The more i got into it, the more rules and restrictions were placed on me. Ready for the most aggravating ones? Certain questions were met with obvious disdain and instantly dismissed. If i probed, a snide remark about my character was thrown my way to quickly shut me up and put me in my place. There was always, ALWAYS another program i needed to complete in order to move onto the next phase of my sabumnim’s vision for me, which i was led to believe was really my vision for my life. Not to mention that the pressures placed on me to break up with my boyfriend and bring in new members was absolutely rediculous. I trained through pain, discomfort, dizziness, nausea, illness and absolute exhaustion. I thought yoga was supposed to relax people!

Anyway, when things stopped adding up i stopped participating. I have some friends that swear by Dahn yoga and some that insist it’s a cult. i honestly believe that cults are what people make of them. Although coerced, i was the one who took myself to that extreme. Ultimately, each person is responsible for his/her actions and although there are many scientific explanations as to why people obey authority figures, there has to be a point when you draw a line and decide your level of involvement. Discernment and critical thinking are what led me out of my dahn yoga fog. For the record, I do believe there are benefits such as decreased anxiety and personal empowerment, but you can achieve those things with any kind of exercise.
Bottom Line: THINK FOR YOURSELVES!

Thanks for inviting comments on your website. After 1 month of a 3-month membership with Dahn Yoga, I’ve decided to discontinue. I wondered early on if it was a cult, and the constant verbal suggestions — “Feel the warmth in your palm,” “You may feel a tingling in your fingertips,” etc. brought the word “hypnosis” to mind. I thought it would be a good form of exercise blended with true meditation and physical energy development. And the masters were very nice and likeable in the beginning. However, as time passed, my experience there became stranger and stranger.

(1) The masters will not give me straight answers. When I asked about the 5,000-year-old community and the ancient text / practice, one master said he didn’t know anything about it. The other master said that the first master DOES know about it — so he lied? — and that she knows about the history and can tell me about it. But she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she urged me to stop thinking and to feel instead.
(2) A Korean native (non-member) told me that all Korean people know about this — Dahn Yoga / Dahn Hak. She said that if I’m a Christian, I should stop going immediately. If you believe in God and Jesus, this is not for you because the meditation, which is put forth as opening energy channels and removing blockages, is actually a summoning of spirits. I should have guessed since we’re always led verbally to visualize a bright light coming from up above and traveling through our bodies via the different energy points into the ground. Bright light/energy coming from up above?

(3) There are other members who have openly declared their strong Christian faith. I once remarked (after a close call) that, instead of good intuition, I have strong guardian angels watching over me. At these times, the master’s body language changed ever so slightly, with seeming discomfort. If Dahn is for all people, shouldn’t there be acceptance of differences?

When the leadership lies or responds evasively, I don’t trust it. If I don’t trust someone, I’m definitely not going to let him or her hypnotize me! Although I’ve decided to discontinue Dahn Yoga, I felt a need to share some of my impressions. Thanks for the chance to do this, Jen.

The Dahn teachings worked well for Christian because he maintained discernment and was aware when he was being persuaded from his own personal path. I think the best teachers help us to see our own open doors to healing, faith and wholeness, rather than lead us down their own unique path.

I may not have reached a fully mature understanding here but I think of it like this, you can step back into warrior 1, you can rise into it from lunge, you can turn to it from warrior 2 and you will still arrive at warrior 1. My observation is that there can be many paths to God, enlightenment, healing, unity, peace, whatever you choose to call it and since we are all as unique as snow flakes so may our paths be unique.

Communication and community to promote peace, I agree. Feel free to stay connected and share here any time.

The student should be clear about their intention for sure. A master is a mentor/guide. Yes, there are many who walk this path, not only in dahn yoga. I have met great people in dahn yoga as a dahn yoga instructor. Yes it is true the greatest is life and those we encounter…I do agree. I never said Jen to put your lifes hands in the masters..in fact I wrote against that. Do you not see what I wrote? In fact there is always a change in dahn yoga centers so that there is not that attachment. You are right..true wisdom is to find what we do not know and all too often some create more of the unknown than meets the eye. You seem to be a peaceful person, however not knowing much and only about the alleged accusations as you do admit and i admire you for, i hope you are not so swayed to see the light of dahn yoga. In reference to Christina’s comment I know dahn Masters who love Jesus and buddha and at times in my discussion with them have talked about the misuse of reliegon now days using the bible for their own uses and totally avoiding the truth of Jesus’s teaching. In fact though I have not been to one of the HSP ranches I know where they have statues of all spiritual leaders on the ranch such as Jesus and Buddha. Communication is important and those who want to promote and seek peace such as ourselves have shown greatly. Thank you for allowing me to express myself here.

Well said, all of it. I think the reason Dahn is ‘allegedly’ ‘cultish’ is for the two factors you discuss in depth – the money and the worship of one way or no way, being take the Ilichi Lee way or the highway. Fortunately, you seem well grounded in your own beliefs and acceptance of other traditions. Unfortunately, some are more vulnerable than others and in seeking and needing answers or a path to follow it may be easy to fall into a for profit business rather than a loving and open spiritual community.

It is true that Western Yoga is heavy on the asana and a little too light on the spiritual practices. Raja and the spirit of community in meditation, devotion and love are what sets Yoga apart from say aerobics or step class. We need more of this in the west.

While I also embrace Eastern Philosophies and traditions, you may have a more in depth knowledge of these topics than I do. However, I maintain my belief that sat guru is self and truth. Turning over one’s power to a “master” is to risk discernment or to risk seeing the truth through one’s own eyes. There are wise teachers within us and all around us all the time. Life is a teacher, the Earth, children, animals, and many gifted teachers, instructors and professors.

True wisdom is to know how much we do not know. How can we learn it all from one ‘Master’?

Thank you for your comment and expanding this discussion.
Namaste,
Jen

Does your PR firm represent Dahn? Your statements if unfounded and unsubstantiated seem slanderous.

Thanks for commenting.