Are YOU a Massage, Bodywork, or Yoga Therapist? ... IF SO ...
Are You Ready … ?
To Take Your Practice To The NEXT LEVEL of Working Effectively & Efficiently With Your Most Complex, Long-term Chronic, Difficult-to-Treat Clients' Soft Tissue Issues?
Are You Ready to take your Practice to the Next Level — Elevating Humans, Not Just Fixing Bodies — with Complex, Chronic Clients?
One Element of Achieving That Ability is Having an In-Depth Knowledge of the Myo*-Structural Anatomy, Kinesiology, Physiology & Neurology of HOW the Psycho*-Neuro-Musculo-Fascial (PNMF) System WORKS and How It Breaks Down ...
* YOGA: Mental Focus and Conscious Stretching. Using the Quality & Power of Awareness (Attention) to bring the Mind into the Musculature so the Distinctions between them Dissolve into an Integral UNITY.**
** Unity: State of Being United or Joined as a Whole.
* Myo-: Myo means Muscle. Our use of the word muscle refers to the fully integrated Neuro-Musculo-Fascial Structures operating as a Synergistic, Unified, Wholistic System. We treat the Muscle Cells & Deep Fascial Sheaths, working intimately together, as a Fully Integrated, Harmonious System, NOT as "separate" tissues (although they are VERY different). ... When we use the term "muscle" by itself, we are intentionally including the deep fascial sheaths in the meaning of "Muscle."
* Psycho-: Refers to the "breath, mind, soul" & "psychology" ... because the MIND & EMOTIONS participate in, or can greatly influence, MOST of what muscles DO or WON'T do ... but they SHOULD Do.
Knowing HOW It Works — TELLS You How to WORK It!
And When You KNOW How It Works, You Can Produce ...
Better ANSWERS to the PUZZLES of Posture, Pain & Pathology . . .
... with a Focus on Performance & Prevention ...
... and Performace can refer to anything from typing for long hours at your keyboard, to vacuuming your carpet, to picking up your grandchildren, to playing a musical instrument, to swinging hammers or shovels on a construction site, or playing golf or polo (ANY kind of athletics).odywork
"Performance" can mean anything from Basic Household Chores to Full-Bore Athletics.
"Prevention" can be anything from a Basic Yoga Routine to "stay loose" to a full-bore Elegant Anti-Aging Program.
On the Intersection of Massage, Bodywork AND Yoga Therapy ...
My Method of Medical Massage & Structural Bodywork (starting in 1982) was in Great Part developed from my Physical, Mental & Relational Yoga Practice (starting in 1976). And, my extensive studies of medical sciences show the Principles & Sciences behind them all are nearly identical, going Hand-In-Glove with each other. I think Bodyworkers and Yoga Therapists can learn a LOT from each other's Disciplines (Disciple: "One who learns"), and in my view, should be personally practiced and, ideally, offered to Clients together in a more well-rounded practice.
"I learned more anatomy from DSL in 5 weeks than in 4 YEARS of medical school."
Todd Mangum, MD
Web of Life Wellness Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
(Dr. Mangum took a DSL Training in 1989 after he graduated from Medical School. He was learning about various Whole Health Medicine modalities before he began his Medical Practice.)
"Having had experience with many different bodyworkers, David’s technique is certainly unique. There are levels of healing he achieves I’ve never seen before. This is clearly a result of a vast knowledge of anatomy and physiology combined with decades of hands-on experience."
Dr. John Bordiuk
Nutritionally Oriented M.D. & Yoga Teacher
Inner Balance Med
Wellesley, MA (Near Boston Area)
"I have worked with many soft tissue therapists over the years. David Scott Lynn is the only one educated and skilled enough to do what I want with full confidence that the job will be done. My patients definitely feel the difference."
Gary Fujinami
Doctor of Chiropractic
East-West Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center
Prescott, Arizona
"David is doing cutting-edge work in the field of bodywork, and it would take 3 or 4 teachers to replace what he knows."
Tracy Hall
Physical Therapist
Chico, California
Included In DSL's School Of Hard Knots is the Masterclass on Muscles — Your Deep Dive into PNMF Sciences & Practices ...
... where you'll gain in-depth, up-to-date knowledge, including the latest Medical Sciences, on HOW the Psycho*-Neuro-Musculo-Fascial (PNMF) & Joint System REALLY Works, and how it, unfortunately, Breaks Down. ...
One of our Objectives is for YOU to become an EXPERT on the Inner Workings of the Human BodyMind from a Whole Health Perspective.
Another one of My Objectives is to help YOU get to the point where You can sit down with any type of Physician and speak about and explain — in Science-based Language & Concepts THEY can Relate to — what you do in a way that the Doctor KNOWS that You know what you are talking about! Because YOU know the science behind it.
Are You Ready ... ?
To Start on Your Unique Path to Become a LEADING EDGE EXPERT ...
... in Transformational Bodywork — Psycho-Neuro-Musculo-Fascial (PNMF) Therapy — Using Mindful Medical Massage, Myo-Structural Balancing & Yoga* Therapy?
— Or as an ADJUNCT to your existing modalities? —
Beta Bonus: Philosophy, Psychology, & Science of Being Human — Mastering the ‘WHY’ behind the ‘HOW,’ the Spirit behind the Psycho-Emotional Self, elevating your practice to a Whole Health ART.”
We Work with the Art, the Heart, and the Smart behind Yoga & Bodywork!
In Case You Missed It Up Above ... Physical, Mental & Relational Yoga was the Foundation of DSL Edgework. Yoga & Bodywork fit together like hand in glove, and they share almost identical Scientific Foundations & Principles. Sometimes Yoga will solve ALL of a Client's soft tissue issues. Other times, it serves as post-session support, and ultimately, they can use it as a part of a Life Maintenance Program.
And in The Meantime, In The Bigger Picture & Our Mission, WE Can Assist YOU & Your Therapeutic Profession in Being Far More Well-Known & Appreciated by the People of America!
Join DSL’s School of Hard Knots—Start Your Path To Mastery Now.
CLICK THE YELLOW BUTTON BELOW!
C.E.M.&.N.T.
Our PRIMARY OBJECTIVE is Reduction of C.E.M.&.N.T. ...
That's short for Chronic, Excess Musculo-Fascial & Nerve Tension & Stress ... more commonly known as "Tight Muscles"!
C.E.M.&.N.T. is, in DSL's (that's ME) opinion, the Primary Cause of MANY, if not MOST, Soft Tissue & Joint Issues in the Human BodyMind. ... Many Therapists and Physicians are surprised to learn how many problems of the BodyMind are just ... TIGHT MUSCLES ... (which includes the Fascia)!
We also work with Dissolving Old, Negative Habit Patterns that recirculate past trauma, injury, and tension & stress patterns.
(Poor or Mal-Nutrition / Detox play a Big Part too. One of our seminars is titled "Tension + Toxicity Equals Old Age." Yet the ratio of which is a bigger factor is different for everyone at different times.)
Elegant Anti-Aging
Much of the aging process ( which is different than the maturing process ) is from the accumulation of C.E.M.&.N.T.
Helping Clients reduce their excess tension & stress levels, and maintain those levels, prevents many of the symptoms of aging. For example: chronic tension leads to reduced strength & range of motion, creates aches & pains, interferes with the operation of many organ functions, and dehydrates muscles, just to name a few.
And in case you missed it up above, NO, we are NOT ignoring The Fascia. We will further discuss Fascia, and how it works with Muscle Cells, near the bottom on this page in the section on "Myth-Conceptions." But the Short Story is I believe the Muscle Cells are so ensheathed by & intertwined with the Deep Fascia as to function as an inseparable, Integral, Harmonious, Synergistic UNITY. ... While they are VERY different, they are NOT separate. ... And the Superficial Fascia has unique yet different interactions as well.
