Guru Bivolaru, alias Magnus Aurolsson, faces grave accusations stemming from his purported spiritual activities. French authorities recently apprehended the 71-year-old tantric yoga master on allegations of rape, human trafficking, and orchestrating a kidnapping plot. Interpol already had an arrest warrant out for Bivolare due to charges in Finland.
Sources claim the victims were deceived with the lure of spiritual awakening, only to be indoctrinated and manipulated psychologically, coerced into having sex with Bivolaru. His supposed spiritual retreats and teachings frequently drew in vulnerable individuals, as the victims attested.
Following a year-long investigation, a French NGO pressed charges in July 2022, which will be forwarded to the Central Authority to Combat Violence against the People (OCRVP) in the coming month.
Founded in 1990 in Romania, Bivolare's movement, known as Movement for the Mental Integration of the Absolute (MISA), gained worldwide popularity, eventually becoming Atman – International Federation of Yoga and Meditation. Bivolare is billed as the spiritual mentor of the collective, with extensive knowledge and practical experience in yoga. MISA takes pride in its extensive network spanning various European, North American, South American, and Asian countries, boasting over 30,000 practitioners.
Since 2009, Mihai Stoian, a Romanian yoga teacher, contributed consultancy and teaching materials for the Atman Federation, a UK-registered organization that is heavily influenced by Bivolare's teachings.
Despite these grave allegations against Bivolare and his associates, the promotional materials and websites of MISA and Atman Federation continue to assert that they are plenty of benefits to practicing their unique and enlightening approach to yoga and spirituality.
There have been ongoing investigations from several countries regarding the secretive and controlling practices of the movement and the allegations of sexual exploitation, racketeering, and financial exploitation. It appears that the belief in spiritual transformation through yoga serves as a smokescreen for something much more sinister.
