hundreds hundreds I don't think I've ever seen a back that mosquito doubt and that's what I witnessed and then you of course got to tell me what you had done yeah so scouting and I realized I think it's the day before season came and I realized that well the mosquitoes were becoming really bothersome and there was kind of a peak there kind of went down now but there's a little bit of peak over the last few weeks where the mosquitoes come out again and I realized that I couldn't be constantly swiping on mosquitoes to successfully hunt the deer was seeming weather in a tree or on the ground I'd likely see this motion you know the mosquitoes were just getting my face I had had a scarf around my head and I had long sleeves on - they're still inviting me to my shirt I just had kind of a moment where I was like you know what I'm just gonna let them have me now here comes a little bit more of the ritualistic type of things that I fall into sometimes is that I was also thinking away that I was giving back because I know I'm gonna be taking from and I was like you know I can deal with a you know a few minutes of discomfort because obviously the deer that I'm gonna shoot over the next couple weeks will probably go through some discomfort and I thought that I thought there was like a trade of energies and you know that's I don't I can't say for sure whether that's anything to that but that's just how I felt in the moment I felt like I needed to give back so I gave back and I went a lot of mosquitoes bite me I just covered up my face online they mostly avoided my chest for some reason but they got me really good and I and I came to this point where I almost felt like I was on the brink of going a little crazy you know there's a lot of it wasn't it was discomfort I mean pain is like I told you from feeling from you like it wasn't like muscular bone pain or something that's a lot of discomfort a little pricking I'd I have a tattoo so maybe something similar at times Tim and I eventually was able to just to do relaxation through giving in the releasing I liked it I just let him bite me and on that on that kind of release on that kind of come down is like letting go I had I had a pretty strong experience of a unison of union with what was going on I I could own I could hear things extremely clearly I could hear the humming of the of the mosquitoes I could hear the changes pitch and I felt I felt a sense of yeah union with everything going on it was very clear but very brief - probably because you know I don't know maybe a bug hit me too hard and it broke me bro yeah at the moment or something but there was there's I mean it felt like it longer than it probably was but there's a few seconds of Union through letting go and yeah and again it was a sense of giving back to you and I like that idea that you know if we let the mosquitoes bite us if we don't smash them then they're likely to get eaten by the bird or something that's you know they're gonna be part of what I do some of the try to eat them as they're trying to eat us

and I and I'm participating in that way since then since some mosquito encounter I have been hunting many times the mosquitoes of it bothersome but not in the way that they ever have been before it's it's really toned it down says you did create a new relationship yeah yeah I want to say that I can't I don't feel the pain necessarily I don't feel the like that don't you know know that they're there sometimes I don't but it's more so that I just don't care either it's just I just let it happen yeah and you got to let it happen too and the last in those few moments when a deer staying I've been Aditya you got your bow drawn and mosquitoes bite in your hand you can't change where your hand is that you know so I figured that was Wow on the best place to you should mosquito bites that's powerful thanks for sharing that that that feeling of unity is you know something hey kitty it's something that you know a number of people have experience out here those flashes of oneness or whatever you want to call it and I think nature can deliver those but only when we're in that non-resistant state of mind and that's you know that's so key to so much I think so that's the relaxation the release the release available in Tai Chi oh yeah is the release that you're looking for for me that I'm looking for through Wilding that involves me just kind of working with the rhythms and patterns of that are already available here in nature like I'm just kind of let those be the influence around me versus me trying to manipulate or control them so that's the correlation between Tai Chi reviving and Myers's Wow the giving up to thank you thank you Wow and you probably know Dustin has a YouTube channel and you've been active in that lately or not super active but I have a few videos on them for now I'm actually gonna plan on making some Tai Chi related videos the channel is about rewilding in general but I kind of covered nearly anything I'm interested in I'll put a link up to it here okay and yeah so I'm probably doing some Tai Chi related videos nearly eight some instructional videos not necessarily learning form as maybe just some coordination okay Wow watching my friends and share your thoughts below about what you heard from Dustin if that triggered any thoughts or inspiration and you and your own rewilding journey or explorations towards shifting your life you know whatever word you put around that sure and you inspire us all thanks so much [Music]