Twisted Narratives. 2. How „Twisted Yoga” Builds Its Story

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How Media Stories Are Built Around Spiritual Movements – Part 2

In the first article of this series, we argued that Twisted Yoga docuseries on Apple TV presents itself as an investigation but actually follows a narrative that has largely been decided in advance. To understand why, it is not enough to look only at what the documentary says. We also need to look at how the story is constructed.

Documentaries are always shaped by choices: which voices are heard, what scenes are shown, what order events appear in, and what emotions the viewer is encouraged to feel. In media studies this is called gatekeeping – defined inter alios by Pamela Shoemaker and Tim Vos – controlling which information and which sources will be heard, or will make it to the public, and which will remain unheard.

There is a method called framing. Just like when we are taking picture of something, of nature, of a group of people, we always face the decision what to include and what to leave out – what to focus on, to place in the center, and what to position on the margins. Through this analogy, it becomes clear how these choices influence how the audience understands the story. In Twisted Yoga, several storytelling techniques are used again and again. They guide the viewer toward a particular interpretation of the yoga movement connected with Gregorian Bivolaru.

These techniques include emotional priming, a narrative structure that presents the story as a process of seduction and betrayal, the reinterpretation of positive elements as manipulation, the magnification of unusual practices, and the accumulation of accusations that creates the impression of proof. When combined, these techniques produce a powerful story. But they also shape the viewer’s perception in ways that distort the actual reality of the community being portrayed.

Emotional Priming

One of the most effective ways to influence an audience is to shape their emotions before the story has even begun. In media studies this is called emotional priming: presenting dramatic or alarming material at the start so that everything that follows is interpreted through the same emotional lens.

Twisted Yoga uses this technique from the very beginning. The documentary opens with a sequence of statements about manipulation, abuse, and psychological control. These accusations appear before the viewer has received any clear explanation of the yoga school itself.

At this stage the audience does not yet know what the courses are like, what the teachings contain, or why people join them. Instead, the viewer is first introduced to a mood of suspicion and danger. Interviews with former participants are combined with tense music and dramatic narration, creating an atmosphere similar to a crime investigation.

Once this emotional tone is established, later scenes are automatically interpreted through it. Meditation practices, spiritual teachings, and community life now appear not as neutral activities but as potential signs of something darker.

The result is that the documentary begins not with a real question of investigation or curiosity, but with a conclusion. Before the viewer has seen the full picture, the emotional framework has already been fixed.

The Grooming Narrative Template

A second important technique is the grooming narrative template. This is a particular storytelling structure often used in documentaries about alleged manipulation or abuse networks.

The structure usually follows several stages. First, individuals searching for meaning discover something that seems positive: a course, a community, or a new set of ideas. The experience initially appears inspiring and enriching. Later, however, the narrative reveals that these positive experiences were supposedly part of a hidden process of manipulation.

This structure appears clearly in the personal stories told in Twisted Yoga. Participants describe discovering yoga courses that seemed intellectually stimulating and spiritually meaningful. They talk about learning meditation, studying philosophical ideas, and feeling that they had found a meaningful path.

The documentary does in fact show some of these positive experiences and motivations. However, they are consistently placed within a narrative that later reinterprets them as stages in a process of machination.

As the story continues, these same experiences are reinterpreted. What once appeared to be sincere spiritual learning is now presented as the first stage of psychological manipulation.

It is important to understand how this narrative works. The grooming narrative template shapes the overall storyline. It tells viewers that positive beginnings must eventually be revealed as deception. Earlier events are reinterpreted through the lens of a later negative conclusion.

But there is something missing from this story. The documentary focuses almost entirely on people who later came to see their experiences negatively. What it does not show is that thousands of people are still active in the yoga school today and do not share this interpretation at all. Many participants describe their experiences as meaningful, beneficial, and freely chosen. This is confirmed by several academic studies of the yoga school. For instance, psychologist and Anticult specialist Raffaella Di Marzio writes:

The informants manifest a great capacity for self-criticism and an appreciation for the freedom they enjoy within the movement founded by Gregorian Bivolaru, who, while considered a guide and teacher, is never accused of “interfering” or “forcing” the individual and personal choices of the practitioners. The movement to which these individuals belong does not seem to have the proverbial “cultic” characteristics such as isolation from the outside world, strict control of members, obligation to perform certain actions, total separation from those who are not members, deceptive or abusive behavior towards practitioners. On the other hand, the very structure and relative functioning of the International Federation of Yoga and Meditation ATMAN, articulated in many yoga centers, scattered all over the world, would make it very difficult to have a “central control” over individual groups, an indispensable feature in so-called “cultic” groups within which the leader or a narrow leadership can exercise total control over individual members.

