在巴黎,我与Miranda重逢,她讲述了令人心碎的经历,以及她与Gregorian Bivolaru及其组织Atman Federation和Tara Yoga Centre的纠葛。Bivolaru被捕的消息本应带来解脱,但挥之不去的恐惧和愤怒却始终萦绕着她。
Miranda的第一次与Bivolaru的见面,是一场创伤性的性启蒙仪式。尽管之后她曾试图再次与他联系,但如今,她已彻底与这个曾经视为精神导师的人决裂。为了放下过去,她象征性地将两条承载着痛苦回忆的项链投入塞纳河,那冰冷的河水似乎也带走了她的一部分伤痛。
然而,当我们一起前往她曾被囚禁的巴黎郊区房屋时,新的恐惧涌上心头。那栋房子并非空置,有人在窗边窥探,这让她确信Bivolaru的追随者仍然潜伏在暗处。这种潜在的威胁,让她感到不安和愤怒,也让她更加坚定了揭露真相的决心。
在法国,Miranda向法官陈述了她的遭遇。法官的理解和关怀让她感到一丝慰藉。虽然整个法律程序漫长而复杂,但她相信正义终将到来。她所提供的证词,不仅关乎她个人的创伤,也指向了Atman Federation和Tara Yoga Centre的运作模式,以及这些组织如何利用精神影响力对女性进行性剥削和人口贩卖。
Tara Yoga Centre的高级成员Catherine承认曾帮助Miranda联系Bivolaru,安排了第二次见面。Atman Federation的负责人Bogdan Radasanu也承认曾与Bivolaru接触,当时Bivolaru正处于逃亡状态。这些事实都指向了组织内部对Bivolaru行为的默许和纵容。
尽管Bivolaru被捕,Atman Federation和Tara Yoga Centre却似乎仍在照常营业,并未对自身行为进行反思。这种漠视的态度,更令人感到愤怒和担忧。
另一位受害者Elise,讲述了她如何在Tara Yoga Centre的经历中迷失自我,以及她对那些知情却视而不见的老师们的愤怒。
Miranda的母亲Penny则给予了她无条件的支持和理解,她为女儿的勇气和坚强感到骄傲。
这段经历让我深刻意识到,对身心健康的追求,对精神世界的探索,并不意味着要放弃自我保护和警惕。 Tara Yoga Centre的案例警示我们,看似美好的精神追求,也可能成为性剥削和精神控制的温床。 我们必须保持清醒的头脑,学会识别和抵制潜在的危险。 Miranda的故事,不仅是个人遭遇的悲剧,更是对整个社会发出的警示。 我希望她的勇气能够激励更多受害者站出来,寻求帮助和支持,共同打破沉默,让真相大白于天下。
Gregorian Bivolaru, a 71-year-old spiritual guide, was arrested in a massive police operation involving 175 officers. He was charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape, and abuse under French anti-cult laws. The operation targeted an international yoga movement affiliated with Atman, the International Federation of Yoga and Meditation, resulting in over 40 arrests, including Bivolaru.
Miranda felt relief because she believed she was safer with Bivolaru behind bars. However, she was concerned about the backlash from his devoted followers, who might blame and demonize her for his arrest. She feared the organization would continue to harm people unless its operations fundamentally changed.
The Tara Yoga Centre, a UK-based affiliate of the Atman Federation, promoted Bivolaru as a spiritual guide despite his fugitive status. Four women reported being approached by Tara Yoga teachers to visit Bivolaru for initiation rituals. Senior figures at Tara Yoga were recorded discussing their contact with Bivolaru, even arranging visits for members during his time in hiding.
Miranda described her initiation as traumatic, involving sexualized rituals. She was blindfolded, stripped of her passport, phone, and credit cards, and taken to a holding house. She was told participation in the rituals was optional, but refusal meant leaving and being excluded for the entire day. This experience left her deeply scarred.
Both organizations continued operations as usual. Tara Yoga released a statement claiming they knew no more than what was reported in the media. The Atman Federation, however, was more defensive, reproducing a statement from its Romanian affiliate that robustly denied the accusations and defended Bivolaru.
Miranda hoped visiting the holding house would provide closure by seeing it no longer operational and knowing no one else would suffer there. However, she was shocked to find someone still living in the house, which reignited her fears and anger about the ongoing influence of Bivolaru's followers.
Miranda symbolically released her trauma by throwing two necklaces into the Seine River in Paris. One necklace represented her initial search for Tantra, and the other was a prayer bead from her meditation practices. This act symbolized letting go of her painful past and moving forward.
Former members struggled to reclaim their identities after leaving Tara Yoga. Elise, a former member, described losing parts of herself while trying to fit into the group. Many experienced anger and difficulty moving on, with some having recurring dreams about the organization and its leaders.
The Charity Commission identified regulatory concerns in 2020 regarding Tara Yoga Centre's governance of safeguarding procedures. This followed evidence that senior figures at Tara had facilitated contact with Bivolaru and encouraged women to meet him for sexual initiations during his time as a fugitive.
Penny expressed admiration and pride for Miranda, acknowledging the difficulty of her experiences and her courage in speaking out. She supported Miranda's efforts to bring the truth to light and reclaim her power, emphasizing her unwavering support for her daughter.
Miranda returns to Paris after some surprising news about the guru Gregorian Bivolaru.
This episode contains sexual content, allegations of sexual exploitation and some strong language.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams