The History of the Romanian Yoga Movement MISA

During the communist dictatorship in Romania, under the leadership of Nicolae Ceaușescu, spiritual teachings, including yoga, were strictly forbidden. The regime was particularly hostile to any activity that could develop people’s consciousness and spiritual sensitivity.

This policy led to Gregorian Bivolaru, who was declared dangerous and undesirable by the authorities, being imprisoned for about two years for the mere fact of teaching yoga. The 1989 revolution, which ended with the overthrow of Ceaușescu, finally allowed the resumption of yoga and other spiritual practices.

Bivolaru went on to found MISA, the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, which promotes the spiritual development of people, changing the previous restrictions and persecution.

The MISA International Network of Yoga Schools operates in many countries around the world, but under different names and in independent forms. What they have in common is that each of them has an Honorary President and Spiritual Director, Gregorian Bivolaru, who teaches the complex science of Esoteric Integral Yoga and Tantra in a way that is accessible to Westerners.

Following the events of 2004, the organization experienced a significant decline in membership to approximately 20,000, largely due to the widespread alarm caused by media coverage. By mid-May 2013, the number of ashrams had increased to 63 in Bucharest and 28 in other cities, housing over a thousand practitioners who have chosen to live there. About 70 cities in Romania offer yoga classes open to the general public.

Their repertoire includes: yoga classes, Yoga Magazine and a monthly newsletter, numerous books, public conferences, courses in Kashmiri Shaivism, Ayurveda, Parapsychology, Alchemy, Enneagram, I Ching and Kalachakra, symposiums and yoga camps.

Gregorian Bivolaru was born in Romania on March 12, 1952, in a small village called Tartasesti, near Bucharest. As a child, he often dreamed of becoming a Tibetan yogi of high spiritual attainment. These dreams helped him to remember various yoga exercises, which he then began to practice with great success.

As Bivolaru deepened his practice of yoga and his study of the sacred texts of yoga and the works of some of the modern sages (Ramakrisna, Sivananda, and Yogananda), he founded his Yoga School for Westerners in 1978, based on the ancient yoga methods of spiritual self-realization that he learned through his own spiritual practice.

The negative campaign against Gregorian Bivolaru and MISA goes back decades. The new chapter in this long history is the raid in France on November 28, 2023, when the founder of the Romanian esoteric movement was arrested along with some of his followers, most of whom were later released. The group’s ashrams in France and the homes of its followers were also searched. Police said they freed several women who may have been held as slaves and sexually abused by Bivolaru.

For example, Liselotte Frisk, a Swedish sociologist (1959 – 2020), conducted interviews with students at the Natha Yoga Center in Finland to investigate the allegations against them. She concluded that the term “brainwashing,” commonly associated with cults, did not apply. The organization communicates openly and transparently about what is considered sacred eroticism.

Overall, the narratives are heavily influenced by anti-cult sentiments and the same sensationalist news in the media. This has led to Bivolaru’s widespread, but as yet unproven, and most wild accusations of “brainwashing” and sexual abuse.

The principles of MISA are an open secret to outsiders, as evidenced by the many books Bivolaru has published detailing his teachings. Serving as the spiritual leader of a movement is not unknown in the East, but it is viewed with suspicion in the West.

In Hinduism, gurus are those who have a deep knowledge of religious texts, meditation and ritual practices, and who often teach from their own spiritual experiences. They are often seen as almost divine figures with the power to bestow spiritual blessings and enlightenment upon their disciples.

Because sexuality is often taboo in mainstream society, the tantric yoga movement is also subject to intense criticism. However, enlightenment through erotic practices is not an unknown phenomenon and has deep traditions in ancient religions such as Hinduism and Taoism.

Given the lack of detailed information about the charges against Bivolaru (who has been granted political asylum in Sweden and has been convicted of only one crime in the last 20 years, while all other charges have been dropped) and the unreliability of media sources in such cases, we should avoid rushing to judgment and labeling small spiritual groups such as MISA Yoga School.

If found guilty, spiritual leaders must be held accountable under the law, without hiding behind the guise of religious freedom to justify wrongdoing. This standard should apply to Bivolaru as well as to leaders of more established religious institutions. It is important to offer genuine support and solidarity to the true victims. And as for what the truth is, we can only hope that one day we will find out.