I admit it. When I was into Dahn Yoga, I bought 2 of their books, Human Technology and Brain Wave Vibration. Both titles are written by Dahn head honcho and founder, Ilchi Lee, who is a native Korean. The books are obviously translated into English, and they are written in a natural manner, ie. no strange Korean expressions literally translated into English. They're easy to read, follow, and accessible.
I still have both titles on my book shelf. For some reason, I still can't get myself to throw them away. And, I certainly wouldn't feel right donating them to the library or giving them away. I wouldn't want to spread the word of Dahn Yoga to others...well, other than to expose them, by means of this personal blog, at least.
I was thinking about doing a book review on both titles before I do throw them into the incinerator (actually, my recycle bin). I have to say that I quite enjoyed Human Technology when I last read it about 5 years ago. I don't know if this was because I was unwittingly allowing myself to explore New Age thinking beyond my strong Christian beliefs. In any case, I recall decent explanations about how our brains are wired and that we can incorporate simple exercises to relieve pain and stress. Ugh, look at that - it's like I'm making a plug for a modality I vehemently oppose.
As I've stated repeatedly throughout this blog, I do believe in the health benefits of Dahn Yoga. It's the underlying sneakiness and cult-nature of how the business is run and its manipulation of vulnerable folks (the elderly, the meek, the lost) that is inherently wrong.
I never cared for Brain Wave Vibration, which is Ilchi Lee's pride and show, and one of the foundational principles of the Dahn practice. I recall it to be oversimplistic and unmemorable. I read it once and it is still in "Like New" condition. Too bad I will toss it today rather than make a couple bucks by selling on Amazon.
If you do want a mini review of Human Technology, do give me a hollar by leaving a comment. I accept anonymous comments; You do not have to register...what a bottleneck that is, BTW!
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Dahn Yoga's Good Business Practice: Storytelling
No matter what you say about Dahn Yoga's business practices, you've got to admit that they know how to market business quite effectively. I remember when I first signed up and cancelled immediately after my "trial period" ended (no pun intended), I was so intrigued by the health benefits that I asked about other people's stories.
After my initial "healing session" I felt refreshed and released, in spite being told I had many "blockages" in my heart and beating my sternum to a bruised pulp. I asked my healer, let's call him "Ishmael," how he came to know and work with Dahn Yoga. He told me an earnest story about his lifelong depression and how it was debilitating in his home and work life. Even though I didn't have an earth shattering impression of the guy either way, I connected with his story. I have experienced my own long seasons of depression and anxiety throughout my life.
That Dahn Yoga could be a panacea of ailments of the mind and body helped reel me in. The other students shared their own stories during tea time. Some came for the overall health benefits of traditional yoga (even though Dahn "Yoga" is far from that practice) while others had ACL tears, insomnia, chemical addictions, and standard physical discomforts, including pinched nerves and chronic aches and pains.
Any good business follows a standard model to get it off the ground and keep it running. A great business knows how to sell a story to their product and service. Dahn Yoga knows how to capitalize on this not only by encouraging their employees to have stories, facts, and case studies handy (ie, sales pitches, testimonials, etc.) but also by eliciting the stories of members during tea time.
Storytelling is a good thing. It brings people together by showing webs of commonality and empathy among otherwise total strangers. I think most businesses, including Dahn Yoga, use this tactic to be effective both financially and (hopefully) with the best intentions for self and collective improvement. It is up to the individual, of course, to determine how they are impacted by this information.
After my initial "healing session" I felt refreshed and released, in spite being told I had many "blockages" in my heart and beating my sternum to a bruised pulp. I asked my healer, let's call him "Ishmael," how he came to know and work with Dahn Yoga. He told me an earnest story about his lifelong depression and how it was debilitating in his home and work life. Even though I didn't have an earth shattering impression of the guy either way, I connected with his story. I have experienced my own long seasons of depression and anxiety throughout my life.
That Dahn Yoga could be a panacea of ailments of the mind and body helped reel me in. The other students shared their own stories during tea time. Some came for the overall health benefits of traditional yoga (even though Dahn "Yoga" is far from that practice) while others had ACL tears, insomnia, chemical addictions, and standard physical discomforts, including pinched nerves and chronic aches and pains.
Any good business follows a standard model to get it off the ground and keep it running. A great business knows how to sell a story to their product and service. Dahn Yoga knows how to capitalize on this not only by encouraging their employees to have stories, facts, and case studies handy (ie, sales pitches, testimonials, etc.) but also by eliciting the stories of members during tea time.
Storytelling is a good thing. It brings people together by showing webs of commonality and empathy among otherwise total strangers. I think most businesses, including Dahn Yoga, use this tactic to be effective both financially and (hopefully) with the best intentions for self and collective improvement. It is up to the individual, of course, to determine how they are impacted by this information.
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