Ilchi Lee

Brain Education can be found in more places than just Dahn Yoga centers. Just as Ilchi Lee started teaching his method of exercise and healing for free in a park 30 years ago, outreach classes are being taught by his students in 15 major cities across the United States.

The classes take place in many types of venues including senior centers, libraries, juvenile probation programs, health clinics, universities, after-school children’s programs, and high schools for troubled teens. The classes involve Brain Education System Training methods such as Dahn Yoga, DahnMuDo (a non-combative healing martial art), Dahn Tai Chi, and/or hands-on healing techniques. Participants in these free or low-cost classes often report feeling happier, more relaxed, and in less pain.

Since 2006, those volunteer efforts have been loosely coordinated by the Dahn Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded by Dahn Yoga and Health Centers, Inc and inspired by Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education System Training (BEST) programs. According to their website, the Dahn Foundation’s mission is “to share the principles of health, happiness and peace through a network of volunteers. It is our hope that through [the] Dahn Foundation, the effects of Health, Happiness (Smile) and Peace (HSP) become a natural part of our society and culture. We believe it is every human being’s right to choose to become healthier, happier and more peaceful. Dahn Foundation offers opportunities to individuals to make that choice, regardless of their health or socioeconomic conditions.”

Their biggest outreach efforts include Dahn Yoga for MS, Dahn Yoga for Seniors, Brain Education for Successful Aging, and the Phoenix Project.

Dahn Yoga for MS is an initiative inspired by Cathy Downie, a member of the Glendale Dahn Yoga Center in Arizona. Though Cathy suffered with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 13 years, she was able to alleviate her MS symptoms through various BEST programs including Dahn Yoga, Dahn Mu Do, Dahn Tai Chi, and Dahn Healer School among others. Now she is volunteering her time to teach BEST principles and tools to people who are also suffering from the symptoms of MS. She has her own ongoing class and also coordinates and helps with Multiple Sclerosis Society events.

Dahn Yoga for Seniors is a Brain Education System Training (BEST) program modified for senior citizens. Dahn Yoga is a form of exercise that easily adapts to the needs and abilities of senior citizens while improving mind and body health. Some well-established classes can be found in Honolulu, Hawaii; Superior, Arizona; and Arlington, Massachusetts. In the Honolulu area, Sue and Wallace Yashima teach nearly 270 seniors each week at 5 separate senior community centers. Weekly classes have been taught on Saturdays at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Arlington, Massachusetts by various volunteers for almost five years. In Arizona, volunteer instructors teach Brain Education at the Sunbird Golf Retirement Community & Evergreen health and rehabilitation center.

According to Jaye Hallman, a Dahn Outreach Instructor, “The residents and the staff love what we do! They call it the best program in the house, and is one of the things that they tell family members is available for residents in the home.”

Brain Education for Successful Aging (BESA) classes are similar to Dahn Yoga for Seniors classes but are geared for adults fifty years old and older, or anyone interested in “improving your brain’s potential at any age,” according to the promotional material. They incorporate meditation, puzzles, and creativity-enhancing exercises in addition to Dahn Yoga exercises. BESA classes are becoming increasingly popular in the cities in which the Dahn Foundation is active. One-time open classes will be held in book stores and community centers in May in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Sedona, Arizona.

According to the Dahn Foundation website, the Phoenix Project is a “national initiative devoted to igniting power, passion and a sense of purpose in youth through community service, leadership and body-mind training.” Young adults participate in BEST training methods while living together in youth hostels during this program, which varies in length from ten to twenty-one days. As part of their training they engage in outreach activities. They clean trash and community centers such as the Spontaneous Celebrations Community Center in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. They teach DahnMuDo to teenage mothers, as well as elementary-aged children in Boston summer programs such as the one run by Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD).

ABCD gave this endorsement of the Phoenix Project: “On behalf of ABCD and the youth exploration program we want to express our deep gratitude to the Phoenix project for its support of our program. Thanks to your effort over forty students were able to benefit from your breathing and stretching exercises. Your demonstration was a great opportunity for the young people in the inner city to be exposed to [the] new concept of mind and body training.

“The Phoenix group was very knowledgeable and energetic. The groups loved working with the youths and were willing to answer all of their questions. It was a great experience to both our participants and staff; it will have a lasting and memorable effect."

In August 2007 the Phoenix Project hosted the Greater Boston Walk for Peace during which they led participants in a meditative walk and provided training in DahnMuDo and meditation at stations along the route. The walk was designed to give participants a sense of inner peace and provide inspiration for working toward world peace.

Beyond teaching outreach classes, the Dahn Foundation and Dahn Yoga & Health Centers successfully conducted their First Annual National Food Drive in most of the fifteen areas of the United States in which Dahn Yoga centers are located. They collected more than 5,000 lbs. of food during the 2007 Christmas-New Year holiday season.

In March 2008 the Dahn Foundation offered outreach instructor training beyond what instructors would normally receive at a Dahn Yoga center. Its goals for the year are to increase communication among the instructors around the country and increase the number of classes offered.

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