You might have heard some NMT Gurus say "Trigger Points" are the root cause of all pain. Or MFR Gurus say "imbalances" or "tensions" or "gluing" in the Fascia cause structural distortion, poor posture, pain, and resulting problems. ...
But, WHAT causes Trigger Points? WHAT causes "imbalances" or "tensions" or "gluing" in Fascia? And can Fascia operate independently of Muscle Cells? ...
Could it be C.E.M.&.N.T.?
(SEE MORE on THAT Question further below on this page under Myth-Conceptions.)
Deep, Radical Relaxation
The PRIMARY FOCUS of DSL EdgeWork Is DEEP, Radical Relaxation!
Deep, Radical Relaxation is, By Definition, the Reduction of C.E.M.&.N.T. and, therefore, the reduction of the many symptoms emerging from excess tension & stress in the integral musculo-fascial units.
The Very Relaxed Kitty in the photo at Right is what we ALL should be able to do AT WILL!
Contraction + Relaxation = BALANCED Musculo-Fascial Units ...
Relaxation should be HALF of Every ACTION We Perform! ... But if there is not a relaxation at least equal to the contraction — a Structual BALANCING of the musculo-fascial fibers — the Residue from contraction accumulates in the form of excess tension, stress, & negative habit patterns.
We Help Our Clients LEARN To DO This "Relaxation Thing," this Balancing Act, More Effectively and Efficiently!
(And hopefully, we get better at it for Ourselves too!)
Yet Relaxation is NOT a "New Action" we need to Learn how to do. Relaxation is Learning to STOP DOING the Neuro-Musculo-Fascial Actions You (or your Client) Are Doing!
Relaxation is the Stopping of DOING Tension! ... It is the UN-Learning of our actions that produce & hold on to tension.
To Repeat, because it is IMPORTANT, for every Contraction of a Muscle Cell, there should be an Equal & Opposite Relaxation of those same Muscle Cells. Otherwise, the residual tension builds up in the background over the years & decades, causing all sorts of problems. The Relaxation Phase does not have to happen immediately after the contraction, but it should be much done sooner rather than later!
That is one thing a Regular Yoga Practice can help you do.
Since Deep Fascia (the sheaths containing muscle cells) is primarily hardened by muscle cell contraction, (by way of outward forces [bulging] of hydrostatic [water] pressure and other factors), then Relaxation of the Musculo-Fascial units FREES the Fascia for more movement, flexibility, & resiliency, all at the same time.
Because the fascial sheaths are relatively water-tight, and do not quickly dehydrate, when the Actin-Myosin, the contractile elements within the muscle cells, shorten, that puts outward pressure on the water inside the muscle cell, causing it to bulge outward against the fascial sheaths.
The feeling of Tension "Release," the softening of the tissues under the skin, is primarily the Relaxation & Internal DE-Compression of the muscle cells, allowing the fascial sheaths to soften as well. That's because the fascial sheaths are tightly bound to and surround the outer walls of the muscle cells.
DSL Edgework Gives Your Clients, with Your Assistance, Opportunities to Learn About, Experience & PRACTICE, the Art & Heart of DEEP, Radical Relaxation.
DSL Edgework is Brought To YOU By David Scott Lynn (DSL) ...
Your EduMentor in the Brand New DSL Edgework Education & Mentoring Program
... with a 44+ Year History of Innovation & Successful Clinical Practice in Mindful Medical Massage, Myo-Structural Balancing & Yoga Therapy with Whole Health Therapeutics ...
DSL's Practice — from his Very Beginning as a Bodywork Therapist in 1981 in the Near North of Downtown Chicago — very successfully worked with Clients from around the Country and the World who did not respond well, or at all, to other more traditional treatment methods such as NMT, MFR, Deep Tissue, Rolfing®, Physical Therapy, Energy Work, and so on.
While those more well-known, traditional methods work VERY WELL for MOST of the problems of MOST of the people, there is a small percentage of people who do NOT respond well, or at all, to those therapies. But that "small percentage" is a Pretty BIG Number!
Many of these unfortunate Clients had been in pain or dysfunction for many YEARS or even DECADES and had been given up on by their therapists or physicians.
Yet DSL has been able to help the vast majority of those Clients who found him. And many of those Clients say "No one does what DSL does," and, because many of them lived in different states or even countries, they wished there were more Therapists trained in DSL's Unique Methods.
The TRUTH Is, however, there ARE a FEW Therapists who DO a Few Things similar to DSL. But they are Far Too Few, Too Far Between, and Too Hard To Find.
The DSL, Online, Educational & Mentoring Program is his Response to his Client's Requests for more Therapists to be trained in the DSL Method of Bodywork.
One of the things You will learn about in the DSL Programs is how DSL dealt with his own severe, nearly debilitating, three and a half YEARS of back & hip pain. This will be a Primary Case Study on how the DSL Method of Therapy works. Resolving his own pain was a significant factor in the development of DSL Edgework.
For those of you walking around or rolling on the floor in PAIN and/or WEAKNESS (and other dysfunction) most or all of the time, DSL has BEEN THERE!
A Little DSL History
At 13 years old, DSL got into Martial Arts and Discovered Zen-style Meditation, which he applied to most of what he was doing in Life. He also raced motocross (dirt bikes in rough terrain) and had many SPECTACULAR crashes. Then, he became a Structural Steel Ironworker (Heavy Construction) for about 8 years in total. THAT was also HIGHLY STRESSFUL on his body and muscles.
He became a Yoga Teacher in 1976 at 22 years of age, very often doing 3 or 4 HOURS of personal yoga practice at a time, many days at a time. He had some relatively minor aches & pains, but they all resolved with not too much effort. And his flexibility was improving dramatically. So he KNEW how to do yoga successfully.
He became a Bodyworker in 1981 in the Near North Side of Downtown Chicago and quickly developed a reputation for getting great results in his therapy sessions.
It's a long story, but AFTER he became a Bodyworker, he was getting therapy done by a bodywork instructor, and he had a severe negative reaction. This was IN PART as a result of those teenage injuries. He developed severe pain, often keeping him on the floor rolling around in pain for a day more. And none of the other therapists or physicians in or around Chicago could help him. And he knew a LOT of them!
It is ironic that he was already a Yoga Teacher and Muscle Therapist BEFORE his severe pains set in. But NOW, doing yoga almost paralyzed him! Yet the pain provided a sense of greater urgency in "figuring it all out."
How he got himself out of pain, and how in doing so developed his Method of Therapy, is one of the many Case Studies, and a Highly Educational Story in Itself, which are part of the DSL School of Hard Knots.
On Becoming a Leading Edge Expert ...
The Story of my 55-year Journey — from Ironworker to Zen-inspired Therapist — shows how. Read My Detailed Story HERE
This website is an Opportunity for YOU to Take Advantage of the Highly Specialized Perspectives & Techniques DSL has developed in his Life & Long Career.
You Too can benefit from his many years in the Whole Health & Consciousness Fields, all the way back to when he began doing Zen Meditation in Martial Arts when he was 13 years old, in 1967.
This website is in part a Description of his DSL Edgework Educational & Mentoring Programs. Yet it is ALSO a very In-Depth Introduction to the DSL Method of Therapy itself.
YES, some of the pages are long. Yet they are more like "Vertical eBooks" than an "online brochure." So much of it is NOT a "quick read."
If you are looking for Quick Reads, Quick Fixes, or Quick Tricks & Tips; if you do not want & appreciate "in-depth, detailed information," then I can save you some time and say this is probably NOT the place for YOU!
