Dahn Yoga:To be Respected or to be Feared?

Calvin K Cheung

CSOCS 3452-01

Laura Douglass

Lesley University

In recent years there has been a raise of Yoga. One of these kinds of yoga is Dahn Yoga. Dahn Yoga is a Yoga that is from Korea and was rediscover by a man named Ilchi Lee (www.dahnyoga.com, 2010). Dahn Yoga has been labeled as a cult in recent years due to bizarre practices that has led to the deaths of practitioners and labeled as dangerous (Erdely, 2010). To get a better understanding and to see if Dahn Yoga is something that is dangerous, this paper will focus on the history of Dahn Yoga, the definition of a cult, ideology of new religions, some perspective on cultural rituals and practices, why people do certain practices and then I will describe some of my own interpretation of the Dahn Yoga. This paper will question the actuations of Dahn Yoga, and will look at some of the cultural bias that some of the actuation may have. It will also look at some of the Korean’s religious practices. Before one can see if Dahn Yoga is a cult, one should look at the accusation.

Accusation

Sabrina Ruth Erdely, a writer from the Rolling Stone Magazine has deemed Dahn Yoga as some kind of cult in the 1038^th issue of the Rolling Stone magazine. She writes about a college student by the name of Amy, who used to be a Dahn Yoga practitioner, and who has spent over $100,000 on Dahn Yoga sessions. She writes about how Amy and some other ex-Dahn Yoga practitioners had to go through therapies as they spend a lot of their time and money on this kind yoga. Erdely describes one of the more advance levels of Dahn yoga that Amy was in; “…clad in blue tracksuits and barely functioning on three hours of sleep — were standing in a waist-deep fountain in the desert of Sedona, Arizona... Amy broke through the water's surface again and launched into song, careful to keep a smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks” (Erdely, 2010, p.50).

The article continues to use bias language to describe Dahn Yoga as cult, and it describes how other practices within Dahn Yoga may be peculiar (Erdely, 2010). Another one of these practices that Amy has claim was that Amy was require to try to recruit twenty new members and raise $20,000 a month for the organization (Erdely, 2010). Erdely continues to write about how Dahn yoga may be a cult and not some kind of yoga because Dahn Yoga does not have typical Yoga poses such as “downward dog”, or sun salutation (Erdely, 2010). In her report, Erdely continues to describes how the leader of Dahn yoga, Ilchi Lee, seems be some kind of cult leader, as his image is present each center, and the teacher of each session seems describe him as some kind of mysterious and holy person (Erdely, 2010). Erdely then describes lee as sexual pervert who has many reports of sexual harassment scandals. Erdely then writes about how other critics describe Dahn yoga, "Dahn is a destructive mind-control cult…” (Erdely, p.50). These are just some examples of popular beliefs that may reflect on Dahn Yoga; however, one should know the history of Dahn Yoga and know the definition of a cult before one can label Dahn Yoga a cult.

History

Dahn Yoga was created by a man named Ilchi Lee, who is also seen as the leader of the organization (Erdely, 2010). According to the Dahn yoga website, Dahn yoga was rediscover by Ilchi Lee around the 1980s. Dahn Yoga was in an ancient Asian, and what seems to be Chinese, sand script, which is called Chun Bu Kyung in Korean (Dahnyoga.com, 2010). Chun Bu Kyung is said to be over nine thousands year old. The website continues to describe how the sand script, which was part of traditional Korean practice called Sun Do, has some connections with other practices like Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, and martial arts (Dahnyoga.com, 2010). It was not reported on how Lee found the sand script, but it was reported on the Dahn Yoga website that Lee continued to teach this form of Yoga in the 1980s to the 1990s, and has even taught the Dahn Yoga to the Korean Military in 1987. Then he retired to work on chi’s influence to the mind (dahnyoga.com, 2010). Lee went through a spiritual journey before he started to use Dahn Yoga and start teaching it in a park located in South Korea (DahnYoga.com, 2010).

Cults and New Religion Movement

In an Academic journal written by James T. Richardson called the “Definition of Cult: Form Sociological-Technical to Popular Negative” written in 1993, Richardson’s definition describes a cult as;

“…a cult is usually defined as a small informal group lacking a definite authority structure, somewhat spontaneous in its development (although often possessing a somewhat charismatic leader or group leaders), transitory, somewhat mystical and individualistically oriented, and deriving its inspiration and ideology from outside the predominant religious culture” (Richardson, 1993, p. 349)

According to Richardson’s definition Dahn Yoga may be some kind of a cult; however, Richardson’s research was based on older writings that he had researched about, and could also describe any religion within the U.S as not Christian as a cult. Richardson has also described that the definition of a cult has been changing (Richardson, 1993, p 348). This can be seen in more recent studies, where this definition of cults can be seen as some kind of new religion movement.

In another journal, from the Journal of Cognition & Culture, an article was written by Afzal M. Upal, which was called “Towards a Cognitive Science of New Religious Movements” in 2005, describes new religion movement as three models, the Psychopathology Model, the entrepreneur model, and the subculture evolution model (Upal, 2005, p 215). The model the best describe Dahn Yoga may be the Psychopathology, which describes a new religion as having a very charismatic leader, who may have some kind of delusional episode, which made them to believe to have some kind of spiritual awareness(Upal, 2005, 215). However, Upal goes against this idea by showing research that has shown that in brain scans of Tibetan Buddhist and Franciscan Nuns who are in meditation are not going through some kind of delusion, rather they are experiencing profound sense of reality (Upal, 2005, 216). This is what Ilchi Lee may have experience as he went through his Spiritual Journey.

Dahn Yoga could also fall into the entrepreneur model as well, as Dahn Yoga is an organization that sells their beliefs. In Upal’s research the entrepreneur model is described as a new religion that is formed by the marketing of an idea of a future reward that can be attained by exchange of payment (Upal, 2005, 216). This is something that I believe that Dahn Yoga is trying to do, as one reads Erdely’s article. One can also see that Dan Yoga could fall into the entrepreneur model is because they seem to be promoting the idea of becoming a better person (dahnyoga.com, 2010). Before one can call Dahn Yoga as a something dangerous one should also look into some cultural perspectives.

Cultural Perspective

In the International Congregational Journal an article written by Lee Sung Ock called “A Time like This Korean Church and the Privatization of Religion” has describe how in Korea the Christian faith has been privatized to the point in which some churches has some kind of business plan, and pastors are seen as leaders who are in charge of a private property which is the church (Ock, 2007, p 43). I feel as though this idea of privatizing a religion was something in which Ilchi Lee used when he was creating the Dahn Yoga Program. As Ock has describe, this idea of privatizing religion is a reflection the Korean Culture (Ock, 2007, p 43), which I feel is what Ilchi Lee took from as he is from the South Korean descent. Another thing one must look at is the culture and rituals of other practices, like yoga.

In a documentary called Naked in Ashes, which was directed and produced by Paula Fauce and Tim Kettle in 2005, Fauce shows the extreme life styles of some Yogi giris who lived in Northern India. In the documentary, audience witness the lifestyles of these nomadic yogis, who travel place to place, doing bizarre things such as walk in the nude, only wearing holy ashes, and do extreme activities such as standing and praying for for thirteen years, or meditating while holding one arm up for years (Paula, 2005). At times some of these yogis starve themselves (Paula, 2005). Some of the reasons why these Yogi Giris would do these kinds of things would be because they want to get a better sense of wholeness and their spirituality (Paula, 2005). Some other reason why some of these giris started these practice was because some or many have deserted their families, or their families have deserted them (Paula, 2005). Once they separated from their families they look for other Giris or Gurus to work with (Paula, 2005).

