Yoga cult

First, I think you should read 'The Yoga Cult' article in the February issue of Rolling Stone (a well-tatted Lil Wayne is on the cover of the issue).

Unbeknownst to me, I got involved with Dahn yoga in New York City. I think a friend of a friend innocently handed me a pamphlet and said, "Here, take a class." At the time, I had been very curious about yoga. (Never have I had an interest in cults, however.)

After the first class, I bought a 3-month membership because I'm pretty open-minded (feel free to replace the word 'open-minded' with 'naive' or 'impulsive') and was looking for a break from the gym routine.

But yes, it's definitely a cult. The membership included a white martial arts uniform that made everyone in the class look like inmates. Another red flag went up when I saw other members stay after class to mop the bathroom floors in reverence to the Dahn Master, Ilchi Lee. I'm sorry, but no person in their right mind, nevermind a fucking New Yorker, would voluntarily do this. Unless they'd been brainwashed.

The classes were notably more expensive than most yoga classes and taking them 3x a week were never enough in the instructors' eyes. In order to reach enlightenment, you had to devote your entire life to the practice. They constantly pushed workshops and retreats down my throat. I politely declined them all, but could read the disappointment on their faces. In their struggle to control me, I left before I could spot the Kool-aid.

So the Rolling Stone article is absolutely right. Dahn Yoga is a fanatical group led by a Korean guru that's part Moonies, part New Age boot camp – and pure profit. Read the article, it's fucking frightening.

Weird shit happens to me. In retrospect, I thought I was signing up for some simple downward-dogging. Turns out it was anything but that.