Twisted Yoga: Ashleigh Freckleton on Atman/MISA and Gregorian Bivolaru

Twisted Yoga: Ashleigh Freckleton on Atman/MISA and Gregorian Bivolaru

In this episode, we finally sit down with Ashleigh Freckleton, one of the central voices in the Apple TV docuseries Twisted Yoga and a former devotee of MISA/Atman Yoga, the transnational yoga-tantra empire orbiting fugitive guru Gregorian Bivolaru. We’ve been trying to line this conversation up for years, and it was worth every time-zone fail and calendar mishap to get her in the (virtual) studio.


Ashleigh takes us back to the moment yoga and meditation felt like the only things keeping her afloat—and how that genuine relief became the doorway into a “serious spiritual school” that slowly revealed itself as a high-control group with a global footprint. She walks us through the pipeline: starting with online Atman classes, moving into the in-person community at the Tara Yoga Centre in London, and eventually realizing the whole network feeds back to one very problematic “master” in hiding.


We also get into how these groups weaponize spiritual language to train you to ignore that constant low-grade anxiety buzzing in the background. Ashleigh describes what it’s like to see her story hit the screen after years of healing: the stress before the doc dropped, the relief of being believed, and the weird emotional whiplash of dragging an old, well-filed trauma box back out of the closet and cracking it open for millions of strangers. If you’ve ever wondered whether your “intense” yoga or tantra scene is actually…a little bit culty, this one’s for you.


Be sure to check out Twisted Yoga on Apple TV and follow Ashleigh on Instagram @afreckle_ and CULTivate Awareness @cultawareness_.


Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of spiritual and emotional abuse, pornography, sexual abuse allegations, anxiety, and trauma responses.


Also…let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.


Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon!

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred


CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin


SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.



See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(322)

Is Landmark a Cult? Anne Peterson Returns (Part 2)

Is Landmark a Cult? Anne Peterson Returns (Part 2)

In Part 2 with former Landmark Forum staffer Anne Peterson, we dig into what it actually took to leave the Landmark ecosystem emotionally, financially, and socially—and how she began unpacking the “te...

29 Jan 40min

Is Landmark a Cult? Anne Peterson Returns (Part 1)

Is Landmark a Cult? Anne Peterson Returns (Part 1)

In Part 1 of this conversation, former Landmark Forum staffer Anne Peterson returns to update us about life post-Is This a Cult? book launch. She takes us back inside the transformational training mac...

26 Jan 45min

Ma Will See You Now: Chasing Nirvana with Priya Hutner (Part 2)

Ma Will See You Now: Chasing Nirvana with Priya Hutner (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Priya Hutner, we keep pulling back the curtain on life inside the Kashi Ashram and the world surrounding Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati (“Ma”), including what happens when d...

22 Jan 38min

Ma Will See You Now: Chasing Nirvana with Priya Hutner (Part 1)

Ma Will See You Now: Chasing Nirvana with Priya Hutner (Part 1)

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.In Part 1 of our conversation with writer Priya Hutner, she takes us inside her years at the Kashi Ashram, a spiritual community led by guru Ma Jaya Sati Bhagav...

19 Jan 36min

My Toxic Father and Bahai: Jared Van Driessche’s Survival Story (Part 2)

My Toxic Father and Bahai: Jared Van Driessche’s Survival Story (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Jared Van Driessche, we go even deeper into what happens when you start questioning the system you were raised in, especially when that system is built on family, fa...

15 Jan 36min

My Toxic Father and Bahai: Jared Van Driessche’s Survival Story (Part 1)

My Toxic Father and Bahai: Jared Van Driessche’s Survival Story (Part 1)

In Part 1 of our conversation, security specialist Jared Van Driessche shares the story behind his polished “protector” persona: growing up in a Bahá’í family with a controlling and volatile father, a...

12 Jan 44min

Cults to Consciousness: Shelise Ann Sola on Post-Mormon Podcast Life (Part 2)

Cults to Consciousness: Shelise Ann Sola on Post-Mormon Podcast Life (Part 2)

In Part 2 with artist and ex-Mormon creator Shelise Ann Sola, we pick up with what happens after you walk away from the LDS Church: family fallout, reclaiming your body and sexuality from modesty/puri...

8 Jan 47min

Cults to Consciousness: Shelise Ann Sola on Post-Mormon Podcast Life (Part 1)

Cults to Consciousness: Shelise Ann Sola on Post-Mormon Podcast Life (Part 1)

In the first part of our conversation, artist, podcaster, and former Mormon Shelise Ann Sola joins us to talk about growing up in a devout Latter-day Saint (LDS) family. She internalized “perfect girl...

5 Jan 42min

Populärt inom Utbildning

historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
alska-oss
det-skaver
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
roda-vita-rosen
johannes-hansen-podcast
not-fanny-anymore
rss-foraldramotet-bring-lagercrantz
sektledare
rss-viktmedicinpodden
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
allt-du-velat-veta
sa-in-i-sjalen
rss-om-vi-ska-vara-arliga
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
rss-basta-livet
rss-npf-podden
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet