Review: Dancing on the Edge by Tyrone Polastri

Welcoming readers into a lifelong journey of inner mastery, confidence, and awareness, Dancing on the Edge: Moving Through Life with Power, Dignity and Effectiveness by Tyrone Polastri takes a bold and original line on self-improvement and expansion of the self.

Exploring the complex challenges that lie at the edge of uncertainty, the author lays out critical tools and thought processes for decision-making and offers advice for increasing trust in our instincts and ourselves. Via a detailed but concise array of training tips and assessment tools, readers can navigate this difficult edge of self-doubt, which requires dedicated practice, a consistent vision, and ultimately, self-knowledge.

As a personal mastery trainer, Polastri offers a uniquely holistic approach to full-body improvement, drawing on his knowledge of somatic indicators to present an even more well-rounded methodology for growth. By synthesizing physical, psychological, social, and emotional lessons, this anecdote-peppered read stands out as an inspiring and accessible companion for self-improvement.

The first section of the book helps readers discover their “edge,” which consists of identifying one’s unique boundaries, learning to move forward through discomfort, defining your “self,” and efficiently tracking your journey. The second section moves into the reality that we cannot avoid the edge of transformation and growth, with guidance on remaining centered, understanding the dangers of stagnation, building the power of your voice, and the importance of practice when it comes to flirting with the unknown. The final section focuses on the titular dance – achieving a graceful relationship with uncertainty and change, and sincerely welcoming the opportunity that the edge provides throughout our lives.

Although written through the lens of an avid skier, coach, and sports enthusiast, the book is broadly accessible, given that everyone can relate to the liminal space between knowing and not knowing, and has likely experienced anxiety or paralysis when faced with a crucial fork in the road. Polastri’s analogies and metaphors linked to skiing never get too stretched or overworked, and the majority of the writing is a neatly structured blend of personal narrative, practical analysis/application of lessons learned, and academic dissection of behaviors and beliefs.

The book is also intentionally contemporary and updated for today’s specific obstacles, promoting the idea of mastering edge control when risk and uncertainty feel unavoidable in our daily lives. If you are choosing a new career path, embarking on a new relationship, shifting an unwanted behavioral pattern, or challenging your ideological boundaries, these challenges are difficult enough without the added pressure of economic or political discord. There is no denying that the years and decades ahead may prove to be an overwhelming array of tumultuous change and societal restructuring, so the core tenets of this guide represent a stable foundation for resilience in such a future.

Addressing key ideas of growth and progress from physiological, environmental, and philosophical angles, this is far more than a standard work of self-help with an athletic bent. It is an insightful guide into human nature writ large, deconstructing our beliefs, fears, instincts, and opportunities for change, which brilliantly drives home the core idea that a profound personal transformation is achievable by anyone.