Dahn Yoga leaves Davis Square

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

It must have been relatively recently, but I walked past the Dahn Yoga on Holland, and the space was closed and back up for rent. Good riddance to the cult. I guess they lost that lawsuit brought by the family of a woman who died while on one of their retreats.

I wonder what will go in there?

Comments

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

There was an interesting article in Boston Magazine last month, maybe the month before, about the ongoing saga of the Dahn yoga cult. Charles Aquiderra (sp?) had concerns about Dahn when his kid got involved and called in a cult buster. After (what I read to be) some genuine soul-searching, he changed his mind about the nature of the group. I don't know anything from first-hand experience, but we might want to avoid painting them with the "cult" brush.

and Hassan was the cult buster called in, fyi...

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

I just checked the cult link above. It was that guy who flew out to counsel the family.

[elements.livejournal.com]

I had a former housemate once who was into yoga who tried out Dahn (since it was so close) initially. After a few weeks he came away very concerned. He said things were OK until they started pressuring him to come on a retreat, and then the way the retreat was described seemed very intense, but more importantly, he was only allowed to go to the retreat if he went in group transportation with Dahn, and they didn't have exact directions for him to give us (his housemates-in-place-of-local-family) for an emergency contact, and he wasn't allowed to bring any of his own food (even snacks) along, etc. That felt very cultish to all of us, and he chose not to go on the retreat. He then was basically told he was no longer welcome if he didn't want to make the commitment of the retreat. Of course this is just one experience, told and remembered second-hand, from several years ago, but still. Ever since I've considered that place, if not officially a cult, a dangerously controlling and manipulative organization.

[ron_newman]

Charles Laquidara, former deejay on WBCN radio. Also sometimes deejayed under the name "Duane Glasscock".

the Boston Magazine article from September 2007, with lots of blog comments following it

Letter to the editor from Laquidara, in the October 2007 issue

I don't really know how I feel about all this myself. I've met Steve Hassan and worked with him against Scientology a few years ago. His heart is in the right place.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

Another burrito place!
(ok, snark over)

I don't know what would go in that space; I have to walk past there to get to the T from my house and have been wondering the same thing...

[aki.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest sushi.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

How about a burrito place?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

D@mnit! Not snarky fast enough today!

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

and here I thought someone would be calling for a Trader Joe's! :)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Trader Joe's is a cult. ;-)

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

It must be, if that's the first thing people are always agitating for. ;)

[aki.livejournal.com]

Pfff, that space isn't big enough for a TJ's...

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

It's like deja vu all over again. (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1003587.html)

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Oh geez. Missed it the first time. But yeah, that's the article. And yeah, a lot of people have anecdotes about the place. The expensive "retreats" and gradual disconnection from your family and friends are red flags to me.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

Oops, also missed that the first time!

I'm not really sure it should be tagged yoga, given the descriptions of the practices by those who have gone there.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Leaving the tag is a good idea, so that people searching for yoga in Davis Square can clearly see the community reaction to this particular outfit.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

Point!

[ron_newman]

Since the place has "yoga" in its name and I tagged previous discussions of it with "yoga", I added that tag here as well. I agree with prog's comment.

I wonder what will go in there?

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

Someday Cafe?

Re: I wonder what will go in there?

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

That would be nice! Has there been foodservice in that location before? I can't remember what was there before Dahn, anyone? If not, I think it's a major effort to fit up an entirely new location, and I'm not sure that the Someday crowd has that kind of cash to get started. Hope it's good, whatever it is.

what was there before Dahn Yoga

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

... a music instrument store, and before that, was Jeannette's, which sold jewlery and collectibles.