A description by someone who says she was in N's ashram

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Christine’s Story

Like thousands of Americans, Christine wanted to go to an Indian ashram, live in the presence of a guru, do a lot of yoga, and eat an ayurvedic diet. In the fall of 2016 she paid a lot of money to do just that — a whopping $13,000. (She later learned there was a much lower price for the Indian attendees.)

(Corboy note: This two tiered pricing goes on all over India - gouge the visitors and run guilt trips on them. Thanks to the centuries of glamorous myths about India, tourists put up with exploitation they'd not tolerate one second at home)

In early December she flew around the world to Bengaluru Adheenam, India, to attend a 21-day retreat at the ashram of Paramahamsa Nithyananda. She hadn’t done any research before choosing her venue (much like many Americas who head to India to meet “gurus,” I assume).

Almost immediately, she was second-guessing her impulsive decision. Within several days of arriving she realized she’d made a big mistake. By the second week, she was determined to leave, but faced significant resistance from the people running the ashram. One day at her hotel she decided to finally research the guru. That’s when she learned the truth about the so-called holy man, including a long history of alleged sexual assault of children and adults, an arrest, and an upcoming trial.

“I knew I was in the wrong place IMMEDIATELY, but had paid a ghastly amount to be there, so I tried to make the best of it at first. Also, a friend of mine was there and seemed to be enjoying it. So, I wanted to stay with him.”

“We were kept at the ashram sometimes 18 hours a day. It was a one-hour bus trip each way to get to the hotel. We got almost no sleep.”