ALL ABOUT the DSL EdgeWork System of
Yoga/BodyWork Principles & Therapeutics
What You'll Find On This Page:
How YOU Wiil BENEFIT from Studying DSL EdgeWork
- As a Yoga Teacher
- As a Massage/BodyWork Therapist
- As a Physical or Occupational Therapist
- As a Personal Trainer or Pilates Coach
- As a Physician
- As a Student, Client or Patient of any of the Above
An Overview/Summary of DSL EdgeWork
Links to Various Pages Describing DSL EdgeWork
To Find In-Depth Articles on Specific Topics, Please Go To The PUBLICATIONS Page
OVERVIEW & SUMMARY of DSL EdgeWork
DSL EdgeWork — considered by some to be a revolutionary approach to both yoga and bodywork — is a unique, hybrid system of Physical/Mental/Relational Yoga and Bio-Structural BodyWork. It also includes a comprehensive Philosophy, Psychology & Science of Being Human. The philosophy and sciences in turn include working principles of Wholistic Medicine and Natural Healing, principles that have stood the test of time.
DSL EdgeWork may very well be the FIRST system of Therapeutic Yoga & BodyWork that was founded on a common philosophy and principles of structure and function of the Human BodyMind. It is not two existing systems combined. It is not, for example, a combination of Iyengar Yoga and Rolfing, which is a fairly common alignment in recent years. It is not Shiatsu combined with Hatha yoga, nor is it Tai Yoga or an offshoot of Phoenix Rising, a couple of other popular synergies of yoga and bodywork.
DSL EdgeWork is founded initially on principles of Physical, Mental and Relational Yoga as taught by Joel Kramer and influenced by J. Krishnamurti. This approach is a non-authoritarian, non-guru, non-religious, yet no less conscious method of addressing healing and personal growth of the bodymind in all its dimensions. Although it draws on essential insights from Eastern perspectives, this approach is not significantly oriented to the Eastern mindset.
There is, therefore, a meditative or consciousness component that, if pursued, is integral to the yoga, bodywork and whole health process. Simply put, this is about how to coordinate the mind with the body in its various activities while practicing yoga or bodywork. There is nothing esoteric or controversial about this aspect of DSL EdgeWork. Some people say DSL (David Scott Lynn) totally demystifies the whole meditative process.
There is no requirement that any Client or Student embrace or even be interested in this element of DSL EdgeWork. There is much to be gained without delving into those dimensions. Yet those elements are presented in a distinct set of writings and seminars. You can read a bit more on this at the bottom of this page by Clicking Here, or just keep reading, you'll get there!!!
DSL's BodyWork system was built directly upon these physical, mental, and relational (which includes the emotional) yogic principles. Having practiced physical and mental yoga as much as 3 to 4 hours per day for extended periods of time over the years, DSL brings a unique understanding of what actually causes a neuromuscular tension to release in the body.
The intention, therefore, of DSL BodyWork is help the Client achieve a yogic sense of how their body works, and how to let go of tension in a yogic way. The result is a spontaneous improvement in posture and movement with little or no effort, while pain and dysfunction are simultaneously reduced.
Over 24 years, the DSL Yoga system was heavily influenced by DSL's experiences in private, one-on-one, hands-on sessions with numerous Clients who had significant bodymind challenges. DSL successfully addressed most or all of the challenges of most of the people he has worked with over the years. In the process, his understanding of how the bodymind works, especially in the yoga process, went through dramatic changes. Although the core principles have held intact, the way DSL teaches yoga has been radically changed by his experiences as a structurally oriented, hands-on bodywork therapist.
Doctor/Patient Interface
Another aspect of the work is DSL's experience working with wholistically oriented physicians. DSL assisted, worked with, and/or managed several physicians in the mid-eighties who were nutritionally or wholistically oriented. Along with his independent studies, DSL became intimately familiar with the wholistic/natural approach to medicine and self-healing. He developed a Doctor/Patient Interface program in which he orchestrated the interactions between his patients and the doctors he referred them too. This was not a passive referral. DSL accompanied his Clients to the appointments with the doctors and helped keep everything on track. This and his own experiences with healing significant bodymind problems gave DSL an unusual ability to work with the Client's Whole Picture of health and healing. These insights are, of course, integrated in his work with Clients and Students in the yoga and bodywork realms.
Studying the Science-based Background
Finally, there are few members of the yoga or bodywork community who have spent as much time as DSL in the active study of the medical sciences that explain and enhance the effectiveness of these and related disciplines. While the techniques work regardless of their explanation, there are certain instances where complex problems can be better addressed with a deeper knowledge of the relevant sciences. Too, when working with the orthodox medical, physical therapy, or chiropractic community, knowing the sciences underlying the treatment makes it far easier to explain what is happening and enlisting the support of the doctor or therapist.
When all health care providers involved with a particular Patient's care are aligned with and understanding of each other provider's philosophy and principles of care, the Patient has a far better, unconflicted experience, and is far more likely to achieve their health care goals. DSL works to find the common scientific principles that can be understood and embraced by the whole range of a Patient's health care providers. The end result far exceeds what can happen if the Patient feels they are in any way at odds with some of their health care providers.
The DSL EdgeWork system attempts to find the common threads that all a Patient's providers can use to find the best solutions to a Patient's needs and challenges.
Western Psycho-Spiritual Tradition & Naphsha
Rather than being aligned with Hinduism, Buddhism, or other Eastern religions, DSL EdgeWork is grounded in a wholistic view of the Western Philosophical & Spiritual Tradition, including its nearly lost, esoteric, neo-Hebraic, Christian heritage, which could, in theory anyway, be condensed into the Aramaic term Naphsha. This perspective is NOT about believing someone was hung up on a cross to save you from your sins, or that there is a personal god wathcing over you. It is about what goes on at the intersection of mind and body, an understanding that has been translated right out of the Bible, (In the New Testament, the word Naphsha refers to the blessed or the teachable and those who have achieved a level of mind-body integration under a Common Social Law — i.e., the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments have their Eastern corollary in the Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism or the Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga, although there are important and significant differences.)
BACK to TOP
|