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City Drops "Brain Education" School Program Run By Yoga Cult

110909braineducation.jpg Less than a week after it was revealed that the Department of Education paid $374,000 for a hypnotherapist consultant, it's being reported that the city has paid $400,000 for 44 schools to participate in the "PowerBrain Education" program, run by a yoga group that's being sued by former members. What's next, hiring some Breatharians to consult on the lunch program?

The Brain Education (BE) for Enhanced Learning classes lead kids through physical and breathing exercises intended to help them concentrate and unleash their PowerBrain! The Post visited one class in the Bronx last week, and watched as elementary students spent 25 minutes saying things like, "I love your Power Brain face," and rapping along to songs with lyrics like "I love my thalamus." This so-called "brain revolution" is being led by "pioneering Brain Philosopher" Seung Huen Ilchi Lee, the man at the top of the Dahn Yoga network, which operates 130 health centers and two training retreats across the country.

Some people who've been involved with Dahn Yoga describe it as a cult, and one former Dahn employee claimed Lee sexually assaulted her (she later settled out of court). And in 2005, the group was sued by the family of Julia Siverls, a 41-year-old CUNY professor who collapsed and died during an endurance hike at the group's Sedona, Arizona retreat. According to the lawsuit, which was also settled out of court, Siverls had been drugged and forced to hike in desert heat with 40 pounds of rocks in her backpack and with little water. Lawyer Terry Brostowin tells the Post, "If my child was [participating in Power Brain], I would pull them out in about two minutes. I would be very scared."

Sure, to the untrained eye, the video below may seem to depict children wasting time engaging in ridiculous hokey-pokey games at taxpayer expense, but what you're actually watching is the powerful education of "humanity's greatest asset... the one we all possess—the brain itself." Nevertheless, once the Post started asking questions, the Education Department abruptly pulled the plug on BrainPower, so everything's back to normal.

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Comments [rss]

  • powerbrain

    This Gothamist "article" was basically a reprint of the NY Post article. You should know that the NY Post was forced to retract its sensationalist article in December because PBE is not named in the frivolous lawsuit. In addition, eight of the ten claims from the plaintiffs were thrown out of court because they lacked any factual basis.

    For those interested in the truth about Power Brain Education and its work in schools, I suggest you visit www.powerbrainedu.com

    And the NYC DOE has not "dropped" Power Brain Education as a vendor. In fact, hundreds of principals, teachers and parents have written letters to the DOE supporting PBE programs following the ridiculous Post article.

    I urge your readers to investigate a little deeper than the Post to get their information about Power Brain Education.

  • inoyourider

    Fuck this New Age Bullshit.

  • NannyState

    It's only a matter of time before all yoga cult hypnotists are dragged before the scales of justice.

  • JacqueMehoff

    I have one of these in my Iriver MP3 player,

    only they call it Btamin.

  • Whatever. Dumb, but how is it any dumber than climbing a rope or swinging a bat at a ball?

  • PKMKII

    What's next, chemistry classes taught by homeopathy groups?

  • HBHB

    I'm sure most of the parents that complained are currently teaching their children that there was once a zombie man who turned water to wine and gave blind people sight. How dare you try and teach my child to relax and use his brain.

  • imadick

    belittling a religion doesn't make your cult sound any less cultish.

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