One thing I find interesting about Dahn Yoga is their ability to communicate their business so effectively to non-Koreans. I'm not hating on Koreans (remember, I'm a Korean-American and the darnest proudest one ever), but I am curious that a non-native English speaking business is able to manipulate the masses on an international scale.
I'm not just talking about the outrageous news reported on CNN and other media outlets. I'm talking about the everyday business that's conducted at your local Dahn center.
For example, Dahn offers a ton of seminars, workshops, and training courses outside of the yoga classes.* Most of these extracurricular events are conducted in Korean with a shoddy English Translator. The major events, ie, those that bring in over 20 people, are conducted in Korean by reps from the Motherland.
For non-Korean participants at these events, I wonder how the message of their enlightenment comes across. There are MANY students who eat this stuff up and caught up in the cult craze. What I find especially funny is imagining the reactions of the non-Koreans during the seminars. I mean, Koreans are quite animated and loud in situations of mass frenzy. Wouldn't the students be put off by these antics from the get go? My question is, how does the message translate when the cultures are so different?
Have you ever attended a Dahn Yoga event? Perhaps some of you went to "Shim Sung," which is their Superbowl of Dahn events. I'm sure there was an old comrade of Ilchi Lee's who was their flailing his arms around and lambasting your lives, your health, your relationships, and basically breaking you down emotionally before he said that the answer for your life was Dahn Yoga and the message of hope from their founder, Ilchi Lee. Barf. Gag me with a spoon.
Any insights, folks?
*Most of the yoga classes are conducted in English either by native English speakers or by Korean "masters" who have a fair handle of the language. Dahn Yoga centers that are located in heavily Korea-centric neighborhoods (like all the ones in Koreatown, Los Angeles) are conducted in Korean for their primarily Korean students by Korean instructors.
It's so nice see this blog. I am the webmaster of anti Dahn Yoga cult antisybi.org (in Korean). Your first hand experience is imperative to help other unsuspecting victims who may fall for this dangerous cult. Everything about this cult is lies and deception. If you pay enough money, you can be a "master" in couple of weeks. Fortunately this cult is not doing well at all. For 5 years straight, their review have been declining. This cult is insulting Korean tradition and culture. And did you know "Dr. Ilchi Lee" is a diploma mill Ph.D?
ReplyDeleteI was so glad to see this post. I am one of the victims of Dahn Yoga cult. There's so much deception and copied practices of others without giving credit back. The bogus story of Ilchi Lee not eating, drinking, sleeping for 21 days which is when he was enlightened is most unbelievable story of all. Everyone knows it is not humanly possible to survive that long. This practice is not about offering classes. The classes are simply a way to get people in to begin their brain washing practice. Before you know it you are coerced and pushed into taking workshop after workshop and end up spending 100s if not thousands of dollars. They hypnotize you into believing money doesn't matter as long as you spend it for Dahn Yoga and their profit Ilchi Lee. They generally pray on lonely retired or very young people to give them a sense of belonging and eventually they take you away from society and drown you into Dahn Cult society. Their practice is neither yoga nor Tai Chi. Even that's a lie. It's Dahn Hak, but when they called it that no one showed up so they used a marketing scam and called it Yoga and later even added Tai Chi. If anyone has taken Tai Chi would know their classes is not Tai Chi. They bash America education system, America society and fool you into joining their cause to leave school, leave your job, give your life time savings to them to become enlightened. Makes me sick to stomach.
ReplyDeleteMakes me sick too to see how many people get fooled. And he (Lee) is trying to get into public schools! At this point all who have conscience should get envolved and stop him before he raises a whole generation of dumb obedient idiots.
DeleteAlthough for the record, it is possible to meditate and not eat even longer then 21 day. But it doesn't happen when you are in an awaken state if mind. You'd have to be in a very very deep meditation to a point where your body adapts a vegetative state (like a bear in winter). One thing to note is that if one reaches such mastery of his/her mind one does acquire certain unusual abilities which he/she should be able to demonstrate. When I asked in his FB page when he would demonstrate something I was told that he will when people are ready. (I was laughing). Then that pits was deleted. Lol.
Thanks for blogging about Dahn Yoga. I'm not sure if you're still posting but it's nice to see your efforts in revealing the fraud that is Dahn Yoga. My friend who was broke and going to school two years ago joined Dahn Yoga, quit school, took out loans to fund whatever this cult requires, and I haven't seen her since. Worried about her but there's not much I can do. I heard from the grapevine that she is not allowed/planning to see the outside world for another two years when her "training" is done. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI have a bad story too! I'm glad I found your blog as I wanted to leave a review of Dahn Yoga but my story contains personal details I'm not comfortable having made public.