After watching some of these interesting practices that these yogis perform to get closer to g-d, one can draw some similarities to Dahn Yoga. Dahn Yoga uses similar practices for the advance members that are like these Yogis. One practice that stands out the most in both would be starvation. As Erdely has described, there were some instances where some of the advance member were almost on the edge of starvation as well (Erdely, 2010). Both required the practitioners to live together. Both have high risk forms of meditation for personal health; where the Yogis would pray with one arm up for years till it rots (Paula, 2005) in Dahn Yoga some of the practitioners would have to pray under water (Erdely, 2010). The only key difference between the two is that what the Yogis are doing is free, whereas Dahn yoga is not. Another differences is the motivation of both practices, with the Yoga Giris, it would seem like they wanted to get closer to g-d, whereas in Dahn yoga, what started out as a practice in which one can get into shape, it becomes a more of a spiritual oriented practices within its more advance classes. One should start questioning why do they use yoga, it would seem from the point of Erdely’s article people who do yoga are people who just want to work out, however, there are other reasons why people could use Yoga.

Reasons for Yoga

In conference a paper written by Theresa Schmidt called “Yoga: Exercise, Religion, and Transformation”, Schmidt writes about how Yoga has been on the rise since 2002 and in her paper, Schmidt explains how in other studies, people use yoga as a healthy holistic life style or as a spiritual guidance (Schmidt, 2004). According to Schmidt’s research, Yoga is not a religion but can be date back before Buddhism and Hinduism (Schmidt, 2004). She also mentions how Yoga is used amongst women more than men in America, and that could be because of its association to stress release and an exotic form of spirituality (Schmidt, 2004); with that in mind, perhaps the reason why people may choose Dahn Yoga could be the same. In Erdely’s article, she talks about how Amy first came to Dahn Yoga because she wanted to get into shape, only to get absorbed into their overwhelming theme of being some kind of spiritual guidance (Erdely, 2010). Some other people who have gone into yoga, within my own experience, have gone into to achieve that spiritual guidance instead of going to Dahn Yoga for physical health.

Conclusion

Is it a cult?

As discussed before, Dahn Yoga can be called a Cult under the definition that Richardson has given,

“…a cult is usually defined as a small informal group lacking a definite authority structure, somewhat spontaneous in its development (although often possessing a somewhat charismatic leader or group leaders), transitory, somewhat mystical and individualistically oriented, and deriving its inspiration and ideology from outside the predominant religious culture” (Richardson, 1993, p. 349)

However, under Richardson’s definition, a lot of other religions that is not Christian in America can also be called a cult. It would seem that Dahn Yoga is more of a New Religion that Upal explained. Some can even argue that Dahn Yoga is a type of yoga if yoga is defined as the same way as Natalie Mackenzie defines it in her Yoga article. She Defines Yoga as;

“Yoga is the epitome of mind over muscle: Holding those twisty balanced poses takes strength and flexibility, certainly, but even more critical is the ability to stay focused and concentrate. All types of yoga can help you learn this practice of "being in the moment." What's different from style to style is pace, intensity, and degree of spirituality. Use this guide to choose which of the most popular types of yoga best suits you.” (Mackenzie, 2011, p.32)

This definition of Yoga may go against what Erdely has said what she thought Yoga was, as this definition does not say that yoga need some kind of posture that would define it. In fact this definition goes very well with the idea of Dahn Yoga. One of the fundamentals of Dahn Yoga is based on the idea of being able to control your body so you can control your emotional state: “Jung Choong Ki Jang Shin Myung: From Health to Happiness to Peace. Through stabilizing your physical health, you will purify emotional energy, leaving a clear mind that will light up spiritual energy.” (http://www.dahnyoga.com/about_dahn_yoga/fundamentals, principal, 2010).

Own Perspective/is it Dangerous?

