| Type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Health and Wellness |
| Founded | June 18, 1996 |
| Founder(s) | Ilchi Lee |
| Headquarters | Gilbert, AZ, USA |
| Number of locations | 69 Corporate owned locations, 35 Franchises |
| Area served | USA |
| Key people | Dong Hoon Cha (CEO and President) Hee Nam Kim (CFO) Joseph Alexander (VP and Gen. Counsel) |
| Products | Yoga and Self-Healing Books, Music and Video |
| Services | Yoga Classes, Tai Chi Classes, Ki Gong Classes |
| Employees | 210 |
| Website | www.dahnyoga.com |
Dahn yoga (also known as Dahn Hak or Dahnhak) is a Korean "yoga" system and business founded in 1985 by Ilchi Lee. In Korean, dahn means "primal, vital energy," and hak means "study of a particular theory or philosophy."[1] Dahn teachings are said to place equal emphasis on physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.[2] News sources have described its exercises as "a blend of yoga, tai chi, and martial arts exercises."[2] Dahn Yoga is taught through for-profit and non-profit studios as well as community centers.[3]
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Dahn Yoga's training methods are intended to improve the practitioner's health through development of the energy system and enhancement of the mind-body connection.[4] The practice draws upon traditional notions of ki, also known as chi or qi.[5] A typical class begins with what is called "Meridian Stretching" exercise, which is believed to stimulate the energy in the body.[6] After these stretching exercises, practitioners normally follow a sequence of postures to accumulate and circulate energy in the body.[7] Classes often include elements of meditation, as well.[1]
An article by three physicians from Weill Cornell Medical College published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reported the conclusions of a 3-month study of community-based mind-body training methods. The study surveyed 171 adults enrolled at various Dahn Yoga Centers in the New York City area. All of the participants had taken ten or fewer classes at the beginning of the study. They scored poorer in measures of health-related quality of life than the general U.S. population and were significantly sedentary at the start of the study. The article concludes that participants reported "moderate improvements after 3 months of practice" with increased scores "in all [of the surveyed] domains of health-related quality of life, fewer depressive symptoms, less trait anxiety, and greater self-efficacy.".[8] The design and objectivity of the study has been called into question by Dr. William Briggs, PhD, statistician and professor at Weill Cornell, who critiqued the study on his blog and described why he believes the positive results were likely due to regression to the mean. [9]
In 1985 the first Dahn Yoga Center opened in downtown Seoul. In 1991 the first U.S. Dahn Yoga Center was opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1997 the Sedona Ilchi Meditation Center (SIMC) was established, hosting specialized programs open to Dahn yoga members for a fee. Over the next ten years Dahn yoga focused on expanding its operations globally. In 2006 Dahn yoga introduced two new training methods.[10] The first, DahnMuDo, also referred to as “The Art of Being Limitless,” is advertised as a non-combative martial art. The second, Jung Choong Breathing, is a form of internal alchemy using five simple postures focused on breathing and what is said to be proper positioning of the body. It is claimed to help release stagnant energy and accumulate fresh energy in the lower abdomen, also known in Korean as the Dan Jeon (energy center) or the 2nd Chakra in Sanskrit yoga terminology.
According to the Dahn Yoga Web site, accessed 2010, there are three key Dahn Principles that help students learn: Shim Ki Hyul Jung, which means “from mind to matter”; Seo Sung Hwa Gang, which means “water up, fire down”; and Jung Choong Ki Jang Shin Myung, which means “from health to happiness to peace.” [11]
Brain Wave Vibration is promoted as a mental and physical health enhancement technique developed by Ilchi Lee. According to Lee, brain waves are a type of vibration that has a significant effect on a person’s health and outlook on life.[12] A promotional video for the technique claims that brain waves “fluctuate with the perceptions of our minds and dictate reactions within our bodies.”[13] A form of moving meditation (head-shaking), the technique is reported by Dahn sources to train practitioners to let their bodies and brains work together harmoniously to improve health and keep the mind still.[14] Ilchi Lee has instructed Dahn teachers that Brain Wave Vibration is holy scripture.[15] Neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported during a CNN interview, when asked about testimonials that Brain Wave Vibration can help heal certain serious physical ailments (e.g. lazy eye, chronic pain, Multiple Sclerosis), that the notion of vibrating the brain or other parts of the body to turn parts of the brain on and off is not grounded in science and testimonials probably result from the placebo effect.[15] Another study conducted by Hindawi Publishing Corporation stated that "substantive benefits to measures of mood and well-being were seen in all three of the groups in this trial, while in no measure was a significant negative change seen in any group, suggesting that all three practices are beneficial."[16]