BUT ... If you are ready to Think, Feel & Work at a higher & deeper level of Intellectual & Emotional Intelligence, if you want to know the REAL Story of what DSL Edgework and Our Method Therapy are all about, this is a VERY GOOD Place to START.
If you are a member of the General Public and want to learn how to treat Yourself, your Family & Friends, PLEASE CLICK HERE
Introducing the PILOT PROGRAM to Launch the DSL School of Hard Knots
After a multi-year absence while taking care of and providing therapy for his Elderly & Sick Parents, and then the COVID-19 debacle, DSL Edgework is returning to Researching & Writing about latest developments in the Massage, Bodywork & Yoga fields, & Teaching his work to Interested & Motivated Therapists.
The First Version of the School of Hard Knots will be a 15-module Pilot Program, over 15 weeks, where the students will directly participate in the Design & Development of the program. I want to make sure the program meets Your Interests & Needs.
So each week, I will produce at least one Educational Video, whatever written materials are necessary, and at least one Group Mentoring / Coaching session with everyone. The Group Calls will be an Ask Me Anything format, and I will not close the call until all questions are answered.
I reserve the right to answer some questions by saying "We will be going into that question in a future module."
You will also have Q & A access via eMail, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, as well.
I will produce at least one, in-depth Case Study for every Module.
1-ON-1 PRIVATE MENTORING:
I will ALSO have a Private, 1-on-1 Phone, Skype, or Zoom Mentoring / Coaching call, at least an hour long, with EACH Participant EVERY module. This will be to make sure You understand the material, provide me with feedback & ideas, and make sure You can integrate what You are learning into your practice.
Because this program will have a LOT of close, 1-on-1 Contact, and the first group will not be dependent on going through the program together, all at once, the Modules can be delivered according to the availability of the Participant. We could go faster than one per week, or as slow as one per month.
HOWEVER, I would prefer we get through the Modules as fast as your schedule allows so I can get the full program designed for future groups, who will most likely NOT have as much personal, 1-on-1 contact with me.
Mentoring in Communication & Marketing ...
If you want help in Designing & Marketing a New (or Existing) Practice, or Crafting Your Origin Story, we can do that, too.
PLEASE NOTE: The national average pricing for Private Coaching is now over $200 per hour. For Business Coaching, it starts at $500 per hour! In the New DSL Pilot Program, for the Very First Version (12 Students Maximum) the PRICE will be about what you would pay for JUST the coaching WITHOUT the Educational eCourse material!
If there is enough interest, I will produce a second Group Call each week (on another day) focused on Communication, Marketing, & Enrollment.
One Objective of the Program will be for me to support each Participant in Developing their Practice to be in Harmony with their LIfe & Work as much as possible. Over approximately 50 years, I have started at least 8 different practices (I lost precise track!), all very different, under different circumstances. I should be able to give you a LOT of ideas and support you in the process of creating your practice & marketing the way you want it to be.
There will also be a Membership Area for all participants with extra benefits, such as Case Studies and a Participant Forum. And if you prefer, you can receive the material of the School of Hard Knots spread out over the course of 15 months in a less expensive way. It will NOT, however, include the Private, 1-on-1 calls. (Private calls will be available, but they will be an additional but very reasonable charge.
THE PRICE of the School Of Hard Knots Pilot eCourse will be WAY BELOW, probably less than half, what you would pay for a similar program. But the PRICE of subsequent programs will go UP as the market will bear.
Please Read More about the School of Hard Knots by CLICKING the Button Below
MORE TESTIMONIALS
"David Scott Lynn is the best therapeutic massage therapist in the country!"
Deb Holzapfel Valle
Mesa Arizona
"Application of these Teachings [Physical/Mental Yoga & Medical Sciences applied to Yoga] will take Yoga to new heights in the Western World. The DSL Method is profoundly sensical."
Lesli Hunter
Yoga Teacher & Student • 7 Centers Yoga Arts Sedona, Arizona
"I Strongly Encourage & Highly Recommend all Current Massage Students & Licensed Massage Therapists to Take Advantage of This Unique Opportunity to Learn from One of the Best Educators I’ve had the Privilege of Learning From.
"Through my years of experience in clinical practice and taking over 100 seminars in bodywork, I have found The DSL Method to be the missing link toward a greater understanding of human physiology & chronic reflex pain patterns. I endorse & highly recommend taking a course in The DSL Method.
"David Scott Lynn (DSL-Edgework / BodyMind Therapeutics) will return to teaching with his Ground-Breaking Material for a Small Group of Eager Students who want to become part of an Elite Group of Massage & Bodywork Professionals."
Kyle C. Wright, LMBT, NCTMB
Developer of Curriculum South Eastern Schools of Massage, and the Advanced Schools of Bodywork in Charlotte, NC & Jacksonville, FL
"The students in Heartwood’s approved Massage program felt that The DSL Method was the most valuable work in Heartwood’s massage curriculum. Many students felt that David's work instilled a sense of competence in their ability to do massage & bodywork. It is an open-ended system allowing & encouraging students to continually improve their work through active practitioner/client exchange. I have personally found that, based on feedback from clients, The DSL Method is on par with, if not superior to, the other major bodywork systems available today."
Rex Dippre
Massage Therapist • Arcata, California
(Former Director of Admissions @ Heartwood Institute, 1989-1992)
"With 18 years of experience in the health care professions, I appreciate soundly researched and scientifically based approaches to rehabilitation. The DSL Method has expanded and refined my understanding and applications for achieving postural correctness and pain relief in less time.
"David has a unique way of reiterating known fundamental laws, redefining erroneous concepts, and instructing the participants through a successful treatment program."
Al Cujas, Physical Therapist, A.T.C., N.M.T.
Winston Salem, North Carolina
Former Instructor for the St. John NMT Seminar System
"David Scott Lynn is a man of profoundly integrated understanding in the field of bodywork. You will be blessed if you choose to work with him.
"I suffered for decades with chronic neck & shoulder issues. Yet I was able to manage my “condition” through weekly acupuncture, regular chiropractic, daily exercise, and massage.
"I had constant pain, but was able to function most days. Periodically, I experienced acute pain which de-capacitated me for months. … My condition was always with me and something I had to ‘factor in’ when making most of my life decisions.
"David has a lifetime of study which he has incorporated into a systematic approach to restructuring and realigning the body. Since I am not a practitioner myself, I cannot address the pros of his approach, other than to say — David is a “God Send”.
"On a personal level, he is patient and steady in his approach. … His prices are reasonable, which was also a “factor” for me.
"When someone is in chronic pain and wondering if anything will ever get them out of pain, David’s “stick to it” nature — is reassuring & encouraging. He is determined to do what he can to heal your body, and he is both knowledgeable & effective.
"If you have a significant chronic condition, chances are you will need to be in treatment for some time. At least that was my story. However, getting to a place where you are no longer in chronic pain is almost assured with his approach.
"David is understanding. David is kind. … He keeps his word, and is ethical. … Actually, he is kind of a “mad scientist” who has studied his whole life and integrated many healing modalities into a systemic approach to bodywork. He is a teacher in his field, and highly respected.
"He is a gift to those who need a permanent solution to their bodily pain. ... You could search for a lifetime without finding someone of his caliber. …
"He is a Gift. … I give him a Five Star Rating."
Ellie Saunders
Private Client • Sedona, Arizona
"I have been very impressed with David Scott Lynn’s Muscle Therapy, medical knowledge, skill, and ability to help reduce the severe pain level I’ve suffered in my lumbar and hip, as a result of a back injury I suffered in the Army Air Corps in World War Two. … For many years, varied doctors, physical therapists, acupuncturists and orthopedic surgeons have attempted to reduce the pain level without success. I have undergone five invasive back surgeries, which not only did not help lower the pain, but increased its level spectacularly. … With his forty years of medical experience, and under the skilled hands of David Lynn and his ability to treat the source of the pain, he has helped lower the pain dramatically. I’m now more mobile and walking with an improved gait. … I highly recommend David Lynn for his skill, medical expertise and vast knowledge of the human body."
