The court in that case recently dismissed eight out of 10 claims brought by 26 of the 27 plaintiffs.

The court did not dismiss two claims against Dahn Yoga’s founder, Seung Heun “Ilchi” Lee, which he denies and continues to defend. The Post also referenced a 2005 wrongful-death lawsuit against Dahn Yoga brought by the family of Julia Siverls.

Power Brain Education and its methods were not the subject of that lawsuit.”

This clarification was made after Dahn Yoga Corporate Communications presented this official response to the New York Post –>

To Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief of Glamour Magazine:

As a person who worked closely with the four women in the article, ‘The Scary Yoga Obession’, I say thanks but no thanks for the patronizing complements by Lucie Vogel. She says, ‘The women who become sabumnims (instructors)……are so smart and passionate’….and more lavish praise follows.

In the same article she makes the women who instruct Dahn Yoga sound like foolish victims who are not smart enough to make good choices. I am not a victim. I feel very confident in my ability to make smart choices. I became a member of Dahn Yoga in 1999 and, after completing graduate school, I believe I made a smart choice when I became an instructor in 2003.

Lucie Vogel has shared in her own words, that she is a ‘wiley and tricky’ person, a quote included on one of the many court documents a US Federal judge saw when she dismissed Lucie and her groups’ claims from court. Jade Harrelson, the other star of the story, spoke and blogged repeatedly and openly about three other alleged sexual assaults in the time that I knew her, but never mentioned this particular alleged assault until Lucie Vogel paid for her to come back to the US and join her lawsuit. I question their story, and would like others to know that.

I was interviewed by the author Catherine Elton and promised by the editor Cynthia Leive, that this article would be written from a fair and balanced perspective. However, this article was written almost entirely from the subjective view points of Lucie Vogel and Jade Harrelson. Ms. Elton had a large amount of testimony that offered an alternative side of Lucie Vogel’s character, which she chose to include nothing about. She also had stories of alternative experiences with Dahn Yoga, including mine which she heard during a conversation that lasted over one hour, and chose to refer to these in single sentences at the end of the article.

I would like to offer just some alternative perspective now, so that readers can make up their own minds. The article begins with the story of how Lucie started with at Dahn Yoga with a meeting between herself and the center instructor. I was a member at that center at the time Lucie joined, and remember her very well. The instructor was a particularly kind and open-hearted man. He treated everyone with the same love and respect, and the center was always full. Given that we were in a small town near the city limits of Boston, a city with a large number of students, many of the other members were young woman like Lucie and myself.

In Lucie’s story, she implies that this man played at being ‘mystical’ and peaceful in order to trick her into joining and attending advanced trainings by ‘taking her under his wing’. However, of the many young women who were members at that Dahn Center during those years, Lucie and I are the only ones who became instructors. Our instructor treated everyone equally. It was Lucie and I who responded differently, because we expressed interest in further study.

Lucie admits in the article that she has an extremely competitive character. Her competitiveness grew uncomfortable to be around. The article quotes Lucie as feeling rotting and sick inside. I believe she did feel that way, but the cause was not undue pressure from Dahn Yoga, but her dishonest habits. She appeared to take responsibility for this when she wrote several apologies to the headquarters after her ruse was discovered, but now she is now blaming others and portraying herself as a victim.

I could offer an alternative viewpoint to almost every paragraph in the Glamour Article, but will limit myself to just a few points:

• Lucie makes it seem that Dahn Yoga made her ‘drop out of school’. This is not the case, she took a leave of absence and then returned to complete her studies, a graduation party for her and her family was held at the local Dahn Center.
• Lucie travelled extensively with her family during the time I worked with her, though the article says she was alienated from them due to the influence of Dahn Yoga.
• Lucie makes it sound like she finally got up the courage to speak her mind, and was then sent away. But she was never afraid to speak her mind. During the time she speaks of, she had offered good ideas that were supported by all levels of the company. Her behavior and attitude, however, undermined her good ideas. Another company would have fired her for her behavior, perhaps Dahn Yoga should have.
• Lucie and I trained together with the same instructors. In the article, Lucie makes it sound like she was pressured to throw out her old photo album. However, I still have mine. Lucie made this decision all by herself, and now she expects someone else to take responsibility for it.

