Yoga is a very popular form of physical exercise and meditation. The perfect combination of physical and mental well-being.
There have been rumblings for quite some time about the Dahn Yoga chain, founded by a man called Ilchi Lee. The yoga chain bases it's programs on the physical techniques of yoga, along with Brain Education and other steps for total mind and body wellness.
The chain was featured on WeTV's The Secret Lives of Women : Cults, where one of it's former employees talked about the yoga chain being a cult, disguising itself as an organization based on physical and mental wellness.
And a new lawsuit has emerged, with claims that employees "are unknowingly subjected to an intensive program of psychological manipulation, indoctrination and various techniques of coercive thought reform designed to induce them to become Ilchi Lee's disciples and devote themselves to serving him and his 'vision.' "
In other words, the lawsuit claims that money is extorted from it's employees and absolute and unquestioning devotion is demanded for it's founder, Ilchi Lee.
Plaintiffs say that they were coerced into taking out student loans to give to the yoga chain and one plaintiff, Jade Harrelson claims she was sexually assaulted by Lee when working for the yoga chain in Korea.
In an interview she gave CNN, she said ""In my mind, there was no possible way I could have physically or verbally resisted him." "To say no to him was to say no to his soul. I became numb, and so what happened, happened not at my consent."
The lawsuit also claims that employees were forced to train so hard that it left them physically exhausted and mentally distressed. Plaintiff Liza Miller told CNN about being made to do "bow exercises" that entailed difficult knee bends with arms raised completely over the head. "...which took about 10 hours, and we didn't eat or drink during that time."
"People were screaming, people were throwing up, people were running away," Miller said. "People were rolling around, moaning, crying, wailing -- there was a lot of emotional distress. We were taught that because of this bow training, we were cleaning what was blocking us, to connect to our soul."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/05/yoga.lawsuit.lee/
Dahn Yoga denies all charges and refers to the plaintiffs as ""disgruntled former employees." who did not understand common business practice and "have misinterpreted natural business cycles, natural business goals, as some type of undue pressure."
Dahn Yoga has thousands of members who enjoy the benefits of it's techniques. Members have been vocally supportive on blogs and in chat rooms or responding to stories of the lawsuits. Dahn Yoga currently has about one thousand studios worldwide and more than 120 of them in the U.S.
For more about Dahn Yoga, click here : http://www.dahnyoga.com/
Tell Us
Have you experienced the techniques of Dahn Yoga or joined the organization or one similar? Did you benefit from the experience?