Sincerely, Alan Jeffory
Phoenix, Arizona
"I have known David Scott Lynn (DSL) for 30 plus years when I was completing my medical school clerkships in Chicago, Illinois at the Michael Reese Hospital and the Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn in 1988. It seems like yesterday when we met as brothers in the fight to bring meaning to the term “health care.” We saw the road ahead with the same eyes and were of one mind with respect to the substance & altruistic goals ahead.
"If I were to seek out one person with whom I would choose to work in pursuit of true health care, it would be David Scott Lynn. He is an extremely focused and talented individual who has dedicated himself to helping others, sometimes sacrificing his own welfare to achieve the goal in their care plan no matter the person or circumstances. He would always be there to contribute & create the plan to facilitate the desired outcome. He would work tirelessly and carry on in the most difficult of times.
"David works well as a team member or individual, whatever the environment requires. He is not resistant to hard work and cares deeply about others, especially fellow therapists with whom he has a special insight and understanding. David has good business sense.
"I know David to have lectured & instructed all over the country from the east to the west coasts in order to bring his unique brand of massage therapy, The DSL Method, to practitioners, therapists, schools, clinics & private clients with amazing effects & life-changing results.
"I, therefore, take pleasure and consider it a great honor and privilege to recommend David Scott Lynn (DSL) at the highest level without reservation.
"Should you require any further insight, do not hesitate to contact me."
Dr. David J. Ogle
Metabolic / Nutritional MD • CTTH • Gresham, OR
— HIGHLIGHTS of Issue #1 of DSL's Special Report — Challenges & Opportunities for Musculo-Fascial Therapists
Can AI Driven Robots Take Therapy Jobs?
Big Tech & Big Med Are Investing MILLIONS of $$$ Developing AI-driven Massage Robots. Many Clients & Patients Are Responding VERY Well! Don't Be Taken By Surprise!
Do NOT Underestimate Ability of MassageBots to Give Great Massage!
Your AI + EI = HIQ: Head & Heart Harmonized
Augmented Intelligence Merged with Emotional Intelligence = HIQ (Human Intelligence Quotient.) Physical / Mental Yoga & Mindful Bodywork Increases HIQ for YOU & Your Clients!
Increasing Demand for HIQ & Emotional Intelligence Is a Major Opportunity for YOU!
Economic Challenges for Therapists
Laws of Supply & Demand & Market Forces Apply to Whole Health Professionals Too! Following the Trends Allows YOU to Plan Far Ahead & Take Advantage of Many Opportunities.
In Times of Uncertainty, YOU Need an EDGE, Preferably a LEADING EDGE.
Elevate / Enhance Your Knowlege, Skills & Insights
Keeping Up w/AI Job Scene Requires Our Knowledge & Skills be FAR More than Manual Work. We need to Develop Analytical Intelligence w/ High Meditative Sensitivity.
It's about Becoming PRE-EMINENT & TRUSTED in Your Field!
Primary Tools
Primary Tools of DSL EdgeWork
Aside from Postural Yoga Therapy, DSL has ONE Other Primary Tool In His "Therapy Toolbox," the ...
DSL Edge-Touch© Tension Release Technique, his Manual (Hands-On) "Therapy Tool"
For 44+ Years now, DSL has used ONE Primary Manual Tool, ONE Hands-On, Tension Release Technique, 90% of the Time. We'll talk about the other 10% further below.
The DSL Technique has proven to be Highly Effective in Relaxing & Releasing muscles that have resisted most therapeutic techniques. It involves long, slow, steady pressure on very specific places (discovered by precise palpation combined with BIO-Structural Analysis) and with little to NO lateral movement.
NO cross-fiber, NO slide & glide, NO "breaking up" of "stuff," NO "twanging" of muscles or skin. It is steady pressure on musculo-fascial units to activate a consistent stream of sensory-nerve input to the CNS* & Brain for longer periods of time than is usual, sometimes a LOT longer.
And NO, if done correctly, the Client does NOT "burn out" from "too much input" during a therapy session.
* CNS: Central Nervous System
This method is NON-intrusive because we always work within the NO Pain, MORE Gain; NO Irritation, MORE Gain Philosophy, described further below. It is NOT about what the Client can tolerate, it is what they LIKE or are NEUTRAL about.
The Client should be INVITING and Relaxing Into the Sensations, NOT FIGHTING the Sensations.
Details on the DSL Edge-Touch Technique
The DSL Edge-Touch Technique is based on several well-researched medical science principles that Maximize the Responsiveness of a Client's Neuro-Musculo-Fascial System. (The Technique & Principles are included in the very first Module of the School Of Hard Knots so that you are CONFIDENT of their therapeutic validity and can start experimenting with them right away).
Yet it is a "Technique" allowing & encouraging the Therapist to focus NOT on the Technique, but on the Client's Responses & Internal Processes. This is expressed primarily in the Client's tension & comfort levels and verbal (or other) feedback to the Therapist.
This leads to a Harmony & Synergy, a "Dance" between Client & Therapist, what Humberto Maturana called "Structural Coupling."
"Structural Coupling refers to the ongoing process of interaction between a system and its environment, where changes in one lead to corresponding changes in the other, while maintaining the system's overall organization."
[ From a Perplexity.ai Search on the term "Structural Coupling." ]
In Maturana's biological science & philosophy language, the Client & Therapist are each an independent system, yet their repeated interactions literally change each other. Yet it more often happens at the deeper, neurological level, and is NOT necessarily Conscious to either one.
Becoming More Conscious & Mindful of that process enhances it, however.
DSL asserts that these changes are more profound — they run deeper and last longer — when both the Client & Therapist are Fully Focused on, are Paying Attention to, what they are doing.
- And ONE Definition of Yoga is the "Quality Of Attention" we pay to whatever it is we are doing.
- Structural Coupling is a Sample of some of what we talk about in the DSL Philosophy, Psychology & Science of Being Human.
As described on DSL's BIO / History webpage (on this website), DSL "discovered" the viability of this "long, slow, detailed" approach to hands-on therapy by doing many hours of physical yoga postures (often 3 to 4 hours per session over a period of many months at a time over the years) with a strong Mindfulness Element. He was doing VERY long, slow holds of yoga postures for MANY minutes at a time, with VERY LITTLE external movement, with Great Success in unraveling YEARS of accumulated tension, stress, & trauma in his own body.
BUT, just because there did not appear to an onlooker to be much "going on" on the OUTSIDE at the Macro-Movement level, there was a LOT going on inside at the Micro-Movement level, and at the Body-MIND level. This is one place DSL learned to focus on minute changes, on "the little stuff."
And while the DSL Method of Let-Go Yoga postures might appear "static" from the outside, they are very Internally Dynamic on the inside. The movements can be at times even microscopic in action.
In his Yoga, DSL used a Meditative Focus on Exploring & FEELING the various Tensions, NOT trying to "make it go away." Yet "magically," given enough time & focus, the tension would usually dissolve without pushing or forcing it.
The Nervous System & Brain were doing a Great Reset!
The Focus was a Meditative, Mindful, In-The-Moment Awareness of "What Is," exploring what tension was there (the EXCESS tension), NOT trying to "make it go away" or "fix the problem."
Like Zen-Meditation, we are "Being With & Fully Experiencing What IS" rather than trying to force a change with Willpower. ...
