Josh & Terry Summers

Creative and functional approach to the spiritual path, weaving insights and practices from Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and ancient wisdom traditions

Matthew Remski: The Dynamics of Deception and Enablement

This is the second part of a 3-part interview with author and teacher, Matthew Resmski. We focus on Matthew’s important new book, Practice and All Is Coming, which exposes and explores sexual abuse and cult dynamics in Ashtanga Yoga.

Matthew explores the conditions of high-demand groups that contribute to the “dynamics of deception” of its group members, a dynamic whereby members of the group are implicitly or explicitly deceived about the origins and legitimacy of their group and leaders.

For over three decades, Pattabhi Jois sexually and physically abused his yoga students, mostly women. The Jois family held tightly to its narrative of legitimacy until, well, they didn’t. And this is what is both eerie and fascinating about the recent developments in the Ashtanga community. Here we see, in real time, the efforts of an organization to “brandwash” its unfortunate history.

Listen to Episode 61 here or subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Links from the Episode