He's the flamboyant £40m 'hot yoga' guru who the celebs adore. But after £5m harassment case Bikram Choudhury's British lawyer says: 'He's just a seedy sex pest in pants' Hot yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, 69, called a 'vile sexual predator' Lawyer Minakshi Jafa-Bodden took sexual harassment case against yogi She was awarded £5m in damages by court i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

He's the flamboyant £40m 'hot yoga' guru who the celebs adore. But after £5m harassment case Bikram Choudhury's British lawyer says: 'He's just a seedy sex pest in pants' Hot yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, 69, called a 'vile sexual predator' Lawyer Minakshi Jafa-Bodden took sexual harassment case against yogi She was awarded £5m in damages by court i
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mindfulness Is mindfulness making us ill? It’s the relaxation technique of choice, popular with employers and even the NHS. But some have found it can have unexpected effects Dawn Foster Saturday 23 January 2016 10.00 GMT I am sitting in a circle in a grey, corporate room with 10 housing association employees – administrators, security guards, cleaners – eyes darting about nervously.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mindfulness Is mindfulness making us ill? It’s the relaxation technique of choice, popular with employers and even the NHS. But some have found it can have unexpected effects Dawn Foster Saturday 23 January 2016 10.00 GMT I am sitting in a circle in a grey, corporate room with 10 housing association employees – administrators, security guards, cleaners – eyes darting about nervously.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mindfulness Is mindfulness making us ill? It’s the relaxation technique of choice, popular with employers and even the NHS. But some have found it can have unexpected effects Dawn Foster Saturday 23 January 2016 10.00 GMT I am sitting in a circle in a grey, corporate room with 10 housing association employees – administrators, security guards, cleaners – eyes darting about nervousl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Leah Remini reveals the 'hard repercussions' of leaving Scientology in new season of her TLC reality series By SHYAM DODGE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 21:54 GMT, 15 July 2015 | UPDATED: 08:38 GMT, 16 July 2015 Leah Remini left the Church Of Scientology two years ago. While one of the most vocal and high profile apostates to renounce the organization, Leah, 45, claims she is
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Leah Remini reveals the 'hard repercussions' of leaving Scientology in new season of her TLC reality series By SHYAM DODGE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 21:54 GMT, 15 July 2015 | UPDATED: 08:38 GMT, 16 July 2015 Leah Remini left the Church Of Scientology two years ago. While one of the most vocal and high profile apostates to renounce the organization, Leah, 45, claims s
Forum: Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups

Life sometimes feels very, very surreal. Now that James Arthur Ray is out of jail he's back to charging big money to hear his New Wage crap. People are not only paying for this experience, they're defending him. Self-Help Author Imprisoned For Sweat Lodge Deaths Is Making a Comeback James Arthur Ray spent two years in prison after a sweat lodge ceremony in 2009 left three people d
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Schism Emerges in Bikram Yoga Empire Amid Rape Claims By JACK HEALYFEB. 23, 2015 LOS ANGELES — He is the yoga guru who built an empire on sweat and swagger. He has a stable of luxury cars and a Beverly Hills mansion. During trainings for hopeful yoga teachers, he paces a stage in a black Speedo and holds forth on life, sex and the transformative power of his brand of hot yoga. “I totally cu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

More on how sleep/dream deprivation leaves one vulnerable. This is important information whether you're still involved in a cult or trying to heal after leaving. The Importance of Sleep, and the Hazards of “Dream Deprivation” July 13, 2014 |97,132 Story at-a-glance To determine whether you’re getting enough sleep, assess the quality of your waking day. If your energy is stead
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