In addition to Lucie’s statements, the article includes a biased comment from Steve Hassan who says that most young woman are using the Dahn Center ‘like any other yoga center’, taking classes then going home right afterward. The problem lies, he claims, with a few of those women who get ‘enmeshed’. I wonder if it is not uncommon for a small percentage of members of health clubs or sports teams to go on to become instructors and leaders in that field or organization? Further, I find nothing unusual about these women quitting their jobs as Dahn Yoga instructors. This was their first full time job out of college. None of my friends is still working in the job they got first out of college. It was their choice.

In closing, Glamour Magazine wrote me that it was going to use a copy of my letter in which I shared the benefits of Dahn Yoga in a spring issue that talks about the benefits of exercise. It seems like a peace-offering of sorts? Once again, thanks but no thanks Glamour Magazine. You took a cheap, easy, road to sell your magazine at my expense. I am not interested in doing business with you anymore.

Regards,

Genia Sullivan

To: Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief
Cc: Jessica Strul, Editorial Team

Dear Ms. Leive:

On behalf of Dahn Yoga, I am sending this letter in shock and bewilderment at your recent article entitled “The Scary Yoga Obsession.” I am not sure if Glamour Magazine was trying to tell its readers that Dahn Yoga is “scary” or that a new wave of addiction is sweeping the nation’s yoga studios. Either way, it results in a distorted picture of our company, our practices and our relationships with our members and employees. Despite our efforts to provide a broad range of information and people to the reporter and editorial team, and despite their promises of a fair story, this article is one-sided in its reporting on the lawsuit against Dahn Yoga by former employees. It is almost exclusively devoted to the perspective of Lucie Vogel and her supporters. Glamour does a disservice to its readers, especially young women, by minimizing the role of personal choice. The plaintiffs are intelligent adults, they made clear personal choices without any “undue influence” or “fraud” or “mind control”.

Surprisingly, the article generally treats the plaintiffs’ allegations as fact. There is only a brief mention that Dahn Yoga disputed the plaintiffs’ claims and that the judge had dismissed 8 of the plaintiffs’ 10 claims. Glamour did not inform its readers that the Arizona judge had ruled there were insufficient facts to support the plaintiffs’ claims of fraud, undue influence, deceptive trade practices, violation of Fair Labor Standards Act and RICO conspiracy. With this omission the reader lost an opportunity to consider the credibility of the plaintiffs and whether there was more to the story. In fact, this article does not objectively offer the statements, actions or motivations of the plaintiffs, but presents them in a sympathetic light.

We are disappointed that the reporter did not take the opportunities available to get to know Dahn Yoga. She did not visit any of our studios, attend any of our classes or speak with any member, officer or employee in person. Even if the reporter and editors considered the plaintiffs’ stories interesting or compelling, there was still room to share with your readers an objective firsthand account of some element of your subject matter. Also, the story glossed over the unique management and entrepreneurial opportunities Dahn Yoga offers women and instead focused on depicting the plaintiffs as victims. We informed the reporter that the plaintiffs were distorting cultural differences and characterizing therapeutic and meditative exercises as some type of torture. However, the reporter chose to see Dahn Yoga through the eyes of its accusers, who are motivated by the millions of dollars they are seeking. Repeating these distortions is unfair and unethical journalism.

This article focused on Lucie, but did not disclose all of the relevant information the Glamour knew about Lucie. A Motion to Dismiss filed and accompanying Statement of Facts in this lawsuit, recount Lucie’s actions before she left Dahn Yoga and includes her own written admission of financial wrongdoing. Those documents reveal much about Lucie’s character, that she was very competitive and obsessed with winning. It describes some details of her scheme to inflate her studio’s numbers, by borrowing money or causing others to borrow money for fictitious membership contracts, so that she could become the number one manager in the US. She succeeded; at the end of 2006 she was given an “MVP” award. Unfortunately, Lucie’s “Ponzi Scheme” hurt employees, members and the company. The article quotes Lucie as making $75,000 in one day, but did not mention the context of her success; it was part of Lucie’s fraudulent scheme and she later admitted taking advantage of that couple. Nothing and no one outside of her own ego influenced such behavior. Lucie Vogel pressured members and other employees into giving money to her scheme. Lucie’s “frenzy” in this instance is an aspect of her own individual behavior and not something created or encouraged by Dahn Yoga. When Dahn Yoga management discovered Lucie’s scheme, she was reprimanded and removed from her position.

The article makes it seem like Lucie was removed as a manager because of her independent thinking. She was not sent to some camp for “Reeducation” as in some Cold War fiction. Lucie’s “independent” thinking had caused harm to many people. Rather than pressing charges and putting her in jail, the company offered Lucie an opportunity to reflect on her behavior and correct her mistakes in a relaxed environment.

Glamour offers up a contradiction by repeating Lucie’s false compliment that sabumnims are “smart and passionate” but depicts her entry into a Dahn Center as a “mystical” seduction by a man making her feel so good. Did the reporter ever bother to visit a Dahn Center? No, she reported on the components of an introductory session with judgment, not based on her own experience, but on Lucie’s bias. Another contradiction: Lucie made a distorted statement about a workshop, in which she stayed while others walked out unnerved. If this were really a “cult” people would not have been free to walk out of a workshop. Where are the alleged strong arm tactics? Not present because both she and they exercised their personal choice.

Glamour tells a story that Lucie was encouraged to drop out of school, alienated from her family and her former life and likewise with Jade. The truth is these women were encouraged by their superiors to finish school. Lucie chose to take a leave of absence for a semester and then resume her studies. Jade’s interest and performance in her academic life improved with her introduction to Dahn Yoga, before she chose to drop out all together. We were never asked about these details.

We also provided information which points out that Jade lied in her statement to the court, we pointed out that Jade’s stories are not only inconsistent with what witnesses tell us, but also with her own statements. For instance, Jade stated that she was trapped and alone in Korea without money and could not make a claim on her alleged assault until she returned to the US in 2008. We presented Glamour Magazine with the Motion to Reconsider and its Exhibit, which show Jade’s online chatter about herself and her life during that time: including, that she was married and she traveled to China, Japan and the US. Reading that, a different picture of this person emerges. This information was completely ignored by the reporter.

The article reveals that Lucie paid for Jade’s return to the US, but does not question why. There is also no question as to why Jade did not report her alleged assault to any authorities, any hospital in Korea or when she returned to the US. Did she mention her alleged assault to her family or friends before she accepted Lucie’s invitation and returned? The exhibit filed with the court also reveals Jade’s online discussions about other alleged assaults against her, but somehow this one was missing.

The reporter also did not use any of the information about Lucie’s behavior and history which she gained during interviews with our employees. This article depicts Lucie as a reformer, trying to save the organization, and has not input from people who saw her behavior as destructive and irresponsible. The reporter makes it look like Lucie was purely conflicted about leaving Dahn Yoga and only decided to bring the lawsuit after Jade returned to the US. Witnesses report that Lucie had been canvassing former and current masters to join her in the lawsuit almost a year before Jade’s return and that Jade was peaceful and benign in her relationship with Dahn Yoga until she was contacted by Lucie. Lucie needed a story like Jade’s to attract more attention and sympathy for her intended lawsuit.

The-so-called “cult experts” quoted in the article conclude that only people who are “anxious, vulnerable or struggling with personal issues” become Dahn Yoga masters, depicting Lucie and her followers as the smart, confident, idealists who got away. If what they say is true, our business should have failed long ago. Their input is undermined by the fact that many sociologists, psychologists and the US courts have consistently rejected testimonies about mind control and manipulation as lacking scientific basis and using emotionally-charged terminology. For an example, See James T. Richardson, Definitions of Cult. From Sociological-Technical to Popular-Negative, 34 REV. RELIGIOUS RES. 348 (1993).

Glamour has suspended critical thinking and let their publication be used as a tool of a personal vendetta rather than provide instruction to young women about personal choice. We request that you follow up with corrections to the distortions or offer an apology to all the women who have found empowerment through Dahn Yoga.

Sincerely,
Joseph Alexander
Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc.
Vice President- Communications

A story appeared on Page 7 in the November 9, 2009 issue of The New York Post that purported to uncover a relationship between a new supplementary program being adopted by several New York City public schools and Dahn Yoga. The reporter, Yoav Gonen insinuates that Dahn Yoga, who is a defendant in a lawsuit by disgruntled former employees, is trying to sneak into the New York City school system. He makes Dahn Yoga seem sinister by recounting claims of plaintiffs in current and past lawsuits. This article contains several distortions and misstatements, including my own words.

1. Lawsuits

In his account of the present lawsuit against Dahn Yoga, Mr. Gonen neglects to inform your readers that on November 3, Judge Susan Bolton dismissed 8 out of 10 of the claims in the current lawsuit which applies to 26 out of 27 of the plaintiffs. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs had provided insufficient facts to support their claims. Judge Bolton granted the Motions to Dismiss with respect to claims of fraud, undue influence, RICO conspiracy and Fair Labor Standards Act violations. The only claims which remain are of the plaintiff alleging sexual assault. We will soon present the court additional materials showing that those remaining claims should also be dismissed or subjected to summary judgment. The information presented to the court that was a key factor to the plaintiff withstanding motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment is false. Her stories are not only inconsistent with what witnesses tell us, but also with her own prior statements. The alleged sexual assault never occurred.

Mr. Gonen did not take the time to dig deep enough to learn more about the plaintiffs’ individual characters. It seems he just repeats what they have said in other publications and in the complaint. However, some of the comments and accusations the plaintiffs have made exceed the boundaries of complaint and will be grounds for potential counter suits. Many of these accusations are clearly defamatory in nature and were included for their sensationalizing affect in order to attract media attention and thereby force us into a settlement.

In addition, he repeats the claims of the plaintiffs in a wrongful death lawsuit, but omits the fact that the case was dismissed, that the coroner’s report showed no trace of drugs and the Sheriff’s report indicated no signs of foul play. Worse, he mentions a former employee’s claim from 2002 for sexual assault, when no such claim was made in that case. A quick review of the actual complaint would reveal this fact. I would expect your senior education reporter to have stronger skills than this.

2. Distortion of Fees

As a reflection of the reporter’s bias, there is misleading information about the cost of Dahn Yoga membership which he states is $10,000 for a week of training. No such arrangement exists. Dahn Yoga offers a variety of memberships and training programs, but most members can expect pay around $10 to $15 per class. The prices for advanced courses are comparable to similar personal development programs and take place over a three to six month period.

3. Exaggeration of Relationships

Dahn Yoga as an organization has no official relationship with and no official presence in NYC schools. Mr. Gonen assumes that the Power Brain Education program is not an independent entity and does not recognize significant differences in the methods used by Power Brain Education and Dahn Yoga. It’s true both companies have a common root in the 5000 year old traditional Korean healing wisdom and philosophy developed by Ilchi Lee. However, Power Brain Education stands on its own in its work with school communities and its relationships with school districts.

RESPONSE TO YOGACITYNYC.COM ARTICLES ON DAHN YOGA

Unfortunately, we find the stories written by Hannah Rappleye to be highly critical and inaccurate. To be clear, Hannah had several phone conversations with our PR consultant, Mike Paul, regarding Dahn Yoga before finally agreeing to meet face-to-face for an interview. Sadly, after a 2-hour dinner interview, Hannah used very little from that face-to-face interview in her articles. She decided to take much of the information she received from biased, plaintiffs’ opinions in a lawsuit (with no facts) to direct her questions and even taint her experience in our yoga classes.

If Hannah was more open-minded, she would have experienced what millions of Dahn Yoga members have experienced: that Dahn Yoga’s Korean-based yoga classes are different from Indian-base yoga classes for a reason. In fact, many of the exercises she describes in her articles continue to help millions of members around the world with not only general fitness and wellness goals, but specifically with improved organ and intestinal health. Several of these exercises have been practiced for over 5,000 years in Korean society and other countries and have excellent results for those who learn them and practice them consistently.

We were not at all surprised that Hannah concluded that our classes or organization were not cult-like. Dahn Yoga is not a cult, never was a cult and never will be a cult. These toxic terms are only uttered by people who are seeking financial gain in a lawsuit or by a so-called cult expert (Steve Hassan) who reaps money directly by calling us a cult. In fact, this so-called cult expert has been investigated by law enforcement for wrongdoing and rebuked by legitimate cult experts as inappropriate and unethical.

Hannah also said she spoke to many people who have taken Dahn Yoga who love it and have benefitted greatly from taking it. This part of her interviews we agree with fully. In fact, to learn directly from our members who continue to benefit from Dahn Yoga, check out their testimonials on our official Dahn Yoga website.

