Ashleigh Freckleton sought solace in yoga after a difficult period of transition – a new job, a breakup, and a move to a new country. Little did she know, this search for wellness would lead her down a terrifying path, one that began with a promise of community and ended with a chilling fear of manipulation and abuse.
Her journey started at Tara Yoga Centre in London, a UK branch of the Atman Yoga Federation. What unfolded is now the subject of the Apple TV+ documentary, *Twisted Yoga*, revealing a gradual indoctrination into practices that allegedly aimed to control its followers. Ashleigh’s story is a stark warning about the subtle dangers hidden within seemingly benevolent groups.
As Ashleigh became more deeply involved, she found herself increasingly isolated from her life outside the school. Hours were dedicated to both theoretical study and physical practice, culminating in a retreat abroad. This retreat, she revealed in the documentary, involved disturbing rituals, including the sharing of bodily fluids – a practice she described as an “orgy.”
The path led to an invitation to meet Gregorian Bivolaru, the founder of the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA), a Romanian-based yoga movement referred to within the school as a “spiritual guide.” The encounter was carefully orchestrated; Ashleigh was met in Paris by a woman who confiscated her phone and transported her to an undisclosed location.
Reports surfaced of “sexual initiations” taking place in France, involving Bivolaru and female students. Ashleigh herself narrowly avoided participation, leaving before the initiation could occur, but the experience left an indelible mark.
Initially, Ashleigh found genuine benefit in the yoga practice. “I was feeling very stressed,” she explained. “I would go to class and practice yoga for an hour, and it felt like the vice on my chest had just been loosened.” The sense of calm and inner peace was powerfully alluring.
However, unsettling requests soon began. From being asked to submit revealing photographs to attending a retreat, to being told to disrobe for an “aura check,” the requests felt increasingly “strange.” Looking back, Ashleigh recognizes a multitude of warning signs that she initially dismissed.
“You dismiss them because you’re under these spiritual ideals and spiritual concepts,” she explained. “You’re taught to squash the ego. And you start to question yourself rather than questioning the situation. You progressively abandon yourself, until you don’t trust yourself at all.”
Upon arriving at the house in France, Ashleigh was presented with a disturbing agreement: she would be required to shave her head for five years if she attempted to reveal any of the “secret teachings.” The house itself was heavily secured, surrounded by a locked fence, and Ashleigh found herself stripped of her belongings and grappling with a growing sense of paranoia.
Despite her fear, Ashleigh ultimately listened to her instincts and requested to leave. The internal battle was intense. “I was starting to get quite paranoid thoughts…What would happen to me if I tried to leave? Can I trust these people? Would I disappear?”
When she voiced her decision to forgo the initiation, Ashleigh was told she was “manipulated by demons” and that the ritual would exorcise them. She now recognizes this as a tactic to invalidate her intuition and maintain control. “That’s your instincts and your safety mechanism saying: ‘Get out.’”
It took a year for Ashleigh to fully process the experience and begin speaking out, launching a “cult awareness page” to share her story. She was still hesitant to participate in the documentary, but ultimately hoped it would empower others to recognize similar patterns of manipulation.
“I hope that by sharing what I’ve been through, it might help others to identify what happened to them, put some language and understanding around it, and that can help them to stop blaming themselves.”
Ashleigh’s message is clear and powerful: “It’s not your fault.” She emphasizes that coercive control is never the victim’s responsibility, and that fear is not consent.
Gregorian Bivolaru is currently in custody facing allegations of kidnapping, rape, and people trafficking, all of which he denies. The events detailed in *Twisted Yoga* are currently under investigation.