The myth of yoga as a cure for everything Many “medical” claims being made today for yoga are reminiscent of similar (and unproven) claims made not so long ago for prayer, says columnist. By:Brian PalmerSlate magazine, Published on Tue Mar 11 2014 NEW YORK—Fifteen years ago, a handful of poorly constructed, clearly biased studies purported to show that prayer was a legitimate medical t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:47 AM EST Yoga, spinning and a murder: My strange months at Lululemon I worked at Lululemon the year an employee at another store was murdered by a co-worker. Here's what it was like Mary MannEnlarge (Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson) “The best thing is, we’ll pay for your yoga, spinning, kickboxing — whatever! You’ll save so much money!” said the Lulu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I tried to copy and paste the following article, but couldn't make it happen, so I'll just post a link. I Used to Be in a Cult and Here's What It Did to My Brain by Diane Benscoter
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Not only has yoga become a booming business, but the narcissism is growing worse. Seems everyone wants their 15 minutes -- again, and again, and again... Yoga Practitioners Gaze at Their Inner Selfies By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER Published: July 3, 2013 Like many yoga aficionados, Laura Kasperzak, 36, practices early in the morning when she can get some time by herself. “No one’s up at 5
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks Anticult. I took you up on your suggestion and most of the files are already gone for this thread. I would re-post them, but today is going to be a busy day.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sura. Public Speaker, Author, Creator of Sura Flow .. The Dark Side of Yoga I was working on Wall Street when I first started practicing yoga. During that time I suffered from severe neck and back pain, so I thought yoga would help me. Being a novice at the time, I had no idea what the different styles of yoga were. Perhaps it was karma or a twist of fate, but the first yoga cla
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Bow Down to the Yoga Teacher Feb 20, 2011 12:00 AM EST Marco, the tattooed instructor at the front of the room, is all charisma. He stalks; he pounces; he perches on my back as he corrects my Janu Sirsasana pose (otherwise known as a forward bend). “If you tell it to me from your mind, I’m not interested,” he announces, to begin the class. “That’s just drama. I’ve got my own drama.” It can
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Be Wary of the Master Joslyn Hamilton, a former yoga teacher, is the co-founder of Recovering Yogi, a Web site forum for the spiritually disenfranchised. Updated January 12, 2012, 10:33 PM I’ve been practicing yoga for about 15 years and have worked in the yoga industry for 10. After reaching the point of jaded burnout, I co-founded the website Recovering Yogi with two fellow refu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Covert Narcissists Hiding in Holiness–Yoga Divas–Spiritual Gurus Posted on July 29, 2013 by Linda Martinez-Lewi, PhD It has become much the trend to be “spiritual” these days. There are innumerable individuals who sincerely choose and follow a spiritual path that are genuine and sincere and work consistently to be more aware, more empathic and better human beings. I am not talking abo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thinking of trying hot yoga? Read this first DAKSHANA BASCARAMURTY The Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Jun. 19 2011, 4:00 PM EDT Last updated Friday, Aug. 24 2012, 3:53 PM EDT A group of 25 men and women fold their sweat-drenched bodies forward, clasping their heels with their hands. They're in a room set to about 41 C. A young woman, her shoulders shaking, break
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

One of the many articles available about Bikram Choudhury’s unsavoury side. Warning this piece is lengthy. Inside the Bikram Yoga Scandals: Bikram Choudhury’s Accuser Speaks by Scaachi Koul August 13, 2013 How the case surrounding the founder of the popular hot yoga brand is intensifying with new allegations of harassment, discrimination, sexual assault and rape, which he d
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My last post for the day. More scrambling people seeking ‘mindfulness’ December 10, 2009. 5:54 pm • Section: The Search Posted by: Douglas Todd Avoid traffic jam on way to work. News says two more Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Forty-four e-mails in my inbox. Make that “To-go.” What was the score in the game? Send text message. The chit-chat is boring. Need to catch my
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Nice to see a piece acknowledging the need to deal with narcissism, as I find that narcissism is becoming the new norm. The original post also includes links to related articles. Meditation: The darker side of a good thing By Douglas Todd August 7, 2009. 10:35 pm • Section: The Search Tens of millions of North Americans are now into meditation; practising stillness to deal with t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

More proof that meditation can be dangerous from The Complete Healer by David Furlong: "I once had the opportunity of interviewing Drukchen Rinpoche, a lama from Tibet, who perceives himself a direct incarnation of Avolokitsvara, the Tibetan Buddha of Compassion. In China this Buddha became transformed into the goddess of compassion called Kwan-Yin. Asking Drukchen about meditation he aff
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Corboy, Thank you for the link. I'm still figuring out how to navigate my way around the site.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Sparky, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. I never supported The Secret or The Law of Attraction. I clearly remember an acquaintance handing me her copy of The Secret with great enthusiasm. I didn't know anything about it and figured I'd give it a look. To put it bluntly I was less than impressed and when it took off as it did I was amazed that so many people
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Years ago someone gave me a copy of Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd. I sold it after I finished reading it. What stuck out in my mind was her comment about the effect meditation had on George Harrison. Here's an excerpt from The Daily Mail. QuoteThree years later, in 1969, George wrote a song called Something. He told me in a matter-of-fact way that
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I noticed there's a CS book about the LOA, so they're making no attempt to hide where they're coming from; they're cashing in on fans of The Secret. The book is called Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction. Jack Canfield was one of the "experts" featured on The Secret. If it really was "the secret" to health, wealth and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I'm not sure if the RR board is appropriate for me to be posting this because the Chicken Soup books aren't exactly cultish. However, the more I read about Jack Canfield (one of the founders of the series) and his "specialities" (Law of Attraction/The Secret, self-help, prosperity consciousness, etc.) and who he keeps company with (Bob Proctor, Michael Beckwith, etc.), the mor
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The counsellor I mentioned in my last post was forever quoting Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life. A book I never found useful. Here's an interesting review I found on www.amazon.co.uk: "By Luna - This review is from: You Can Heal Your Life: 20th Anniversary Edition (Paperback) I worked with this book several years ago. I started out feeling very positive and hopef
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"