I have just returned from a 4 day getaway to the Sedona Ilchi Lee Meditation Center (SIMC) located halfway between Cottonwood and Sedona, in the state of Arizona. The center is surrounded by a picturesque landscape with its red clay terrain, desert plants, and fascinating mountain ranges. It is also home to an abundance of insects and other wildlife. Absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and so serene.
The setting was amazing, but the Dahn organization I'm not so sure. Members are attracted to Dahn as a alternative method of exercise. Yoga has gained a lot of popularity in the US over the past decades, but this is a Korean derivation (yoga is traditionally Indian). I quickly came to realize that this organization is much more than stretching and harmless meditation. By looking at the big picture and not getting sucked up into the moment it is plain to see that the founder is a spectacular entrepreneur. A self proclaimed doctor with diplomas from unaccredited "medical" universities, Illchi Lee consumes the life of members by teaching them how to think for his organization; not for themselves. Dahn centers consistently sell books authored by the founder, accessories which are proclaimed to give you healing and enlightenment ( such as a $4500 gold plated turtle, or a $1000 yoga mat), and certainly pressure members to partake in retreats and seminars which cost hundreds upon hundreds. Everything is preached in such a positive way, most members are blinded and do not realize how far they've been sucked into this cult. If they ever receive any awakening they will have realized a once a week hobby which was initially an alternative to a gym membership has become an organization they are volunteering to work for.
During this retreat, I was taken a back. Members walk around with a possessed grin (it reminded me of the wives in the movie Stepford Wives). Complete strangers hug one another, dance unconsciously, and massage you because they have been certified as a "healer" (you have to go to healer school, which sets you back $6000! I met someone who said he paid almost $10k!)
This organization says it helps you, and it can (more on this in a bit), but only by preying on the weak. Over 90% of all the stories I heard during the personal confession time included stories of familial dysfunction, such as missing parental figures, newly divorced parents, depressed and disordered members who have never had the support they needed from their family. Dahn Yoga has given these members a support group with members who share a similar pain.
The only real credit I can give to the organization is for the help it has given chronically ill multiple sclerosis patients. It has truly helped some MS patients turn their lives around by helping them get active through exercise. Obviously this comes from a purely physical standpoint. No bullshit sales of energy mats, turtles, cards, or anything else. It has been a true miracle for this specific group of patients because they were told they would never walk again. However, this is not for everyone as they preach it to be. They are determined to recruit in an extremely organized fashion for the purpose of spreading HSP (Health Smile Peace), or as I like to call it; The Possessed Smile - an unrealistic view of the society we live in.
I'm happy, I'm peaceful, and I'm healthy (and so are the people I choose to associate with) - and I/we don't need Dahn to do it... but I may start my own little cult. It's a great business if you're the founder!!!
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