After Muktananda died, there was a power struggle between the brother and sister appointed as his successors.
Gurumayi shoved her brother aside and took over, changing the the name from Siddha Yoga to SyDA Yoga.
There is a letter from a former SYDA disciple describing how Gurumayi got SYDA affiliated therapists to blab confidential material to her -- and how she laughed at all this.
Many a guru shows a sunny smile to the public and is quite different behind closed doors.
[www.leavingsiddhayoga.net]
(A few quotes)
Note: you find your therapist happens to follow a guru, demand, in writing that your therapist will keep your sessions confidential and never disclose anything about you to the guru or the guru's successors, not even if asked or commanded to do so.
If your therapist is put into a conflict of loyalty and must choose between obeying the guru and keeping your material confidential, demand an assurance in writing that your therapist will inform you of th dilemma, without delay. A therapist who puts loyalty to the guru above loyalty to clients is violating his or her fiduciary (duty of care) obligations and breaks the law.
Gurumayi shoved her brother aside and took over, changing the the name from Siddha Yoga to SyDA Yoga.
There is a letter from a former SYDA disciple describing how Gurumayi got SYDA affiliated therapists to blab confidential material to her -- and how she laughed at all this.
Many a guru shows a sunny smile to the public and is quite different behind closed doors.
[www.leavingsiddhayoga.net]
(A few quotes)
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There are hidden video cameras in various places around the ashram. Many guest rooms and public areas are bugged, with hidden microphones picking up the conversation while Gurumayi and her assistants listen in. These areas include the Amrit, the Global Communications Office, the Meditation Hall, the Programming Office, public in-house telephone areas, and reception desks. In addition to this surveillance by microphones and cameras, the ashram staff know they can gain favor with Gurumayi by reporting any and all gossip to her at once, whether about visitors or about each other.
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The ashram staff is overworked and mistreated. Endless days and nights of work are required of ashramites for barely any pay or benefits; crowded, substandard living conditions with no privacy are typical; and sudden banishment's of people who worked hard and served faithfully for years are common. A number of these people who were thrown out of the ashram by Gurumayi were then told by her that they owe her thousands of dollars for their time with her. Sadly, there are people who are sending her the money she has demanded.
- Many of Gurumayi's staff suffer from depression, eating disorders, addictions, and other serious emotional disturbances. Gurumayi has been quietly sending numerous staff members and devotees to therapists and long-term treatment facilities. What is not acknowledged is that long-term exposure to the unhealthy dependency of ashram life and to the relentless emotional and physical demands Gurumayi makes of her staff plays a major role in their ill health. Ashramites usually ascribe this to the never-ending purification process they believe they must experience in order to better serve their guru.
- Gurumayi has sent many ashramites to therapists who are devotees. Some of these therapists violate their professional ethics and the confidentiality of their patients by reporting the contents of these sessions to Gurumayi, at her request. Some of us have witnessed Gurumayi, on numerous occasions, laughing derisively with these therapists at the clinical material being presented.
Note: you find your therapist happens to follow a guru, demand, in writing that your therapist will keep your sessions confidential and never disclose anything about you to the guru or the guru's successors, not even if asked or commanded to do so.
If your therapist is put into a conflict of loyalty and must choose between obeying the guru and keeping your material confidential, demand an assurance in writing that your therapist will inform you of th dilemma, without delay. A therapist who puts loyalty to the guru above loyalty to clients is violating his or her fiduciary (duty of care) obligations and breaks the law.