The Paradox is, it worked to remove his own many neuro-musculo-fascial issues.
We Use FINESSE ... NOT Force.
DSL then transferred the way he was doing Yoga to developing his Manual, Hands-On Bodywork Technique with his Clients.
He Originally Described his Manual, Hands-On Therapy as "An Externally Applied form of Physcial, Mental & Relational Yoga."
It is that Integration of Yoga-based Manual Bodywork that eventually became a Foundational Element of DSL Edgework.
Does Therapy Have to Hurt?
NO Pain, MORE Gain
Playing The EDGE of Pain, Fear & Resistance ...
... with the DSL Edge-Touch Tension Release Technique
Parasympathetic Activation & Polyvagal Normalization
Application of the Homeopathic Arndt-Schultz Principle (AKA the Medical Science of Hormesis) says applications of Low-Intensity Manual Pressure or Stretching are ideal for Maximizing DEEP, Radical Relaxation, reducing C.E.M.&.N.T. & activating the Parasympathetic Nerve System ( PNS ).
The PNS is the Rest, Digest & Repair system of the BodyMind and a Primary Tool of most Whole Health Practices.
The "Secret Sauce," the "Unique Mechanism"
WHAT is the CORE Difference between DSL Edgework and most other Therapies?
DSL's Manual (Hands-On) Edge-Touch Technique
( SEE Next Article )
The Great Psycho-Neuro-Musculo-Fascial RESET & GREAT Awakening!
A Primary Principle We Use Is That ...
... NO THERAPIST has EVER "relaxed a muscle" in another Human Being. It is The CLIENT that relaxes their OWN muscle(s) as an internal, Psycho-Physical Process.
- And please don't be afraid of the term "psycho-". Psycho-: Refers to "breath, mind, soul" and "psychology." ... It does NOT (necessarily!) mean you are "crazy"!
As we use the Manual, EDGE-TOUCH Hands-On Technique or EDGE-Based Yoga Postures to send positive, non-intrusive, sensory signals to the Client's CNS & Brain, they are stimulated to respond by RESETTING (reducing downward) their OWN excess brain & neural activity to achieve DEEP, Radical Relaxation, thereby REDUCING motor nerve output to their muscle cells.
THIS is what produces the Big Changes — the Deep, Radical RELAXATION — We and OUR Clients are looking for.
Our Primary Focus is on supporting the CLIENT'S CNS & Brain to perform a neuro-musculo-fascial RESET producing Deep, Radical, Relaxation and therefore Reducing C.E.M.&.N.T.
SO ... it is NOT "The Massage Technique" that "does the job." Not even MY technique! We just provide the environment or experience the Client needs to FEEL to relax their muscles. EVEN IF that FEELING is occurring at the subconscious level. EVEN IF their Conscious MIND does NOT feel it, their BODY IS feeling, and responding, to it.
The Edge-Touch Manual Technique, or the Let-Go Yoga Postures, or BOTH simultaneously, stimulate the appropriate sensory nerve inputs into the CNS & Brain.
The Therapist only provides an environment, experience, or opportunity for The CLIENT to discover their ability to Relax a Muscle, to become more CONSCIOUS of that process.
This is Participatory Medicine, NOT spectator medicine. The Client consciously participates in the process, they are NOT just passive recipients.
Parasympathetic Activation & Polyvagal Normalization
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) — We consider the PNS to be a primary reason why our method, and most other Whole Health or Alternative Healing modalities, really work. It's because we are stimulating and encouraging the conditions necessary to activate the PNS and get the self-healing, health-restoring benefits that happen when the Client is in a Parasympathetic State.
The PNS — responsible for internal, self-healing processes of rest, digestion, regeneration, healing, and immune function of the body — responds best to weak to moderate stimulation of the nervous system. Strong to very strong sensations (such as during strength-building exercises) actually reduce or even STOP parasympathetic functions.
This is one reason we resist doing anything that causes a Client to resist our work. Therefore our LOW-Intensity, NO Pain, MORE Gain approach.
Poly-Vagal Informed Therapy — Of course, some people have heard of the Vagus Nerve and the Polyvagal part of the nervous system. It is responsible for control of most of the viscera — the organs that provide nutrients, energy, detoxification, and so on — and many emotional experiences originating in the viscera (internal organs) and biochemistry of the body. While some people believe the vagus nerves needs to be stimulated, sometimes it needs to be UN-stimulated and calmed down.
Reducing overall levels of C.E.M.&.N.T. reduces irritation of many elements of the BodyMind, including any vagus nerve irritation.
One thing most people do NOT know is the vagus nerve is 20% MOTOR action instructing the organs on what to do. Yet the vagus nerve is 80% SENSORY information coming from the organs, such as the Heart or Lungs, up to the Brain.
You might have heard of people "Speaking from the Heart." Well, that is NOT just metaphorical. It is a REALITY that when people are "listening to their gut," they really ARE. The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve, bringing large amounts of information FROM the viscera, the guts, up TO the brain.
The GREAT Awakening & Emotional Intelligence
As You'll Read About in My Special Report #1 (on this website), there is an entire and necessary Dimension of Human Experience that can open up with Mindful Bodywork & Yoga Therapy.
The Physical Body, such as the Vagus Nerve, is the Primary Source of Emotional Inputs into the Brain & Mind. Yes, the mind and brain can recirculate OLD emotional memories. But those are NOT feelings of "in-the-moment," Real Time Reality. They are OLD Feelings recycled and re-triggered by current reality.
Yet it is truly Present Moment FEELINGS that keep us in touch with what is going on all around us RIGHT NOW in REAL Time Reality! And when it comes to emotional intelligence, it is Right Now that counts the most.
Making Yoga & Bodywork MORE Relevant to MORE People
Harvard Business Review (HBR) is on top of most of the Leading Edge Trends in business. I suggest you take a look at some of their Quotes on the importance of EI (Emotional Intelligence) in the modern workplace. I have many of them in my Special Report #1 <<< CLICK LINK on this website.
But here are a few to get you going. And remember, the AI Revolution is Right NOW threatening to, and already taking over, a LOT of jobs, including upper management:
"As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership."
"Skills like persuasion, social understanding, and empathy are going to become differentiators as artificial intelligence and machine learning take over other tasks."
"Emotional intelligence matters more to your success as a manager than IQ or technical skill. Here's how AI can help with it."
You can get many reports and books on EI from HBR if you are interested.
I believe we BodyMind Therapists can refocus our mindful approaches to therapy such that our Prospects & Clients can experience the doors of their Emotional Intelligence opening up spontaneously JUST from being more mentally engaged with our physical bodywork with them.
You do NOT have to become a psychotherapist to achieve such results! You can Educate Your Clients on how it all works and how they can work with it. But you do NOT have to engage in psychotherapy to assist them in getting the results.
And DSL Edgework is ALREADY oriented to that level of Mindful Focus in Massage, Bodywork, & Yoga. You will learn about such things in the School of Hard Knots and the included Masterclass on Muscles.
Doing massage, stretching, Tai Chi, dance therapy, and such physical practices can be of Great Value to the Well-Being of someone who does them, especially on a regular basis. Yet more often than not, it is mostly popular with people who have pain & dysfunction that is interfering with Living their Lives.
Likewise, self-reflection, meditation, breathing, and/or various mindfulness exercises can also be of Great Value to their Well-Being. Yet people who are into that are at this time a much smaller group of people.
HOWEVER, when you harmonize mental processes with physical exercises in an integral way, you get an exponential shift in your internal consciousness. And with the concerns many people have today about being replaced by Artificial Intelligence, that opens a whole new market for us.
We just have to figure out the best ways to Engage, Educate, & Enroll those people who would be interested in such a pursuit.
