Twisted Yoga Review: A Harrowing Exposé of a Tantric Sex Cult
In the new three-part documentary Twisted Yoga on Apple TV+, viewers are plunged into a surreal and terrifying world where the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment morphs into a dangerous trap. This series meticulously details how women were exploited and duped into sex work under the guise of tantric yoga, blending astonishing revelations with a sensitive approach to its interviewees.
The Nightmarish Reality Behind the Retreat
Imagine being invited to an exclusive yoga retreat at "the villa," only to find a grim building in Romania where women cavort in micro-bikinis and partake in disturbing rituals like drinking urine after mass orgies. Or, summoned to meet a spiritual guru in Paris, only to have your sim card wrapped in tin foil and be driven to a dingy flat for hours-long sex with an elderly man you must "transfigure." For many women, this was no dream but a horrifying reality.
The documentary introduces Ashleigh, a smiley Australian with interests in the alternative, who moves to London and reconnects with a friend recommending a yoga studio specialising in tantra. While tantra involves spiritual communion and expanding consciousness, here it becomes a tool for manipulation. Ashleigh's journey leads her to Gregorian Bivolaru, a Romanian guru, where she refuses sexual advances and is told she's "manipulated by demons." This moment reveals the cruel exploitation at the cult's core.
Psychological Manipulation and Exploitation
Other women interviewed did undergo "sexual initiation" with Bivolaru, with one transported to Prague to work unpaid on a camgirl site, believing she was saving clients' souls. Director Rowan Deacon, known for Netflix's Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, maps out the complex psychological landscape, showing how these women sought guidance and community but fell victim to cold capitalism preying on their desires for self-improvement.
Deacon never portrays her subjects as foolish; they appear articulate and astute, yet ensnared in a clever trap. Yoga's association with virtue plays a key role, with doubts dismissed as threats to "salvation." This manipulation prevented them from trusting their instincts for self-preservation.
The Notorious Guru and Ongoing Threats
Bivolaru is a household name in Romania, notorious for evading charges including sexual corruption and trafficking of minors. Granted asylum in Sweden, he was convicted in absentia in 2013 and arrested in France in 2023 on new charges like rape and human trafficking, where he remains in custody, denying all allegations.
Chillingly, many studios linked to these crimes still operate, denying associations. A simple Google search for "tantric yoga" can lead to the same London studio Ashleigh attended, highlighting the ongoing danger. Twisted Yoga aims to bring Bivolaru wider infamy and awareness to these exploitative practices.
