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'Secret' teachings of a transnational yoga and tantra school: esotericism, essentialism and authenticity in MISA
Umeå University, Faculty of Arts, Department of historical, philosophical and religious studies.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9188-0397
2024 (English)In: Religions of South Asia, ISSN 1751-2689, E-ISSN 1751-2697, Vol. 18, no 1-2, p. 145-168Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article will present a pilot study on the Romanian school of yoga and tantra, MISA. MISA, or the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, has gained reputation as a controversial organization through the last decades as its leader, Gregorian Bivolaru, has been accused of sexual misconduct and human trafficking on several occasions and is currently wanted by Interpol. Yet his influence is spreading through European yoga studios as people enter MISA (often unknowingly of the organization’s problematic past), expecting esoteric and authentic teachings on yoga and tantra. This article will use a textual analysis of the material handed out during two year-long MISA yoga and tantra-courses, to examine the foundational teachings of a transnational yoga school in constant expansion, and how they relate to a broader religious-historical context of modern yoga and tantra, taking into special consideration the use of secrecy, claims of authenticity and the construction of gender. The article shows that, on the surface, MISA resembles many other contemporary schools of yoga and tantra, while a closer look reveals an emphasis on sexual continence that stands out, assuring the continuous reputation of the organization as both provocative and tantalizing.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Equinox Publishing, 2024. Vol. 18, no 1-2, p. 145-168
Keywords [en]
yoga, tantra, genderessentialism, esotericism, authenticity, modernyoga, contemporaryspirituality
National Category
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion
Research subject
History Of Religions
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-226075DOI: 10.1558/rosa.25506ISI: 001298277400007Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85197243637OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-226075DiVA, id: diva2:1868855
Available from: 2024-06-12 Created: 2024-06-12 Last updated: 2025-04-24Bibliographically approved

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Olsson, Tova

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
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