I am proposing that we, as Massage, Bodywork & Yoga Therapists, can offer our Clients a More Enhanced Experience of BodyMind Integration & Expansion beyond what can be done with physical or mental work alone.
And EMOTIONS arise primarily from the soft tissues, from the neuropeptides, hormones, & neurotransmitters of the physical BODY, then work their way up and into the MIND. Therefore the Vehicle of Emotion, the Vehicle of Self-Expression, the BodyMInd, can become far more accessible just by the practice of using the "mindful mind" to more deeply FEEL the physical body. We literally open the channels of sensation and emotion, giving the mind more access to the hidden phenomena in the body.
Our BodyMind—Work Can Spontaneously Open Doors to the Deeper Self of Emotional Intelligence & BodyMind Integration.
Adjunctive Techniques
There are three other Adjunctive Manual "Tools" or Techniques used VERY occasionally, maybe 10% of the time in total. But when you need them, there they are.
The most used is DSL's Neuro-Fascial Release Technique (similar to Skin Rolling in NMT but FAR less aggressive & NOT painful), used to reduce irritation primarily in the Superficial Fascia, the deepest layer of the skin.
HOWEVER, we always do it within the NO Pain, MORE Gain philosophy. (With the ONE partial exception mentioned in the next section below.)
MORE on Adjunctive Release Techniques
We also use Traction, and "Rocking & Rolling" on some occasions. What rocking & rolling the joints does is set up a "Pattern Interrupt" that "confuses" the nervous system, which often makes it "give up" its tension patterns.
Traction (done manually without a machine) will give some generalized stretch to muscles and decompression to a joint when the Client's skin & muscles are too irritated to do manual soft tissue techniques with them right away.
The Neuro-Fascial DE-Facillitation Release Technique, similar to "skin-rolling" in NMT, can be VERY valuable. It consists of a gentle, slight "pinching up" of a small portion of skin and holding a sustained grip, but within the Client's comfort zone. There is just enough stimulation of the nerve endings to trigger a neuro-relaxation response.
Occasionally, even that is too painful, so the Therapist uses a "catch & drag" action to gently pull and hold the skin laterally, which has a similar effect.
These approaches to the skin tissues usually get results within a few minutes in each location of stimulated skin. For some people, it is very localized, in others you have to "de-facilitate" many "spots" or areas of skin.
The Other Primary Technique is sometimes, and sometimes surprisingly, a Client achieves everything they need with proper Let-Go Yoga Postures alone, with NO manual therapy.
Regardless, IF they will do it, the Client IS shown a customized, tailored set of Let-Go Yoga Postures they can use at home to enhance the results of their Therapy, and/or use it for Maintenance after they have completed their Therapeutic Bodywork Objectives.
ULTIMATELY, the MOST effective method is to combine the Hands-On, Manual Technique with the Client being in a Yoga Posture. DSL's Edge-Touch Yoga Assist — manually stimulating the muscle being stretched while the Client is in a physical yoga posture — helps Clients, while IN a posture, use their mind to deepen mental & emotional contact with their Neuro-Musculo-Fascia. That's because a far wider range of sensations are arising from their musculo-fascial units that the mind can focus on.
Finally, the one time I allow for a slight increase in actual pain: Sometimes, a Client has a nerve that is very stimulated and painful, and it does not de-facilitate with more common methods.
What I will do is apply some pressure to the pain point, up till the point that the pain goes UP just slightly. I then have the Client focus their attention and breathe. Almost always, within a few seconds to minutes, the pain will begin to subside. I completely release pressure, giving the Client a few moments to relax.
We then repeat the process. Each time, most often, we get a little deeper. We repeat the process until the pain has been processed fully, or as fully as we have time for that session.
Works Pretty Good!
Where & When to Work
Better ANSWERS to the Puzzles of Posture, Pain & Dysfunction ...
with a Focus on Performance & Prevention.
YOU WANT ANSWERS?
WE HAVE THEM!
And If YOU Have Those Answers, You Are FAR More Equipped to Solve The Problems of Your Clients. And if You apply yourself to the knowledge, skills & INSIGHTS we help You develop, YOU can become an EXPERT, if not THE Expert, in Your Community on Soft Tissue Issues!
"The People of the World already have Too Much Information. ... What they NEED is Deeper, More Relevant Insights and Wisdom!" [ ~DSL ]
So How Do We Do It?
With BIO-Structural Analysis, Postural Evaluation & the Homeopathic Interview, giving the Therapist, and the Client (!!!), a FAR wider, deeper, better picture of what's going on in the Client's BodyMind. This provides far more information on how to produce a Comprehensive Treatment Strategy for Myo-Structural Balancing, Bodywork, & Yoga Therapy
In Our Science-based Curriculum, You Will Learn:
• Advanced Structural Anatomy
• Functional Kinesiology
• Neuromuscular & Myo-Fascial Physiology
• BodyMInd Neurology
• Physical / Structural Sciences (Physics)
Myo-Structural & Postural Balancing
Myo-Structural DE-Compression & Postural Balancing
In Myo-Structural Balancing (for short), our Primary Objective is to figure out which are the most "locked short" & over-shortened muscles, or the Primary Contractors. These muscles usually have the most amount of MOTOR NERVE TONUS keeping them contracted or "tight." They are also most likely to be causing the most problems, such as pulling us DOWN & OVER — or DOWN & FORWARD — collapsing us into the field of gravity.
As a result of imbalances in the gravitational pulls, other muscles must be recruited to keep the body upright and stable. Called upon to do things they are NOT supposed to be doing, the muscles eventually become exhausted, painful, and or dysfunctional.
For Example, it is NOT "strong back muscles" that are supposed to keep our torso upright or vertical in space. It is properly managed water pressure within the abdominal cavity (intra-abdominal pressure) that buoys our rib cage, chest, neck & head, upward and back onto our more balanced Vertical Line.
- Vertical Line: the somewhat imaginary line through the ear, the shoulder, the hips, knees, and ankles.
That means we need to keep ALL our abdominal muscles Relaxed, Lengthened, & Properly Balanced, NOT rigid with high levels of Nerve TONUS. (Although the Transversus Abdominus muscle needs to be somewhat engaged to keep our posture upright and our lumbar region decompressed.)
The over-lengthened muscles, or the Secondary Contractors, are ALSO tight, sometimes TIGHTER than the Primary Contractors, because they are often working harder to keep the body from collapsing into gravity! They are stabilizing us against the downward pull of gravity and our very own locked-short muscles!
In the Above Illustration, the muscles on the Client's Right Side (on your left, in GRAY) are the Primary Contractors, the over-short muscles. The muscles on the Client's Left (your right, in RED) are the Secondary Contractors.
Our Job is to use our Tension Release Techniques to facilitate the sensory recovery, the Relaxation & Lengthening of those musculo-fascial units. Neurologically, this is done by REDUCTION of NERVE TONUS flowing to the over-shortened muscles from the CNS & Brain.
Gravity is NOT the Enemy. ...
One of our "Jobs" is to help people discover that it is how WE RELATE to Gravity that is the REAL Problem.
We Can Learn to RELEASE the Natural Forces Built In at Birth!
Or Rather, we UN-Learn the unnatural Habit Patterns working against those natural forces. That is a process of Psycho-Neuro-Muscular DE-Conditioning, reducing the habitual tensions and stresses that have accumulated over the years.
Regarding Gravity, you can think of the Simple Logic that proper, upright, & buoyant posture, and working WITH Gravity and NOT against it, is NOT a function of "Strong Muscles."
If it was, how come very young children, just after they learn to stand up and walk, have VERY Upright, VERY Fluid, Effortlessly Great Postures with their "Vertical Line" in perfect alignment?
Little children do not slouch. (Not until they start sitting in chairs, that is, especially over a laptop computer or tablet.)
It is because a young child's muscles are Relaxed, Lengthened, & BALANCED. THAT is what allows their body to maintain proper Water Pressures within their body, which provides UPRIGHT BUOYANCY.
And they never went to a Yoga or Pilates class to get good posture, either. ... (Ever heard of "Yoga in the Womb?" ... Me neither.)
The forces, such as water pressures, that manage such internal things are BUILT IN BY NATURE at Birth.
If you have to "THINK" about your posture, no matter how GOOD it looks, it is probably WRONG. Because you should NOT be using valuable space in your conscious mind & brain to "hold" yourself in "proper posture."
Using Physical Yoga, preferably with Mindfulness, to keep your muscles Relaxed, Lengthened, & Balanced, and in the Right Sequence, is one of The Keys to Great Posture.
Yoga for the WEST of Us
Yoga for the WEST of Us ... Making Yoga Relevant for 21st Century Americans in Western Civilization
YOGA Defined #1: The Quality of Attention (Mindfulness) One pays to whatever they are doing in that moment.
YOGA Defined #2: To bring two or more things or processes together to produce an integrated, synergistic, whole unit* or system.
- UNIT or UNITY: state of being united or joined as a whole, integral system
DSL Integrates those two definitions, such as Mindfully (meaning high-quality ATTENTION) Exploring the deep Neuro-Connections & Functions between our Mind & Body (the brain, CNS*, nerves, muscles & fascia) integrating the two as in BodyMind. And we account for the Work, Home & Life Environment of a Client and how their BodyMInd interacts with that environment.
[ *CNS is central nervous system)
Physical YOGA, or Conscious Stretching, is a VERY useful and effective tool for engaging with, reducing, managing, or eliminating C.E.M.&.N.T.
DSL DOES Recognize certain Essential Insights from the East, but none of them are mystical or religious in nature. It's more like being In The Zone as in Martial Arts.
Is American Yoga "Religious"?
A NOTE ON THE ALLEGED "RELIGIOUS" IMPLICATIONS OF YOGA:
The DSL Method of Physical, Mental & Relational Yoga does NOT practice the Traditional Hindu Yoga taught in the Far East. In fact, MOST of the physical Yoga Postures taught by the "gurus" in India did NOT originate as "ancient Hindu Yoga practices," but came from the gymnasiums in Europe in the late 19th & early 20th Centuries. ... WHAT???
At Request of the Indian Government & Military, the exercises were imported to India in part by the YMCA (Young Men's Christian [!!!] Association) to build up the strength & endurance of Indian men.* Aside from 15 or so truly "ancient" yoga postures (mostly sitting postures for meditation and the Cobra to "release sexual energy") in the traditional yoga literature, any association of MOST yoga postures with "mysticism" or "ancient religious practices" was fabricated and added on by some of the modern-day Indian Gurus. (Those guys were excellent marketers, by-the-way. And they had some excellent marketing teachers here in the West.)
[ * SEE the book: Yoga Body by Mark Singleton; Oxford University Press, 2010. ]
Myth-Conceptions
CHALLENGING MYTH-CONCEPTIONS ...
For Just ONE EXAMPLE ...
I'm Often Asked, WHAT is This Method? ... Do We Treat Muscles? Or Do We Treat Fascia?
Neither ... We Treat BOTH as ONE Fully Integrated, Synergistic, Wholistic System? Here's Why It Matters ...
(Hopefully this Secton on Myth-Conceptions gives you an idea of the depth in which we go into scientific things, so you can decide if you want to study and practice at that level.)
A NOTE on the Semi-MYTH-Conceptions About "Muscles" and "Fascia" as if they were significantly different tissues:
Yes, when it comes to studying Structural Anatomy & Physiology, Muscle Cells and Deep Fascia ARE VERY DIFFERENT. But in Actual Living Function, they are NOT SEPARATE.
This Isn’t Just Theory — it’s a look into how you solve chronic pain others haven’t, from double-curve scoliosis to simple stiffness.”
PLEASE LOOK CLOSELY ... at the two Illustrations Above. ...
On the Left, you'll see a muscle with the Deep Fascia, Epimysium, Perimysium, & Endomysium labeled. ALL 4 layers are "fascial sheaths." And sometimes ALL of these sheaths or layers are referred to as Deep Fascia, AKA Fascia Profunda (as opposed to the Superficial Fascia, shown in the illustration above on the Right, discussed further below).
This means these "deep" layers of Deep Fascia are deeper than the superficial fascia. But much of "deep fascia" is just under the skin, so much of it is not really "deep" at all.
These "Deep" Fascial Sheaths, among several other important functions, contain & protect muscle cells, as well as deliver the Contractile Force of muscle cells to the bones & joints.
The Deep Fascia also provides nutritional & fluid flows and provides vast amounts of sensory nerve input.
Fascia Is Only Minimally Elastic ...
Medical research says MOST fascial sheaths (which converge to become tendons) can lengthen (via elasticity) up to 4% without tearing or breaking down, and occasionally, in a few cases, up to 7 to 10% of resting length. This is compared to changes in up to 150% to 200% of resting length for muscle cells. (And muscle cells have very little TRUE elasticity either.)
- With a few limited exceptions like the nuchal ligament in the posterior (back) of the cervical (neck) vertebrae, beyond 4% of extensibility (or stretch-ability), most fascial tissue will tend to break down or tear.
- Deep Fascial Sheaths off the msucles should have MINIMAL elasticity to do their main jobs correctly. Too much elasticity and they would become very inefficient, almost useless, at their primary functions.
Some people wonder how a muscle can relax & lengthen if it is not elastic. That is a VERY important area of science we study closely in the School of Hard Knots.
It is very common today for various therapists, physicians, and researchers to speak or write of Muscles and Fascia as two distinct and different "things." And there is a tendency to assign functions to fascia that are FAR more accurately functions of muscle cells. And there are whole therapy systems based on the idea you can treat or stretch fascia separately from the muscles, as if they are two different AND separate systems.
We must also be careful to distinguish between Superficial and Deep Fascia. While their fundamental tissue structure is very similar, their functions are quite different.
While it is true the Deep Fascia and Muscle Cells are VERY DIFFERENT anatomically & physiologically, you can SEE they are so intimately ensheathed, intertwined, & interdependent as to be nearly useless or non-functional without each other. They are designed to work TOGETHER in harmony. Their very DIFFERENT functions allow them to work TOGETHER, SYNERGISTICALLY, as Critically Important Elements of Movement, Stabilization, Mobilization & Action. And of course, they assist many metabolic functions as well (among other things).
- Here, I am using the word Movement to refer to muscular action that, for example, causes the diaphragm to move the lungs, and the heart to pump blood, or to stabilize the posture, through alternating phases of contraction & relaxation of muscle fibers.
- This is compared to Taking Action, which I'm referring to as something the body does to move around.
Therefore, I prefer to think of and treat muscle cells and fascia as Integrated, Wholistic, Functional UNITS — Unity: united or joined as a whole — rather than as "separate" or independent tissues. ...
And when you touch a muscle through the skin, applying even very slight pressure, ALREADY has you into the muscle cells as well as the deep fascia. You are pressing through the skin and superficial fascia, which is, for the most part, extremely thin.
It is my observation & experience that — with VERY limited exceptions (such as the superficial fascia of the skin) — muscle cells & deep fascial sheaths can-NOT be effectively treated as truly separate tissues. You can watch videos on the internet with therapy teachers demonstrating a technique while saying they are "treating the fascia." Yet it Is OBVIOUS they are ALSO pressing into the muscle cells as well as "treating the fascia."