As I have tried Dahn Yoga for myself I do have my own perspective on this topic. I personally do not think that Dahn Yoga is dangerous, and feel as though like all other forms of practices, one must be able to be careful with that practice. I was not pressured when I joined a class at the Dahn Yoga, although the instructor would highly recommend on continuing, I never felt pressured in doing the sessions that followed. Although there were some superficial things that were going on during my time at Dahn yoga, such as the fact that I had to use some kind of “chi” reader before I perform the session, I still felt as though I was in a safe environment where I can learn new ways in which I can practice my spiritual needs. Perhaps the reason why I did not get the same feelings as Amy and Erdely, could be because a factor of reasons, one that seems more prominent to me is the idea that because this article was based on cases that had happened in 2007, Dahn Yoga may have tried to clean up their act, and therefore my experience was different from that of others. On the other hand, I can somewhat relate to Amy in Erdely’s article, when she describes how at first she came in to the studio for some kind of fitness training, only to be absorbed into the spiritual aspect of the practice later. I say that I can relate to her because, I came in to the Dahn Yoga studio with an open mind and was questioned by the instructor if I was doing this type of Yoga for fitness training, then like Amy I too got a little caught up in the spiritual aspect of the practice, however, I must say that my experience was much more positive than that of Amy’s.

I also feel that the fear that Erdely causes in her article was a little bias, as she uses a lot of bias language in her article. I do understand that Dahn has potential of being dangerous as there have been many reports of the leader of Dahn Yoga, Ilchi Lee, sexually harassing his female students, (Erdely, 2010). However, as part of the class I am in, the Theories of Yoga and Practice, I have also learned that many Yoga instructors have came to this path as well, where the instructor themselves become some kind of “rock star” in the yoga world. In our class we learned that there was a man who use to be part of a yoga video series in which he does Yoga with his family, only years later does he file a divorce and marries one of his students. This kind of information, though taboo, almost seems like a norm for most kinds of Yoga, and yet people do all kinds of yoga for all sorts of reasons.

Overall, I feel as though that like all practices of any kind of practice, either it be Martial Arts, or Yoga, one should be careful or yet mindful with whatever they do. I also feel as though as a person of Asian descent Dahn Yoga should be respected as a form of practices, but that could be my own bias, as I felt that there was a cultural insensitivity to Asian culture while I was reading Erdely’s article, because Erdely didn’t’ seem as though she understand what Yoga was. In the end, Dahn Yoga could be dangerous; however, it could be dangerous only if you allow it to be.

Bibliography

1. Dahn Yoga. (2010) Retrieved December 4, 2011 from http://www.dahnyoga.com/about_dahn_yoga/dahn_yoga_history

2. Erdely, Sabrina Rubin. (2010, Feb 18) The Yoga Cult. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.lesley.ezproxy.blackboard.com/ehost/detail?sid=eb83e1e8-cf9c-407e-8462-034f0844db85%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=21&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=48118969

3. Kettle, T (producer) & Fauce, P (Director). (2005) Naked in Ashes [documentary]. India: Paradise Filmworks International

4. Lee Sung, O. (2007). A Time Like This Korean Church and The Privatization of Religion. International Congregational Journal, 6(2) 43-61

5. Mackenzie, N. (2011). The Right Toga For you. Prevention, 63 (10), 32-35

6. Richardson, J.T. (1993) DEFINITIONS OF CULT: FORM SOCIOLOGICAL-TECHNICAL TO POPULAR-NEGATIVE. Review Of Religious Research, 34(4) 348

Schmidt, T. (2004). Yoga: Excise, Religion and Transformation. Conference Papers – American Sociological Association, 1-22. doi:asa proceeding 25736.pdf

8. Upal, A.M. (2005). Towards a Cognitive Science of New Religious Movements. Journal of Cognition & Culture , 5(1/2), p214-239, 26p retrieved December 4, 2011 from http://web.ebscohost.com.lesley.ezproxy.blackboard.com/ehost/detail?sid=9e6e912d-9ec9-4dae-8bcd-fa00827570a2%40sessionmgr15&vid=3&hid=21&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=17228466