Am I Running a Cult?

My book group, The Yoga Lounge Book Group, picked Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell this month.

I found it fascinating reading. Not only did she discuss textbook cults like Jim Jones of Jonestown and Kool-aid fame and the Waco, Texas Branch Davidians—big, headline-grabbing iconic cults—but she also called out some organizations for just being cultish.

Like yoga. 

Uh-oh. Am I running a cult here? Or am I just a little cultish? Where is MSY on the cult spectrum?

I needed to know. So whenever yoga communities came under her inspection, I took notes.

She discussed the CorePower yoga franchise and criticized its teacher training programs. Apparently, they intentionally overfill these trainings, saturating the market with yoga instructors, and then blame and ostracize the instructors themselves when they can’t find jobs. 

She called out Meditation cults like Shambhala, led by the alcoholic and ethically dubious Chögyam Trungpa. She condemned the brash and self-aggrandizing Bikram, as well as the predatory Yogi Bhajan of Kundalini yoga. 

Some of these, like Bikram and Kundalini are legit cults, whereas CorePower is just cultish.

Here’s what it takes to be a yoga cult and where I think Main Street Yoga stands on the cult spectrum.

Language and Guru Worship

With words, I am guilty. I say words like asana, prana, and namaste. I sometimes obnoxiously and joyfully show off my knowledge of Sanskrit. My longstanding students now know the Sanskrit names of many poses. According to Montell, this is insider language and the most telling hallmark of a cult. 

On this count, I am guilty as charged.

Sadly, no one worships me as their guru, so I am in the clear here.  My words are always questioned, and I am not considered infallible. Which is a shame, really.

 Eastern Spirituality in Western Contexts

This is when you adopt Eastern practices, take them out of context, and repackage them for profit. Do you want to buy a chakra balancing mat? Mala beads to wear around your wrist to the office to showcase your cult *ahem* yoga membership?

I admit to adopting devotional practices like placing my hands in a prayer position or bowing my head to my higher self at the end of class. However, I don’t sell mala beads or any other retail items for that matter. 

(Which reminds me: I should get some merch.)

So, I am not guilty of cultural appropriation. At least not too much. On this metric, I am just cultish.

Behavioral Expectations and Purity Culture

This is when a group requires raw veganism, or celibacy, or total abstinence from tech, or modern medicine. 

I don’t care what you eat, as long as you don’t reek of it in the practice room. 

Celibacy? That’s funny. 

Abstinence from tech? Does that computer and monitor in the practice room as I stream my classes bother you?

Abstinence from modern medicine? The only abstinence from modern medicine I get is when I don’t get to see my Dr. friends in class because they are traveling or busy. Which is sad.

If anything, I foster an Impurity Culture. 

The Promise of Transcendence.

Or, in this case, enlightenment. Some cults promise that if you do all the rituals and observe all the rules, transcendence or enlightenment will ensue. 

If only.

I struggle to promise elastic hamstrings, let alone spiritual transcendence. I make no guarantees for this practice. There are too many variables I can’t control. My guiding mantra has always been: “Persistently, with reverence, for a long time. Commit to something. Show up. 

That goes for yoga, for writing, for the gym, for anything worth doing. 

Cult rating: 0

Montell doesn’t say “never do yoga.” Her point is that even healing spaces can become dangerous when:

• the leader is beyond reproach,
• there’s rigid groupthink,
• or vulnerability is exploited.

Instead, she encourages people to ask:
“Is this practice empowering me, or just making me dependent?”

So phew! I guess I’m not running a cult, even though I might seem a bit cultish at times. This was a quick, fun, and engaging read. 

If you want to join the Zoom discussion of this book, it will be at 3:30 on Saturday, April 12^th. Comment below and I’ll send you the link to get in. 

Thanks!

Love, Kath