Matthew S. Remski (born 1971) is a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

practitioner and author who has written on the connection between yoga and conspiracy theories. His work has been informed by his past experience as a cult member. Remski was instrumental in exposing inappropriate physical contact in Yoga classes through an article that he wrote for ''

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, nonprofit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an eight-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a nation ...

'' in 2018. He has followed this up with books on the same theme such as his 2019 ''Practice and All is Coming'' and his 2024 ''Surviving Modern Yoga''.

Early life

Matthew Remski was born in Michigan in 1971 and schooled as a Roman Catholic at Michael's Choir School, Toronto. From 1990 he worked as a church organist and choir conductor. From 1991 to 1994 he studied English literature at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, but did not graduate.

Buddhism and yoga

In 1996 Remski began "an extensive study" of Michael Roach's approach to

Gelukpa 240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodh_Gaya.html" ;"title="Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya">Bodhgaya (India) The Gelug (, also Geluk; 'virtuous')Kay, David N. (20 ...

Tibetan Buddhism. He received a Tantric initiation from Roach's

lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, in 1998, visited India and Sera Mey monastery in Tibet, and studied Tibetan. From 2000, he lived in Endeavour Academy, Wisconsin Dells, in the

kundalini In Hinduism, kundalini (, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the '' muladhara''. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power ...

-style cult of Charles Anderson. In 2003 he trained in Kripalu-style

with Darren John Main in Costa Rica, and in 2004 began to teach yoga, in his view prematurely, in Wisconsin. In 2005 he obtained a 250-hour certificate in

yoga therapy Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes ...

at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda. In 2007 he began to teach yoga and

ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

in Toronto. In 2008 Remski studied Jyotish Shastra, an East Indian form of

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, at the Vidya Institute. He began to blog on issues to do with yoga, especially

sexual abuse by yoga gurus Sexual abuse by yoga gurus is the exploitation of the position of trust occupied by a master of any branch of yoga for personal sexual pleasure. Allegations of such abuse have been made against modern yoga gurus such as Bikram Choudhury, Kausth ...

and his "What are We Actually Doing in Asana" project, and is viewed as a leading thinker on these topics by other yoga practitioners. In 2014 he obtained a 500-hour yoga educator certificate from the Nosara Yoga Institute.

Reception

The chair of the British Wheel of Yoga, Gillian Osborne, writes of Remski's 2019 book about

, ''Practice and All is Coming'', that "the stories are shocking but entirely believable". In her view, the book embodies "considered, informed opinion and original thought". Tara Henley, reviewing ''Practice and All is Coming'' for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', writes that Remski's "riveting" book "takes a deep dive into the 'toxic group dynamics' at play, mainly in the context of Ashtanga yoga, referencing numerous interviews Remski conducted with women who allege its late founder

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru who developed and popularized the vinyasa, flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yo ...

sexually assaulted them". Remski examines the "'classic cultic triad' of deception, dependence and dread of leaving", isolating the follower and preventing them from thinking clearly about what is happening.

Works

Poetry

* 1990 ''Et cum lazaro'' (Toronto: Poetency Press) * 2010 ''Syrinx and Systole'' (Toronto: Quattro Books) * 2014 ''Rosary (or, les fleurs du mala)'' (Matthew Remski)

Novels

* 1997 ''Dying for Veronica : a sub-catholic dream with mind-music : a novel'' (Toronto: Insomniac Press) * 1998 ''Silver: a novel'' (Toronto: Insomniac Press)

Non-fiction

* 1993 ''Fool for Divinity'' (Montréal:

Guernica Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the municipality of Gernika-Lumo ...

) * 1997 ''Organon vocis organalis : book II of aerial sonography'' (Toronto:

Coach House Books Coach House Books is an independent book publishing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Coach House publishes experimental poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction. The press is particularly interested in writing that pushes at the boundar ...

) * 2010 ''Yoga 2.0 : mala 1 : shamanic echoes'' (Toronto: Graha Yuddha Press) * 2012 ''Threads of Yoga'' (BookBaby) * 2014 (with Michael Stone) ''Family Wakes Us Up: Letters Between Expectant Fathers'' (pub. by the authors) * 2019 ''Practice and All Is Coming: Abuse, Cult Dynamics, and Healing in Yoga and Beyond'' (Embodied Wisdom Publishing) * 2023 (with Derek Beres and Julian Walker) ''Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat'' (

PublicAffairs PublicAffairs (or PublicAffairs Books) is a book publishing company located in New York City and has been a part of the Hachette Book Group since 2016. PublicAffairs was launched in 1997 by Peter Osnos. The current Publisher is Clive Priddl ...

) * 2024 ''Surviving Modern Yoga: Cult Dynamics, Charismatic Leaders, and What Survivors Can Teach Us''.

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...

(UK) and

North Atlantic Books North Atlantic Books is a non-profit, independent publisher based in Berkeley, California, United States. Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, North Atlantic Books is a mission-driven social justice-oriented publisher. Founded ...

(US). Foreword by Theo Wildcroft.

Selected articles

Remski has written many articles on yoga and related topics, including: *
10 Things We Didn't Know About Yoga Until This New Must-Read Dropped
on ''

Roots of Yoga A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' by James Mallinson and Mark Singleton (''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'', 12 April 2017)

References

External links

*
Matthew Remski talking about Cults, Prophecies, and Deprogramming Your Friends
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Remski, Matthew Living people 1971 births Yoga scholars Writers from Michigan American emigrants to Canada American non-fiction writers Yoga teachers