The Dahn Yoga Voice

Since I’ve been coming to Dahn Yoga I have experienced many positive changes. I have lost 65 pounds and my energy level has increased greatly. I am much more flexible and the arthritis in my hands has all but disappeared.

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.

Last week I received an e-mail regarding former employee complaints about the Dahn Yoga program. I realize people are allowed to express opinions and file lawsuits for any reason. While I disagree with the information in the complaint, I would like to express my experiences as first a Dahn member, then as a member and employee.

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.

My Dahn Yoga practice has changed my life for the better! It all began 3 years ago, with a trip to my local Laundromat. I had started a new job and was under extreme stress. I’d be so tired when I’d go home after work that I would just stare at the TV and eat before it was time to go to bed. Somehow, I knew that life could and should be more than that.

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 Healer
Harbor Steps Dahn Center
Seattle, Washington
June, 2009

My name is Emily Nathlich. I have been a member of Dahn Yoga for over 5 years now. From the moment I first stepped into the center I felt that something very special had been created here for me. Through this practice, I have become a changed person for the better. When I first began, I was wandering through my life day to day with no direction or passion for anything. My relationships were not satisfying because I was not in a healthy relationship with me.

Throughout my journey with Dahn, I discovered that my body was also not healthy. I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of Breast Cancer. I am so grateful to Dahn for helping me to recover myself both during and after the cancer treatment. It was a long and grueling process which caused me to become extremely sick…even close to death. It was very difficult and at times I wanted to give up. I continued to come into the center for healings and this helped me tremendously to stay on a path of health and hope that I would persevere through it all.

It’s been 4 years since I was first diagnosed. I’m completely 100% healthy and I can focus on my future. Thanks to Dahn Yoga I feel strong passion for my vision and life purpose which is to keep growing by helping others.

I believe there are no accidents…I believe in the Creative Spirit of all humans and of the Universe…I believe we are all Spiritual Beings having an Earthly experience…I believe that when one is ready, the Master will appear… I had forgotten my beliefs…

I have lived many years with chronic neck pain which caused dizziness when lying down. I have been told I have hip and knee arthritis. My Mother was crippled in her later years with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Last year an added challenge surfaced around this time. I was in a state of Anxiety after several shocking and reality shattering occurrences. I had been placed on a low stress work arrangement for three months. I knew I must make some real changes in order to not only keep my employment, but to prosper as I know can be achieved in the right circumstances. I was, however, shaken and at an emotional, physical and mental low point in my life.

My daughter was in Houston for a while, as she is Happiness personified for me. She came in one day after running errands and announced that she had discovered the perfect place for me!

The minute I walked into the Dahn Yoga Center in River Oaks, I KNEW my journey back to Health and Happiness was beginning! I signed up for a year right then and there, following my Intuition and my Heart which had been laying dormant. Needless to say I was thrilled!

My first class really substantiated that I was surely in my “right place”. The enthusiasm, bright smiles and accepting attitudes of each Yoga Master was indeed another sign for my life. Master Ginny and Master Anna truly epitomized enlightened wisdom and a balanced Grace of each movement…always encouraging and engaging the class to “stretch toward their best” at that moment.

I have experienced such acceptance toward self reliance and true self healing. A harmonious balance which expands my imagination through visualizations is such a welcomed respite from the outside world. A creative rhythm with each Brain Vibration has developed my healing capacity physically, mentally and emotionally. My neck problems have essentially disappeared…something doctors and chiropractors have been unable to achieve! For me…that is a Miracle! I have a renewed sense of vitality toward Life!

I have increased my Intuitive knowledge of my body connection with my Spirit. My concentration and discipline with each class has created that balance with other important aspects of my life…my work, my human understanding and compassion, my Joy in Living Loving and Learning. I have never experienced such dedication and enlightenment toward the connection of Body, Mind and Spirit…

Dahn Yoga represents all the Goodness for Self…expanding out to Others, our Earth, our World in so many facets…seminars, weekend retreats, but mostly…creates a “Peace that Passeth all Understanding”…

We cannot share or give away what we do not have within. Dahn Yoga is opening my life to the expression of Health and a Peace of Mind which evolves from knowing I am genuinely committed to being my best self… I know unequivocally that the Glowing Energy derived from being involved with Dahn Yoga will be a Blessing for myself, others and my world…

I will end with a quote from the IBREA Foundation, which I feel embodies the intrinsic values of Dahn Yoga…

“The most valuable legacy that we can pass on to future generations is the recovery of our humanity so that they can experience a deeper and more meaningful existence. By awakening the best in the human spirit, we can make this legacy a reality in our lifetime”

llchi Lee

I gratefully acknowledge…Dahn Yoga is my Joy and my Blessing…

I had not heard of Dahn Yoga until I came across it at a Health Fair in 2008. Not knowing what to expect I decided to try it for a month. The result was more than I ever expected, every class is different and very enjoyable. I have just started my second year.

I suffered from constant pain in my neck and back. The pain and stiffness in my back was overwhelming at morning. It was hard getting out of bed. Within the first month of classes the change in my entire body was enormous. Instantly I began to sleep better and the pain in my neck and back was gone. Now in the morning, I spring out of bed with no pain or stiffness in my back.

With Dahn Yoga I have become stronger, energized and very flexible. I look forward to my daily class; the atmosphere at the center is warm and relaxing. The teachers are wonderful, loving and friendly always giving words of encouragement. Classes are more than stretching. It’s good workout physically, mentally and emotionally while building strength and flexibility.

The benefits are enormous. Through deep relaxation I have found inner peace and have become a much calmer person. With help from the teachers I continue to build strength and flexibility. I’m glad I found Dahn Yoga and look forward to the many classes ahead.

Cynthia

Simply stated, Dahn Yoga is a holistic approach to well being. We increasingly hear that to live a healthy life we have to accomplish balance within our mind, body and soul. Even medical doctors are starting to change their practice to include an assessment of their patient’s thoughts and emotions when dealing with their physical ailments.

Most of us have an intuitive appreciation and understanding of the truth of this new way of thinking about health, but do not have any idea of how to start living a life that would allow us to connect every aspect of our existence. Most of us arrive at Dahn Yoga knowing that there is something that needs to change in our lives if we are to have the energy and health to live a full and happy life.

Dahn Yoga provides an opportunity for us to improve our bodies, change the way we think and feel about ourselves, and most importantly it provides an opportunity to reconnect with our souls.

We arrive at Dahn Yoga, most of us, wanting to improve our bodies, and very quickly realize that while it is the best place to begin, it is certainly not the end of what we accomplish. As we start paying attention to our bodies, as we practice the deep stretching exercises, we realize that there is energy inside and around us that we have not previously noticed. We realize that as we move with that energy, we breathe easier, we feel better, we quiet our minds and start making room to listen to our own inner voice.

With the guidance of the instructors, we improve our bodies, take time to quiet our minds, and in a manner of speaking, wash away the negative information we have accumulated in our brain and prepare it to receive positive ways of dealing with the situations in our lives. In that quiet place we leave behind, if only for a few moments, the daily activities that make us rush from one thing to the next without really stopping to ask ourselves if this is truly what we want or need to be doing. In that quiet place we have the opportunity to open ourselves to living in and for our souls. We could say we start to listen, to our hearts. We start to experience life in its purest form.

We start to appreciate our community, our immediate environment, and the Earth. We start seeing ourselves not only as an individual, member of a family or a cultural background, we start experiencing life as “earth human” with care and concern for all of creation.

This has been my experience. Yours might be totally different, and that is the beauty of Dahn Yoga, we find ourselves, our own way of being and of sharing in our lives.