In July of 2010 a study published in the US National Library of Medicine shows the effects of mind-body training and Brain Wave Vibration. The study showed the subjects to show reduced stress and higher plasma DA levels - compared to the meditation group within the control group.[17]
Ilchi Lee describes Brain Wave Vibration in his book, Brain Wave Vibration: Getting Back into the Rhythm of a Happy, Healthy Life, published by Ilchi Lee's publishing company Best Life Media.[18]
The tradenames Brain Education, and Brain Education Systems Training (or BEST), refer to a set of exercises developed and promoted by Ilchi Lee subsequent to his "Brain Respiration" and "Dahnhak." Brain Education is considered a part of Dahn Yoga. According to Dahn Yoga's Web site, after more than 27 years of practice, Lee had developed a system of exercises, breathing, and stretches “to activate the natural healing rhythms of the brain and body.”[19] Brain Education is described as consisting of five separate steps: brain sensitizing, brain versatilizing, brain refreshing, brain integrating, and brain mastering.[19] Dr. Ben Goldacre of the U.K. lambasted Ilchi Lee's brain education claims as pseudoscience in his Guardian column "Bad Science" in 2004.[20]
The Dahn Yoga Foundation was created in 2006 to better organize the community-oriented tradition that began when Ilchi Lee taught the first Dahn Yoga classes in public park in South Korea. That tradition continued in the United States with Dahn Yoga classes offered for free or at reduced rates in senior centers,[21] community centers,[22] churches, public parks, offices, schools and hospitals.[23] Today, over 4,000 people around the country are pursuing healthier lifestyles through Dahn Yoga outreach classes. In addition to the outreach classes, Dahn Yoga Foundation volunteers participate in range of community service projects and provide support for local community service organizations.[24][25][26]
Some Dahn Yoga reports in the media describes accusations that the organization operates a manipulative "cult" that uses coercive persuasion and thought reform methods to create deeply devoted Dahn masters (teachers) who come to believe the path to personal health, enlightenment and world peace includes pressuring and persuading others to devote all their time, energy, and money to Dahn programs, events, and ceremonies, and to become loyal Dahn masters themselves.[27][28][29][30]
Among other media reports, a 2006 CBS news report and the Village Voice described a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Dahn Yoga's founder and related entitites. According to the lawsuit, Julia Siverls, 41, died in 2003 from heat stroke and dehydration during a master training hike at the Ilchi Meditation Center in Sedona.[2][27] According to a document filed by the Southern District of New York of the United States District Court, the case was dismissed on August 1, 2008.[31]
In 2002, a former Dahn employee filed a civil lawsuit in Alameda County, California, for Unfair Business Practices and Undue Influence against Seung Heun Lee, et al.[32][33] The case was reportedly settled out of court with no admission of guilt.[34]
Several popular media outlets reported on the plaintiffs' allegations, including Forbes, Rolling Stone, Glamour Magazine, WE tv, and CNN; WBZ Channel 4 News in Boston interviewed two of the claimants on June 11, 2009.[35]
On January 5, 2010, CNN broadcasted a critical report about the organization with interviews of former Dahn Yoga members alleging severe physical, mental and financial abuse by Dahn Yoga personnel and staff, including one former member stating she was coerced into donating funds to the organization by taking out student loans totalling over $40,000 USD. [36] Allegations were dismissed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona August 25, 2010. [37]
Dahn Yoga has also been in the news for the value of its exercises in improving well being and relieving stress. ABC News interviewed Dr. Sung Lee on the uniqueness of Dahn Yoga and its nontraditional exercises that have been shown to help practitioners with improvement physically, emotionally and socially due to its focus on combining mind and body.[38]
Dahn Yoga has even been called “yoga with a twist” by new stations such as Channel 2 Houston. Channel 2 stated that while for the first time, a person looking in may think Dahn Yoga looks ‘a little funny’ due to the tapping, this is due to its unique techniques. Dahn Yoga exercises were created to awaken the mind through the body.[39]
Channel 7 News in Colorado also reported on Dahn Yoga and its unique style, stating that it was unlike any other type of yoga. Channel 7 reported that Dahn Yoga is a form of exercise that reduces stress. The report also indicated that Dahn Yoga originated in South Korea..[40]
There also have been numerous articles written about the value of Brain Wave Vibration in publications such as Tone Magazine, Qi Magazine, Awareness Magazine, Inner Realm Magazine, Natural Communities and Aquarius Magazine. In Tone Magazine’s article “Shake It Up Baby”, the value and history of brain wave vibration, an element of Dahn Yoga, is reported on. [41][42]