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Margaret Sage, a Dahn Yoga master in Montreal, Canada, developed 2 Dahn Yoga branches and 3 outreach locations after the Montreal Dahn Yoga center closed in July 2007.
As the only Dahn Yoga master remaining after the center closed, Margaret made the decision to create something positive out of a disappointing situation. With the help of members from the closed center, and hope and encouragement from her teacher Ilchi Lee, she started teaching Dahn Yoga classes in two church basements, one on the north side and one on the south side of Montreal. She began with just four classes per week.
When she had to cancel classes at the Brussard location, one of her members discovered that the Tae Kwon Do studio her daughter attended was doing renovations in order to include yoga classes. Now that location has 60 Dahn Yoga members, including 20 lifetime members. The other location in LaValle has about 30 members.
In addition to these sites, several members started teaching outreach classes at their workplace, or their child’s school. Five instructors teach at the branch locations. The instructors at the branches and most of the outreach locations are paid. For the off-site locations, 70% of the net income goes to the instructors.
Margaret said, "After the center closed [the members] appreciated it more and had more motivation to help and keep going." She encouraged them to start outreach classes because she believes that the vision of Dahn Yoga is to share the exercise and principles, but not everyone can come to the centers. She supports the instructors with regular meetings and reinforcement training, as well as by visiting each site to teach special workshops. Now there are 100 Dahn Yoga members in Montreal at the branches and off-site locations.
According to Margaret, what seemed like a loss became an opportunity, because both she and the members had to change their perspectives. Margaret observed that, "Obstacles are a kind of illusion and I can get past them if I keep focusing and I keep trusting. Also, when I thought about the members, I couldn't give up because it was not the members' fault that the center closed." She also changed her attitude toward the personal growth of her members. She explained, "I think in the past I was looking for people who could fit in this certain box of who could help the center. But when the center closed I started looking at the members more as people with this ability or that talent." She tries to help them use their talents to share what they have learned with others.
For the members' part, those that stayed to help after their center closed realized how important the practice was for them and how much more they could do. In the future, Margaret hopes members will open a center that is truly their center, and would like to have another branch in downtown Montreal. She envisions 1000 Dahn Yoga members in all of Montreal.
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