‘Twisted Yoga’ Trailer: Apple TV Docuseries Explores Global Yoga Network Tied to Horrifying Cult Claims
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Apple TV has released the official trailer for Twisted Yoga, a new three-part true crime docuseries that digs into the disturbing story behind a global tantric yoga network. Watch the trailer above, then read on for more about the investigation at the centre of the series.
A Search for Enlightenment That Takes a Dark Turn
Twisted Yoga follows a group of young yoga students from around the world who were drawn to the practice in search of purpose and inner peace. Instead, many found themselves under the influence of Romanian spiritual leader Gregorian Bivolaru, founder of the Movement for the Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, later known as the Atman Yoga Federation.
According to the official synopsis on Apple TV’s press site, “as they begin to fear they’ve joined a cult, they discover that Bivolaru, who often summoned select female students to his Paris apartment for private initiations, has a dark past. Bivolaru now faces charges in France, including human trafficking, kidnapping and rape — allegations he denies — as these women work with French authorities to convict him.”
The trailer hints at the emotional toll on the women who chose to speak out, with several describing how what began as a path toward spiritual growth gradually became something far more controlling and manipulative.
“They took my passport,” says Ashleigh Freckleton, one of the women featured in the series. “They get a bible out, and you have to say, ‘I swear on my health and my spiritual evolution that I will not reveal any of the secrets or anything that goes on here.’”
Another individual featured in the series, Bonnie Bliss, reveals how the situation escalated. “I didn’t know that sex was involved… until I had been locked in a house for five days.”
Exploring the Psychological Grip of a Global Network
Director Rowan Deacon, whose previous work includes Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, said the goal of the series was to understand how people became involved in the movement rather than simply present a sensationalised crime story.
He told Variety: “The key thing that drew me to the project is: what were the mechanics? What was the system? What was the kind of boiling frog syndrome that meant that these worldly, educated, interesting people had got themselves involved in a set of ideologies and beliefs that ultimately, perhaps, didn’t serve them.”
He added that the creative team wanted viewers to experience a similar emotional progression to those who joined the organisation. “I wanted to take audiences on a similar journey that the women had gone on and that at the beginning there’s hope. It isn’t framed as pure true crime evil because I wanted them to understand this slow process of enormous indoctrination.”
Executive producer Suzanne Lavery explained that the project actually began when two former members approached the filmmakers directly. “This was quite unusual for us, because it was driven by some contributors who reached out and they were two very driven individuals who said they had a story to tell,” Lavery said.
Twisted Yoga Release Date
Produced for Apple TV+ by Lightbox in association with Ladywell Films, Twisted Yoga launches globally on March 13, with all three episodes available to stream on the same day.
Content retrieved from: https://screenrealm.com/twisted-yoga-trailer-apple-tv-docuseries-cult-claims-release-date/.
