With its gold glazed lobby walls, large windows, a bright and open tea area, and a large classroom with golden floors, just walking into the Cherry Creek Dahn Yoga Center in Denver, Colorado can cause one’s spirit to soar. The feeling of openness in the center creates an inspiring venue for the Chunjikiun-inspired Dahn Yoga classes.

“The Cherry Creek Center is beautiful, of course,” says its Regional and Center Manager, Danielle Gaudette, “but its true beauty is when it is filled with happy members. When they are really enjoying the process of growth and experiencing changes in their lives, their excitement and sincere hearts add genuine warmth to our center.”

The harmonious trust among the members and the staff at Cherry Creek Center builds energy and provides the fuel to power such a successful center. Danielle feels grateful for that, especially since more members are demonstrating interest in their personal development by enrolling in workshops and special programs like Shimsung, Dotong Course, and Tao 12 Markers.

On any given day, you can hear laughter emanating from the tea area, children playing while their parents are in class, and the soft drum of dahnjon tapping as members diligently perform their suhaeng in the hallway.

“The heart of the Cherry Creek center is very much alive. We spent a lot of time building a feeling of community here,” says Crystal Reser, a pre-Dahn Master. “We are now focusing on the next step of growth to enhance our members’ experience.” Crystal attained her DahnMuDo black belt last year, and is now teaching three DahnMuDo classes a week at the center, as well as a six-week Dahn Yoga outreach class at her church.

“Colorado members are in general like the land that they live on—bright, strong, and productive,” Danielle proudly shares. “They are great vision partners and I always appreciate them for that! As you can see from our picture, the Cherry Creek member pool is predominately women, but we are eager and hopeful to have more male members soon!”

— Rebecca Tinkle