Sincerely,

Dahn Yoga Corporate Communications

RESPONSE TO WEtv STORY
- SECRET LIVES OF WOMEN: CULTS

We find the story on Amy Shipley to be very sad. Amy is a former employee at Dahn Yoga, who ironically is part of a lawsuit against our company. That fact was never mentioned in the story about her on WEtv. We find this omission to be a very important point. To be clear, Amy has a financial incentive to bring a negative story against Dahn Yoga as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against us. We also know Amy struggled financially for years, which is another incentive to join a lawsuit. In addition, Amy had many other problems.

Amy, in her own words, describes how her life since childhood has been extremely difficult on her psychologically. We agree, but ironically, not because of Dahn Yoga, but based on her own troubled past, including heavy drug use and various major challenges in her family upbringing, which she herself outlines in her story on WEtv. We hope that Amy receives the psychological help she needs and deserves.

However, the help Amy gets should focus on her own childhood and psychological issues and not Dahn Yoga. Dahn Yoga is not a cult, never was a cult and never will be a cult. We find it highly offensive and a big lie to try to damage Dahn Yoga’s brand. It is highly prejudicial to label Dahn Yoga with this toxic terminology, which, ironically, is not based on any facts. Dahn Yoga considers such words defamation. Dahn Yoga is a highly successful fitness and wellness chain with over 1,000 locations that has offered excellent fitness and wellness results to millions of people around the world for over 30 years.

Ironically, Dahn Yoga gave Amy many tools to use in her battle, including many tools in fitness and wellness which help reduce stress and anxiety. We hope she remembers and continues to use these helpful techniques and lessons to help achieve a more balanced health and wellness plan for life.

Sincerely,

Dahn Yoga Corporate Communications

I only have occasional flair ups. I no longer have acid reflux or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. I am sleeping better at night and I am able manage stress much better than before.

As a Dahn member from November of 2004 to the present, I have a number of remarkable experiences. I’ve regained ¾” of the height I lost through aging. My vision improved from a 2.50 magnification to 1.25 strength. My body is riddled with arthritis, yet I am strong and flexible enough to be a Dahn instructor, teaching 5 classes per week.

I have enormous respect for the Dahn masters and trainers. As I gain physical and spiritual strength, I repeatedly set goals for myself. My Dahn masters support me by helping me look at my plans, suggesting refinements to better get what I want. Each time I realize a goal, they help me move forward to explore new objectives. As a result I live the life I always wanted. I truly feel happy, physically fit, grateful, and joyful today.

Recently, I had a car accident and received a whiplash. While I experienced some difficulty, my Doctor said I’d have been very seriously injured were I not in such great physical shape. I thank Dahn for its gifts to me.

As a Dahn employee, I have a job of teaching classes and advertising our center. As a part time employee, Dahn pays me all the wages I earn. In addition they offered me medical insurance. Since many employers exclude part time employees from medical insurance coverage, I believe Dahn is generous, going beyond the norm, in giving me these benefits.

Every experience with Dahn teachers, their trainings and programs is positive. I am continually inspired by their dedication and sincere care for me and the other members. They ensure I continue to grow in every aspect that is important to me.

So, one day when I went to do my laundry, I picked up a brochure advertising my local Dahn Yoga center. I went in the next day for an “energy checkup.” The news was not good. I was told my posture was crooked, my balance was bad, and I needed help. Well, I knew that. The good news was that I was told it could all be corrected with the help of Dahn Yoga. I signed up right away!

Here are some of the medical benefits I’ve received since I started practicing in June 2006: I was taken off my medication for osteoporosis, my vision has improved remarkably to the point where I don’t need reading glasses most of the time, I have more energy, and I am eating more normally and maintaining my weight instead of steadily gaining.

The mental and spiritual benefits are numerous as well. I am easier to get along with and am no longer a cranky old person. Now, I’m a happy old person with lots of energy!

Thank you to all my masters, instructors, and fellow members, for saving me from a doomed life of stress, misery, and chaos. I now lead a life of health, happiness, and peace, and have hope for the future.

Robyn H
Harbor Steps Dahn Center
Seattle, Washington
June, 2009