The Chennai Police has started a probe into the activities of a yoga center, which was teaching tantric yoga for enhanced sexual life.
A group of foreigners, who were running the centre, have gone missing. But just a few days before police laid their hands on centre, Headlines Today went undercover to a camp organized by the group.
The so-called yoga cult, Misa-satya, has been operating in Chennai for two years. But now, it has run into rough weather with the allegation being levelled that it indulges in distribution of pornographic material by mixing yoga with sex. But that's not all. Its Romanian instructors are accused of running a business, while in India on a tourist visa.
Hindu Makkal Katchi's Kannan says, "The instructors in this yoga center have acted in pornography. The instructors have come in tourist visas. They can't indulge in any activities like this."
The instructors, Mihai Stoain and Adina Stoain, went missing after the immigration department sought a report from the Chennai Police, but not before Headlines Today caprtured the truth of their operations on camera.
Mihai Stoain, lead instructor at Misa, says, "We are going to explain, co-relate and give practical elements on hormonal part of the body. We aim to improve your sexual and emotional life through yoga."
After Mihai, Adina, and five other foreign nationals went underground, their organisation issued a statement. It says: The teachings in Chockalingam Nagar are a sharing of knowledge. The teachers perform the teachings completely voluntarily without earning any money. All the teachers have internationally recognized certifications, teaching from one of the best structured and comprehensive yoga curricula.
What goes here
What is it that exactly went on in the name of tantric yoga at the Misa camp in Chennai? The innocuous building in the heart of Chennai is actually the site where a group of foreigners taught tantric yoga. The sessions were held till a few weeks ago - that is when Headlines Today went undercover to expose what went on at the camp.
When the reporter went inside, she saw that lead couple, Mihai and Adina, were teaching exercises, giving lectures and screening movies on improving sex lives of couples. In fact, they've brought in Misa, which is a European cult, to India. Interestingly, Mihai and Adina have acted in a porn film as well.
Only a select group is allowed inside. The instructor, Immanuel, gave the details: "Here the erotic part is taught. In order to learn to control your energy, you need exercises that will help you. For instance for men to control ejaculation, we teach how to train yogic exercises. It is a mixture of erotic and spirituality. We even show movies."
He also said that pornographic films were shown at the centre. "Students of school made those pornography movies. But they are very nice erotic movies and educational. Tantric is about the images to love. People of all age groups and nationalities attend the camp," says Immanuel.
"I am a foreigner living in Delhi. I have come here for the camp," says a girl. "The camp taught what women can aspire and what men can aspire," she says.
Experts dismiss the claims that it can improve sex lives of couples. Sexologist Dr Narayana Reddy says, "These camps are not going to help anybody. I personally think they are exploiting ignorant people by promising them nirvana or sexual bliss."
Yoga practitioners too are outraged. Niranjan of Bharath Swabhiman says, anything like this is destroying Indian culture.
Tantric love and yoga are not new to Indian culture, but exhibiting it explicitly in these camps has shocked people in conservative Chennai.
(India Today, June 14, 2011)
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/tantric-yoga-cult-exposed-in-chennai/1/141493.html
