"We have no followers or ashrams!"



ROMANIAN

On March 5, 2024, a post titled "The French newspaper "Le Monde" has approached ATMAN with five questions

and ATMAN Federation answers" appeared on the ATMAN International Federation of Yoga and Meditation website.

The next day, Le Monde published an article entitled "The deviation of Gregorian Bivolaru, a yogi-guru accused of rape in France". 🔗

Shortly after this article appeared in Le Monde, the aforementioned post disappeared from the ATMAN page, but not before being

archived here 🔗.

But on April 4, 2024, one month after these events, a "Response provided by the MISA Press Office to the French daily Le Monde"

also appeared and remained on the MISA website. 🔗

This answer states, I quote:

”Le Monde newspaper sent in February to the MISA Press Office a series of questions for an article that was going to present

readers with details about the French case involving the yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru and other yoga practitioners.

That article was published in the online subscriber edition of March 6, 2024."

At this point, two questions arise:

- Why was the ATMAN response removed from its own website, immediately after the Le Monde article appeared?

- Why did MISA publish the response given to Le Monde only a month after the article appeared in the French newspaper?

Didn't they want to draw attention to the Le Monde article, which provided some disturbing information for MISA?

It is true that the Le Monde article can only be viewed in its entirety with a subscription, but the freely accessible fragment allows

new information to be found, such as the fact that it is stated that the apartment in which the guru was caught was still sealed

even though MISA Sensational TV - the official television channel of MISA - broadcast footage of "the disaster left by the French police

after the raid". Or does the French newspaper say that 300,000 euros in cash were found during the raids?

If they didn't want to attract attention then, here they are now, after a month!

Even though MISA's answer does not indicate its title or address, the Le Monde article is easy to find!

So that's probably another reason for the post disappearing from the ATMAN site.

Was there anything MISA didn't agree on? We can only look for answers by comparing the responses of the two organizations.

At first sight, the ATMAN post seems more to the point, it is shorter and expeditious, sending the journalist to different sources

(please refer to...)

Instead, the post on the MISA website is as usual exaggerated and pompous, seeks to divert attention from the important aspects,

contains many off-topic details, self-praise, looking more like propaganda for its own followers and for the Romanian press.

However, a few things stand out:

➤ There are some questions from the questionnaire received by MISA that seem to be addressed to both organizations,

namely those in which both names appear simultaneously, separated by the slash sign /: "MISA / ATMAN".

Of these, only one (!) exists in the questionnaire received by ATMAN:

"How many followers does MISA / ATMAN have today?”

This is strange because immediately after the raids and arrests on November 28, 2023 , both MISA 🔗 and ATMAN 🔗

claimed in their press releases that the two organizations were independent of each other.

In its very response to Le Monde, the ATMAN Federation reiterates this fact (as seen here 🔗).

We could think that the two organizations exchanged information - even if they claim to be independent of each other -

and that the simultaneous use of the names of the two organizations in the form of MISA / ATMAN would mean that

the questions are common, but this is not the case here!

Two other questions, namely "How many MISA/ATMAN ashrams are there in the world?" 🔗 and "What was Bivolaru's position

in MISA/ATMAN at the time he was arrested?" 🔗, exists only in the questionnaire received by MISA!

How is it possible for Le Monde to send questions to MISA that also concern ATMAN, but not to ATMAN?

To these questions, MISA answers on behalf of ATMAN!

This is proof that ATMAN is controlled by MISA, although both organizations deny this.

Is that why ATMAN's answer was removed, because it was posted without (prior)notice from MISA, and furthermore,

it exposed the links between the organizations? Now, MISA unwittingly revealed these connections!

➤ In the ATMAN questionnaire, Le Monde ask about the number of followers:

Question Le Monde: How many followers does the International Federation of Yoga and Meditation have today

with all its schools worldwide? And if you are able to tell me, more precisely, how many followers MISA in Romania?

ATMAN: ATMAN... by its statutes, does not have followers. 🔗

Instead, MISA sometimes uses the term "followers" for its students, even if this word has the meaning of "sectarian" in Romanian.

MISA posts:

22 june 2004: MISA Followers Surrounded the Parliament with a Chain of Human Beings 🔗

The MISA followers, among which there were members of foreign organizations as well, summoned at the Parliament Palace

with the intention to surround the huge building with a chain of human beings holding hands.” 🔗

”Meanwhile the number of the MISA followers accused of human beings trafficking turns to 40, on account of the same false statements.” 🔗

”As time passed by and the Yoga School which has “grown” around MISA came to have more and more followers and students

became increasingly visible and that MISA began to be troublesome for some circles of power.” 🔗

Very funny, ATMAN mentor Gregorian Bivolaru himself uses the word "followers" in a statement in court!

"It is suspicious that among the several tens of thousands of followers of the MISA Yoga School, only 12 people were found,

former students, who are said to have come to claim that they were exploited." 🔗

To avoid the connotation of "sectarian" that the word "follower" has in the Romanian language, MISA uses the word "members",

as can be seen here 🔗.

But by doing this, MISA commits a new blunder, because it has repeatedly claimed that the quality of "member" belongs

only to those in management, not to the students!

”In January 2015 the Association MISA celebrated 25 years of existence. From its founding until now, this association which till now

still has only 20 members led to a large-scale spiritual movement, which has no equivalent in Romanian society and established

the largest yoga school in Europe.” 🔗

”MISA has 22 members. About 35,000 students, who are not members of the organization, are enrolled in the courses

organized by MISA.” 🔗

”From a strictly legal point of view, the quality of student, i.e. a person who attends the courses of a school or who participates

in the activities of a certain association, cannot be assimilated to that of "member" of that association, in the case of MISA

the name of members refers only and only to the signatories of the Constitutive Act.” 🔗

It says clearly: students are not members of MISA. And then why did MISA forcibly translate the word "followers" by "members"?

Because the followers lead the thought of the sectarians!

However, Massimo Introvigne, a supporter of MISA/ATMAN, also uses the "F" word:

”Bivolaru, the founder of the Romanian esoteric movement MISA, was arrested in France together with several followers.” 🔗

➤ When asked about the number of followers, members, students or whatever, MISA's answer is short:

"We do not provide figures regarding the number of MISA students". 🔗

Instead, ATMAN does not give any answer, but leaves the question unanswered, for everyone to understand what they want:

”Given this status, the ATMAN Federation does not have any administrative information about MISA.” 🔗

Suddenly, nobody knows anything anymore! Possible reasons?

Differences with reporting to the tax office, hiding the expansion of organizations from the authorities, etc.

They used to be very chatty and boastful about it, providing numbers even if no one asked them:

ATMAN Federation states:

”The success of the yoga courses was spectacular in Romania, where at the beginning of the century the movement reached

a total of over 40,000 students, also knowing a considerable international expansion in several countries.” 🔗

(40,000 at the beginning of the century. But now?)

In turn, MISA declared to international organizations:

”MISA is a loose network of training centers, yoga schools and ashrams. Before the 2004 police crackdown,

it numbered about 37,000 practitioners. After the 2004 events, the number dramatically decreased to about 20,000

due to the social panic instilled by the media.” 🔗

The mentor of MISA and ATMAN himself, Bivolaru, said in the audio-video statement submitted for his trial, I quote:

"...the MISA association, and the Yoga School that was established by this association includes over 40,000 members

and sympathizers who practice Yoga both here in the country and in some countries abroad." 🔗

➤ The connections between MISA and ATMAN in the answers given to Le Monde questions:

ATMAN: All affiliate member schools are independent organizations, holding full responsibility for their decisions and activities.

They are completely separate, acting independently from each other in all respects. Our affiliate member schools are

financially, administratively and organizationally independent from the Federation. Given this status, the ATMAN Federation

does not have any administrative information about MISA. 🔗

Question Le Monde:

Is there a specific link between ATMAN and MISA, a different link than the one with the other schools among ATMAN ?

ATMAN: MISA is one of the affiliate member schools of the ATMAN Federation, like all other affiliate member schools.” 🔗

MISA: As far as the ATMAN Federation is concerned, each member school is a separate entity and we do not have access

to their internal data. The ATMAN Federation is made up of schools in over 30 countries, in some countries there are

even several different schools, and each has its own organization and leadership.🔗

Bullshit! Let's rewind the movie:

Significant issues related to the dirty games played behind the scenes by The International Yoga Federation and not only

… as I have personally witnessed in the past 4 years, by Yoga Teacher Mihai Stoian

”We will not be discouraged by all this intrigues and we will continue to act developing the Atman International Federation

of Yoga and Meditation, a federation with many schools embracing the teaching system offered by Grieg and under

the patronage of this International Federation we will continue to organize congresses and spiritual events on the planetary level,

promoting authentic yogic spiritual values.

In the moment that IF of Yoga and Meditation Atman was legally setup, we were straight away called by International Yoga

Federation asking us to immediately cancel the name and the website of the federation, having the reason that the name

international federation would compete with International Yoga Federation.” 🔗

”We have proved goodwill by canceling the website of the federation and even renaming our federation from the Atman Federation

of Yoga and Meditation becoming World Federation for Yoga and Meditation Atman in order not to make this competition.” 🔗

Same statement in French, here 🔗!

Moreover, the heads of schools within ATMAN, who are also instructors, teach according to the MISA curriculum made by Bivolaru,

as repeatedly stated:

Le Monde: What was Gregorian Bivolaru's position in MISA / ATMAN at the time he was arrested?

MISA: Gregorian Bivolaru is one of the founding members of MISA and is the one who structured and synthesized

the spiritual teachings that form the basis of our courses. In this capacity he is highly valued and respected.

Since 1995, he has not held any yoga classes and no longer holds any position within MISA.

In ATMAN he never had any kind of position, he did not participate in the creation of the ATMAN Federation,

he did not hold yoga classes in ATMAN. But, being the one who laid the foundations of the spiritual teaching on the basis

of which yoga is also taught in ATMAN schools, most students have heard of him, respect and appreciate him.. 🔗

MISA also stated this in the Communication to ZDF 🔗:

"The yoga schools that belong to the ATMAN International Federation teach yoga according to the same program,

which was originally developed several years ago by yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru, co-founder of MISA; however,

this does not mean that all schools in the ATMAN Federation are "affiliates" of MISA. They are independent schools,

established in accordance with the legal provisions of each country, having an independent organization and administration." 🔗

Regarding its integral yoga course, ATMAN acknowledges that its author is Bivolaru:

” Gregorian Bivolaru is the author of Integral Esoteric Yoga Course. He is also the co-author of the Esoteric Tantra Yoga Course

and the active supporter and contributor to several other spiritual courses” 🔗

The instructors are trained by ATMAN, as the organization itself admits in its response:

”The Federation has several affiliate member schools worldwide, providing teaching materials and teacher training.” 🔗

So the schools within the ATMAN Federation are independent on paper, but on the other hand, it is obvious that

ALL their leaders and instructors are still MISA STUDENTS, because otherwise they would not be able to teach yoga

according to the MISA curriculum, and if not would keep the line imposed by MISA, their support and recognition

would be withdrawn (as shown here 🔗).

This is the subtle mechanism by which all these organizations in ATMAN are coordinated by MISA and Bivolaru.

That is why ATMAN does not respond on behalf of MISA, states that he has no data on this and removes his post of his response,

while MISA reply comes after one month and answers some questions on behalf of ATMAN! Liars!

➤ ASHRAMS and NUMBER of its occupants

LeMonde: How many MISA/ATMAN ashrams are there in the world?

MISA: We have no information about spiritual settlements outside of Romania. First of all, we specify that

these spiritual settlements are improperly called "ashrams", they are rather spiritual communities. 🔗

And here, too, MISA's memory is short-lived, fortunately that of the Internet is long-lasting:

”Within MISA, ashrams are a form of living in common, similar to student dormitories.

Each dormitory follows certain rules for the life in common to work.

The MISA ashrams abide by rules. These rules are both for the inhabitants of the ashram, and for visitors.” 🔗

”MISA is a loose network of training centers, yoga schools and ashrams. Before the 2004 police crackdown,

it numbered about 37,000 practitioners. In addition, there were about 40 ashrams in Romania where some 750 people

were living and practicing yoga. After the 2004 events, the number dramatically decreased to about 20,000 due to

the social panic instilled by the media. By mid-May 2013, there were 63 ashrams in Bucharest and 28 in other cities

where more than one thousand practitioners had chosen to live.” 🔗

The MISA students themselves also call them ashrams:

"Now, when there is a trial in which Gregorian Bivolaru and other MISA members or instructors are accused of human trafficking,

the media has started a furious campaign to expose the "exploitation" of ashramists (yoga practitioners who live together

in houses they call "ashrams") by the MISA leadership.

Precisely to bring a clarification in this sense, MISA Sensational TV presented in a show a series of interviews 

taken with some of the yogis who live in an ashram of our school." 🔗 

Regarding the number of ashram residents, here are MISA's lies to the press that "harass" them:

"In Romania there are more than 10 so-called "ashrams", to which are added several homes belonging to some students,

which they have made available to people who for a shorter or longer period of time want to perform an intensive spiritual practice.

MISA did not set out to keep accurate records of all these small spiritual settlements, especially since they are small

individual dwellings, not large residences like the Indian ashrams, which can accommodate several hundred people." 🔗

... And here are the numbers given to the organizations that defend MISA:

”MISA is a loose network of training centers, yoga schools and ashrams. By mid-May 2013, there were 63 ashrams

in Bucharest and 28 in other cities where more than one thousand practitioners had chosen to live.” 🔗

Noteworthy is the diversion with "the small individual dwellings belonging to some students who made them available

to some colleagues for intensive spiritual practice", which is inserted to cover the hosting of the women invited by

Gregorian Bivolaru in France to be "initiated" (read here 🔗).

LeMonde: How many members and how many ashrams are there in France?

MISA: As far as we know, the yoga school in France does not own any ashrams. Being a separate school from MISA,

we do not have information on the number of students. 🔗

But earlier, to the question "How many MISA/ATMAN ashrams are there in the world?", MISA had answered:

"We have no information about spiritual settlements outside of Romania" 🔗, which contradicts the statement above 

"As far as we know, the yoga school in France does not own any ashrams" which shows that, on the contrary, MISA does!

➤ It should also be noted that for those questions that are practically identical in both questionnaires,

the answers are also practically the same:

 a) Number of students and connections between organizations

LeMonde: How many followers does ATMAN have today worldwide? How many followers MISA in Romania?

ATMAN: All affiliate member schools are independent organizations. They are completely separate, acting independently

from each other in all respects. Our affiliate member schools are financially, administratively and organizationally independent

from ATMAN. Given this status, the ATMAN Federation does not have any administrative information about MISA. 🔗

LeMonde: How many members does MISA/ATMAN have today, in Romania and in the world?

MISA: We do not provide data on the number of MISA students. As far as the ATMAN Federation is concerned,

each member school is a separate entity and we do not have access to their internal data. 🔗

b) Position on victim complaints

LeMonde: At least seven women filed a complaint in France against Gregorian Bivolaru for raping or human trafficking,

telling the same story to the police, with some very similar details.

ATMAN : We have no information regarding the ongoing investigation in France except through the publications of mass media. 🔗

LeMonde: How do you explain the fact that seven women filed complaints, telling the same story to the police,

with some very similar details?

MISA: We do not know the content of these women's complaints, we only know what was written in the press. 🔗

"We know nothing, we have nothing to do with each other", but MISA answers on behalf of ATMAN (MISA/ATMAN),

and the answers are the same, but it is only a coincidence, although ”there is no coincidence and nothing is accidental”...

MISA sends journalists to read about the Moral Code of Yoga, as if MISA/ATMAN respects it!

ATMAN: We recommend on our home page a code of conduct which is based on the millenary moral principles of yoga. 🔗

MISA: The spiritual teaching and the moral and spiritual values we promote are incompatible with any kind of abuse,

but we have no way of knowing what each past or current student does outside of the weekly classes. 🔗

What hypocrisy! They say that participating in MISA activities only means attending the class lesson that is going on one

every week, nothing more. But then why are students reproached for not participating in camps, groups or the various

occult support actions that occupy all their time?

And it is said that spiritual initiations are given only when the disciple first of all abides by the Moral and Ethical Code.

If the moral attitude of the students is not known, on what basis are these initiations given?

In his answer, ATMAN makes references to the articles - very recent at the time - dedicated specifically to the case in France,

written by their two supporters from CESNUR:

- the article series ”Behind the Bivolaru Case” by Introvigne, of which the final article had been posted on January 11 🔗

- the article ”The Police Raids Against MISA in France, November 28, 2023” 🔗 by Susan Palmer, which was already published

on March 1, 2024, when it had begun to be posted in chapters, pe Bitter Winter 🔗

Instead MISA refers to their published books, one about the MISA ideology (sacred eroticism), the other about

the repression of religious organizations worldwide! Possible reason?

MISA advertised the two's books in order to return the favors of its supporters, while followers and the press were already

aware of the mentioned series of articles anyway. Also, the book on sacred eroticism is propaganda for MISA ideology.

Finally, an observation of a general nature.

MISA: "The article included only a small part of the extremely detailed explanations that were provided by the Press Office." 🔗

A self-respecting journalist could not broadcast everything that MISA delivered to him.

Those at MISA are never interested in showing the real truth (which is often disturbing to them), but only "their truth".

Always on such occasions, MISA not only avoids giving answers, but acts aggressively, seeks to take the initiative, manipulate,

distort reality, orient the situation in its favor ("the end justifies the means"), to spread and to inoculate their ideology,

they act like a sect that seeks to hook and proselytize.

We are not only talking about avoiding the real question, avoiding the answer, misleading, details that are not related

to the current situation (like how Bivolaru was persecuted in the past or how he was acquitted of previous charges),

but also about many aspects of propaganda, the "Press Office" of MISA delivering a lot of information that was not even requested.

What sense would it make to include a glossary on consecration in the answer? Propaganda and proselytism!

Instead of pointing to Introvigne's recent articles on the Paris case which served them much better in the given situation

- as ATMAN did - they referred to his book on sacred eroticism!

Spreading their own ideology, propaganda and proselytizing! If the French journalist broadcast everything that MISA force-fed him,

he would have become a MISA salesman. But it is obvious that he understood the game and did not allow himself to be manipulated.

After analyzing the details, taking an overall view, the response published by MISA includes what was stated in the ATMAN response,

plus other aspects, therefore the only reason for removing the ATMAN response shortly after its appearance is

to avoid revealing the close connections that exists between the MISA organization and its tentacles in ATMAN.

In conclusion, regarding this topic of the questionnaire received from LeMonde and the answers to it, it appears once again that

the only "moral" code that MISA/ATMAN worships is its ABSOLUTE TRINITY of  VILLAINY, LIE and STUPIDITY!