[Coming to a psychological assessment of the interviewed members’ choice:]

It appears to be entirely free and conscious, as well as open to reaching new goals and knowledge. It includes a respectful approach to other religious or spiritual choices and experiences. At the same time, it maintains a strong sense of identity, inextricably linked to what has been transmitted with his life and teachings by the founder Gregorian Bivolaru.

[…] The categorization of some religious, spiritual or belief groups as “cults,” additionally qualified as dangerous, harmful, or totalitarian is first of all the work of former disgruntled members of such movements who want to take revenge.

Raffaella Di Marzio, MISA: Spiritual Explorations and Experiences in the Practice of Esoteric Yoga, The Journal of CESNUR, Volume 8, Issue 6, November-December 2024, pages 49-113

Here are some other academic studies and reports:

By presenting only one version of the story, the documentary creates the impression that the path from inspiration to manipulation is inevitable. In reality, it reflects only one interpretation among many. And several academic reports are disagreeing with that interpretation.

Negative Reframing

Closely connected to this narrative structure is another technique: negative reframing. While the grooming narrative template organizes the overall story, negative reframing changes the meaning of individual elements inside that story.

Negative reframing happens when something that participants experience as positive or meaningful is reinterpreted as evidence of manipulation.

Throughout the documentary, teachings that are central to many spiritual traditions are presented in this way. Concepts based on well-established religious and philosophical traditions such as conscious surrendering, devotion, seeing beyond appearances (transfiguration) or the transcendence of ego are introduced not as spiritual ideas but as tools that supposedly weaken people psychologically.

The same happens with philosophical teachings about tantra or meditation. Instead of being explained as part of a spiritual worldview, they are framed as methods used to influence followers.

For viewers unfamiliar with spiritual traditions, this framing can be very persuasive. But it also changes the meaning of what is being described.

Through negative reframing, practices that participants understand as spiritual development are turned into signs of manipulation. Instead of explaining these practices, the documentary simply reverses their meaning.

Deviance Amplification

Another technique used throughout the series is deviance amplification. This concept from sociology describes how unusual or unfamiliar behavior can be presented in ways that make it appear more disturbing or dangerous than it actually is.

Spiritual traditions often contain practices that may seem strange to outsiders. In a fair investigation these practices would normally be explained in their cultural or philosophical context.

In Twisted Yoga, however, unfamiliar practices are often introduced in ways that emphasize their shock value. Scenes involving tantric practices are framed through dramatic narration and emotional reactions.

One striking example is the discussion of a practice involving urine consumption. The documentary presents this moment as shocking and humiliating. What is not explained is that similar practices – known as amaroli – exist in the Yoga and Ayurveda traditions, as well as in certain Western natural therapies. In the tantric tradition it is described for instance in the more than thousand years old work Damar Tantra.

Without that context, the practice appears bizarre and disturbing. With context, viewers might at least understand that it is part of a wider spiritual tradition, even if they personally reject it.

By presenting unfamiliar practices without context, the documentary turns cultural difference into evidence of wrongdoing. Instead of explaining the unfamiliar, it uses it to reinforce suspicion.

Narrative Accumulation

Another powerful technique used in the documentary is narrative accumulation. This happens when many accusations or testimonies are presented one after another so that their combined impact creates the impression of strong evidence.

In the sections describing houses connected to the yoga school in Paris, the viewer hears a series of claims in quick succession: stories of secrecy, suggestions of manipulation, references to police investigations, and testimonies from former participants.

Each individual claim may still be uncertain or contested. But when they are presented together in a continuous sequence, their emotional impact becomes much stronger.

Later in the documentary, police raids are introduced. Because the viewer has already heard many accusations, these raids appear to confirm the entire story – even though the legal process is still ongoing.

The effect is powerful but misleading. Instead of carefully proving each claim, the documentary allows the sheer number of accusations to create the feeling that the story must be true. Suspicion gradually replaces proof.

Visual Moral Coding

Because Twisted Yoga is a visual medium, images play an important role in shaping how the story is perceived. The documentary frequently uses what can be called visual moral coding: assigning moral meaning through visual atmosphere rather than through explicit argument.

Interviews with apostate former participants are usually filmed in warm and comfortable settings. Soft lighting, calm environments, and close camera framing create an atmosphere that feels intimate and trustworthy. Viewers are invited to focus on the personal stories and emotions of the interviewees.

Scenes connected with the yoga school often look very different. Buildings are shown behind fences or gates, rooms appear dim or shadowed, and some archival footage is grainy or unsettling. Even when no explicit judgment is made, these visual choices subtly shape the emotional tone in which the viewer encounters the community.

Another visual feature reinforces this effect. In many scenes showing participants in yoga activities, the faces of the individuals are blurred. This may have been done for legal or privacy reasons. However, it also creates a distancing effect. The people practicing yoga appear less as recognizable individuals and more as anonymous figures within a mysterious collective. This contrasts sharply with the detailed interviews given to apostate former members, whose personal histories, motivations, and emotions are presented at length.

The visual framing of group practice scenes adds to this impression. When the documentary shows yoga sessions, the emphasis is often on participants moving in highly synchronized and coordinated ways. Nothing explicitly negative is said about this, yet the imagery can subtly evoke uniformity and lack of individuality. For viewers unfamiliar with yoga group practice, such scenes may suggest strict orchestration rather than collective exercise. As the prime sensorial input, such visual schemes work even stronger on the subconsciousness of the viewer, leaving him with the suspicion and disapproval of the practice within the yoga movement.

Through these visual contrasts, the documentary guides viewers toward particular emotional conclusions. Without stating it directly, the imagery encourages the audience to see former participants as credible individuals while perceiving the yoga community itself as an anonymous and potentially threatening collective. In this way, the visuals quietly deliver a verdict before the evidence has even been discussed, which de facto results in a presumption of guilt.

Pre-emptive Rebuttal

Another rhetoric technique strongly applied in the documentary is pre-emptive rebuttal: A rhetorical device in which the speaker or writer disarms a potential objection to their own argument using “they will say” and immediately disproving the opposing argument. In the documentary this technique is repetitively employed, claiming or insinuating immediately afterwards that the opposing argument is part of a system of manipulation by the yoga movement.

Through the frequent repetition of this scheme, after a while for the viewer this subconsciously establishes the idea that anything that the representatives of the yoga movement say, would be “excuses, lies or manipulations.”

Subsequently, any counter-argument against the claims in the documentary’s narrative, even recognized scientific researches and academic publications are pre-emptively marked as “dubious” within the subconsciousness of the viewer.

When the Narrative Shapes the Evidence

When all these techniques are combined, something important happens. The narrative begins to shape the evidence rather than the other way around.

Once viewers have been placed inside a story about manipulation and hidden control, every element of the yoga school can be interpreted through that lens. Commitment becomes dependency. Devotion becomes indoctrination. Even positive testimony from current participants can be dismissed as proof that they have been manipulated. This pseudo-scientific argumentation is used especially in the environment of French anti-cult movements.

Philosophers describe this kind of argumentation as a self-sealing interpretation: a system of explanation that cannot be challenged because contradictory evidence is automatically reinterpreted as confirmation. This concept is rooted in the study of circular reasoning.

In such a framework the voices of people inside the community or even of acclaimed scholars in the field no longer count as evidence. The story protects itself from contradiction, and the possibility of a balanced understanding disappears.

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In the next article we will look at another important issue – “Strategic Omissions: How Twisted Yoga Shapes the Story by Leaving Things Out”. When the broader context of the teachings and the complex legal history surrounding the yoga school are taken into account, it becomes clear that the story presented in Twisted Yoga is only a small and highly selective part of a much larger reality.

The article was originally published on TwistedMedia

yogaesoteric
March 23, 2026