Shortcut: Escaping a Cult Posing as a Yoga Movement - ATC International
5/6/202614 min
This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.
Ashleigh Freckleton was 25, living alone in London after a breakup, when she was drawn into what seemed like a spiritual yoga community.
To immerse herself fully into that community, Ashleigh travelled to Romania to practice its teachings.
Now featured in Apple TV's Twisted Yoga, she shares how that experience escalated into an alleged world of coercion, exploitation, and psychological control that followed her across Europe.
You can watch Twisted Yoga on Apple TV and follow Ashleigh on Instagram @afreckle_ and CULTivate Awareness @cultawareness_
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CREDITS:
Host: Meshel Laurie
Guest: Ashleigh Freckleton
Producer: Ruby Bartzis
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMeshel Laurie· Host0:00
[instrumental music] This is Australian True Crime International with Michelle Lawrie. Twisted Yoga is a brand-new short documentary series on Apple TV. It takes us into the world of Gregorian Bivolaru, who is the spiritual leader of an international tantric yoga movement, and who was, for many years, one of Interpol's most wanted fugitives. Bivolaru is now in custody in France, thanks in part to our guest, Ashley Freckleton. She joins us to talk about it. This is Australian True Crime. We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast is created, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
Ashleigh Freckleton· Guest0:38
Yes, I was living overseas, and I was on a bit of a spiritual journey, and I would really kind of think about it being a situation of vulnerability because I'd, I'd just moved overseas. I was 25. I was exploring my spirituality, my identity, what I believe in. I was in a new city, going through a breakup, and I also really enjoyed yoga. And I was just looking for a really good yoga practice to start with. I wasn't looking for a spiritual yoga school. And then I got linked in with my brother's friends, and they'd found this amazing spiritual yoga school that was gonna change my life, and it just snowballed from there. So I was living in the UK, and the online branch that I first joined is called Atman Yoga Federation. Then I eventually joined