ReplyDeleteI went one day expecting it to be a normal yoga studio. One of the first few questions they asked me (multiple times by multiple people) was if I was married and if I had kids. I said married, no kids. After the open class, one of the "masters" asked if we could chat so I said sure. She took me to a room and did the whole body alignment thing on me. I was open to the experience but a bit skeptical. When she asked why I showed up that day I figured I would tell her the truth and said that we have been trying to have kids so I am looking for a non-hot yoga studio I can go to consistently, as I worry about the heat. She asked if we'd been trying for awhile (like what is up with all the personal questions??). It is a sensitive subject for me because yes, we have.
We go through the whole body, organ palpation thing. She asks how it feels and if I say I don't feel anything she says, that's really bad, your are numb. If I say it feels painful, that's bad too. Then one part tickled me (though I was laughing mostly at the absurdity at the situation) and she said wow, that is REALLY bad, those are your ovaries. That's why you aren't getting pregnant, it's because you have stress. That's what brought you here today, to get pregnant. Your inflexible organs can even cause you to have pregnancy complications. Then she strongly tried to sell me on a year package, then three months, then 10 days. I was like no, no, no, I'm not going to sign up for a bunch of classes after just one class that I didn't find all that great.
So after I left I couldn't get this persons comments out of my head. I was thinking, well, yes, stress can affect fertility but what does she know, diagnosing me after touching my stomach for 2 seconds. I was torn between hating her pseudoscience but also wondering if I maybe it WAS a sign. It was all very unsettling. Something about the experience reminded me of when I was hard core into a church that was also cult like. I disagreed with their philosophies but never was able to eloquently express myself and doubted my disbelief.
So I decided to google Dahn Yoga and then came up all this controversy and stories, and let me tell you, I feel 1,000 times better! Now I know for sure that my organs are not inflexible and causing my infertility. I will stick with a doctor, thank you very much. It was a manipulation tactic. Lets find out what you really want (kids) and tell you you won't have it unless you sign up for a year of classes. Throw in some extra scare tactics that your future baby will have complications unless you do too. What a horrible thing to say to someone!
Don't ever doubt your skepticism. Forget having faith. Have doubt!
They have a lot of Dahn Yoga places everywhere, I was about to try one out. I was also part of a Korean Church called, "Darakbang" and found out it was a cult too..It's strange because this Church became a big part of my early memories and molded me as a person. They have many good reviews on Dahn Yoga at the place I went to, it's sad that this would be a cure too as some people look for ways to cure their depression. Darakbang now this? I must find another outlet. It's hard to find something to bring me peace and cure my PTSD. I don't have a big family or a lot of support so it makes getting cured so much harder..
ReplyDeleteI really wish you find the right person to help you with your PTSD. I'm glad you realized that it will not happen at Dahn yoga. Have you tried a good psychologist? At least they have a license to get into your brain.
DeleteI'm glad you realized that Dahn yoga won't help you. If you let someone into your brain let it be at least someone who is licensed to do it and studied for at least four years to become a pro in the brain science. Seriously, in their world if you pay 3-5 thousands of dollars and go on a five day training you can become a "master". It's scary to give your trust to a brainwashed rookie.
DeleteHi! Thank you so much for blogging. I am a former Dahn master who got out a few years back. I haven't checked on the web traffic in awhile, as I needed time to heal. I'm glad there are people still talking about the fact that the organization is not simply a yoga/fitness business but, in fact, is a cult that believes Ilchi Lee is an enlightened being to be followed (rather than following Jesus or Buddha or any other typically accepted Godlike figure) to achieve full enlightenment in this life. Anyway. Thanks again :)
ReplyDeleteAll they do...should not be ignored. If there is such thing as Karma I shall be it for those charlatans!
DeleteThanks for this blog and putting the word out. I am also a former Dahn Master and paid at last $200,000 over maybe two years with Dahn for trainings that did absolutely nothing for me. Dahn is a well structured cult including brain-washing, illicit business practices, secretiveness, and rank and order and lies, lies, lies. I do tend to be naive, was making a lot of money and loved the trainings at the time I was doing them, loved going to Tao Fellowship in Sedona which Ilchi Lee masterfully set up as a non-profit so he doesn't have to pay taxes for the money on his largest priced trainings of over $100,000. The brain-washing was about saving one's soul (sound familiar?). And soul's completion was the only way to save one's soul, which now doesn't make sense at all. In order to save your soul you must pay for higher and higher priced trainings by taking loans from your credit cards or others if necessary and yelling and screaming is often used as a tactic if you refuse anything they ask you to do. I am not a person who takes well to yelling and screaming so I would simply yell right back. But I did pay and I paid big until one day I was actually asked to lie to another member so she would take the same high priced training that I did. Then I said no, I can't do that. And I knew I had to get out. I had two trainings I had already paid for, $10,000 total price and I wanted my money back. Of course they said no. I knew, because of their bad Internet publicity, that this would work: I told them that I would spread across all social medial everything that they had done to me if I didn't get my money back within one week and "I have a LOT of friends." I had my money in my bank in two days. That is how frightened they are of bad press. And they should be. Thanks again for this blog. The word is spreading again.
ReplyDelete