What's The Big Deal?
A number of VERY IMPORTANT "tissue issues" and strategic problems, critical errors in assessment, often arise from the "modern" conceptions & assumptions about fascia when discussed as being "separate" from muscles.
One problem is because of some people's high focus on fascia, and their ideas about how it works, when they were attempting to straighten a scoliosis, they were often working on the wrong muscles & tissues, on the OPPOSITE side of where they should have been working. And either their Client would NOT straighten up, or the problem would keep coming back, or they would occasionally get worse.
(As I described elsewhere on this website, I did a presentation of my work to some Rolfers once, using scoliosis as the subject of my talk. I was saying the OPPOSITE of what they thought was The Truth. Yet they almost instantly saw that what I was saying made a LOT of sense. Some of them changed their assessment & treatment methods as a result.)
The Problems arise in great part because some people want to assign characteristics of muscle cells to fascia, in part because fascia has become the New Holy Grail or a FAD of Therapy.
Now, again, it IS true there IS a BIG difference between "Superficial Fascia" (the deepest layer of our very thin skin, shown in the right-hand illustration above) and the "Deep Fascia" (the various layers of more-or-less tubular sheaths containing the muscle cells).
I explain the treatment of "Superficial Fascia" somewhat in a few sections above with Neuro-Fascial Release. In my eCourses and eBooks, I give significant attention to knowing the nature of those differences AND harmonies for effective and accurate evaluation & treatment. But these are seldom, if EVER, discussed by those who claim to "treat the fascia."
THEREFORE, FYI ... when I speak of "Muscles" in these pages, I am referring to the entire Musculo-Fascial Unit as a Whole, Synergistic, Unified System. ...
HOWEVER, if I'm talking about muscle cells separately from fascia, I use the term "muscle cells." ... If I'm referring to superficial fascia or deep fascia (fascial sheaths), I will use those terms specifically as well.
This is a VERY IMPORTANT topic. It helps you learn to "Think Structurally" and make your Evaluation Skills FAR More Precise. I have an eBook on this website ( CLICK the button right here below: "Facts & Fallacies on Fascia" ) explaining, in great detail with illustrations, most of the above described concepts of deep fascial sheaths, superficial fascia, and muscle cells.
BIO / History of DSL & DSL EdgeWork
From Structural Steel Ironworker in South Suburban Chicago with NO College Degree, to a Yoga Teacher, to Founder of a Method of Mindful Medical Massage, Myo-Structural Balancing & Yoga Therapy ...
With 44+ Years of In-Depth Experience ...
NOW Helping YOU On Becoming A Leading Edge EXPERT!
I’ve spent 44+ years mastering whole health. I started at 13 years old with martial arts, where I "accidentally" discovered Zen-style Buddhist Meditation — shaping everything in my life since. No ivory tower here — just hands-on grit, transforming pain into possibility for, via my students, thousands. I’ve blended philosophy, psychology, & science to Elevate Humans, not just fix bodies. Now, I’m mentoring therapists like YOU to become Leading Edge Experts — Time-Binders, as Alfred Korzybski said, who shape the future.
BTW, not everyone wants to be "Elevated." I have No Problem with that. They can get tremendous benefits without significant psychological participation in the process. Yet, just by paying attention to their body more in therapy, they can have transformational experiences.
The Future of Neuro-Musculo-Fascial Therapy is Opening Up EVEN FURTHER and Going NEXT LEVEL for Those Who Want to BE a Leading Edge EXPERT on Treatment of Soft Tissue Issues. Increasing numbers of People In The Public are realizing the Benefits of Massage, Bodywork, & Yoga Therapy.
And although the numbers are increasing, too few Physicians or Therapists understand the Full Range of what Great Musculo-Fascial Therapy can do for their Patient or Client Population. ...
BUT YOU WILL! ... And YOU Can Educate Them!
If You want an in-depth Introduction & Description of my work and how I developed it, and how it MIGHT inspire YOU to do something similar, the story starts on the Following *About* Page (Please CLICK HERE for the "Rest of My Story" LINK). OR Below, at the end of this Text.
My Detailed Story describes my journey; so skim it or dive in. If it resonates with You, my work will too.
Yes, it is a somewhat LONG Story & Description. It's more like a small eBook — a BIO / History — than just part of a web page. But if you're going to be investing TIME: Time, Intelligence, Money, and/or Energy in me or my work, you should know who & what you are getting into, and WHY.
And if MY STORY resonates with You, You will probably resonate with my WORK too ...
And it just might inspire YOU to write YOUR Story to help YOU become a Leading Edge Expert in YOUR Community.
ALSO, I have a LOT of written material, which for many people is STILL a most efficient & convenient way to learn & absorb a LOT of information. And if you want to BE a Leading Edge Expert, you'll want to know MORE — a LOT more — not LESS.
Yes, you will get a lot of material from me via PDF eBooks, Video, and Talking on Zoom or Phone and such, but if you do not like to read, it would take a LONG time to access most of what I can show you about therapy. So if you do NOT like to read, you might not want to continue here.
There IS a LOT to KNOW!
However, My Job is to get You Up & Running from the very beginning, with the minimum You need to know to become a more Effective Practitioner.
THEN, we start to fill in your more in-depth knowledge so You can become a Leading Edge Expert.
MY PLAN for THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOTS is to give You the Knowledge & Skill Base I had when I started teaching to Practicing Therapists and became known as an innovator and "expert."
Yes, I had certain Advantages, such as starting meditation when I was 13 years old and doing 3 and 4 hours of yoga per day for many months on end over several periods of time over the years.
Yet I am known for being able to distill complex things down to more simple forms. So My Job will be to give You the ESSENTIALS in a matter of hours, days, or weeks, instead of you having to spend months, years, or decades finding it out on your own.
We call that Time-Binding, as You will see.
( Time-Binding is something one of Ida P. Rolf's teachers, Alfred Korzybski, talked about, and an important element of the Philosophy of DSL Edgework. )
While I fully and sincerely believe I can give you a MAJOR Head Start in a few months (15 Modules), this is NOT a Quick & Easy Shortcut to "Mastery." This is NOT just Tips & Tricks. You've got to WANT to be a MASTER, not a Follower.
HOWEVER, my PLAN is that in the first two modules (the first two weeks), you will already have enough input and ideas to make BIG changes in your practice and your ability to work with more certainty on Complex, Long-term Chronic, Difficult-to-Treat Clients.
BUT OF COURSE, You do NOT have to read all of what I offer You! But if you DO read much of it, I hope it INSPIRES YOU to take YOUR Practice to YOUR Next Level too! ...
Do not underestimate your ability to "Know" The Truth at the Experiential Level, even if you do not yet know the sciences behind it.
One of my Mottos is the more you know about how the neuro-musculo-fascial & joint system WORKS, the more you know about how to WORK WITH it.
And MY Job & Mission is to give You access to that knowledge as much and as soon as possible.
BUT obviously, I can't DO it without YOU!
SO ... I'm now working to get back to my long "on-hold" programs to Educate & Mentor Therapists who want to have access to my now 44+ years of Insights, Strategies, & Skills to Evaluate & Treat long-term chronic, complex, difficult-to-treat soft tissue issues of their Clients.
I'm also, for those who want it, going to be working with my Students on Defining & Designing their Ideal Practice, on Developing their Practice to FIND Their Ideal Clients, and refine their Communications & Marketing so they can become well-known as a Leading Edge Expert in their Community.
If any of that is something YOU want, Please Get In Touch!
Thank You Very Much for Reading!
- David Scott Lynn ( DSL )
- DSL: Your High-Touch Uplink to Your Inner-Net
- Inner-Net: Your Psycho-Neuro-Musculo-Fascial System