Conspirituality Bonus Sample: Michael Parenti Went to a Yoga Ashram
Mar 9, 2026
A surprising tale about Michael Parenti attending a Sivananda yoga retreat and spotting the performative posturing. A look at Parenti’s Marxist background and the political lens he applied to spiritual spaces. Recounts his earlier activism, arrest, and media vilification that shaped his perspective. Ends with a prompt to explore more bonus content.
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Marxist Scholar's Ashram Story Exposes Hypocrisy
- Michael Parenti described attending a Sivananda yoga ashram where the head Swami preached love while owning a yacht and seaplane.
- Parenti recounted the Swami screaming for his yacht, firing people, threatening police, and claiming perfection to illustrate hypocrisy.
Wealth And State Power Can Cloak Theocratic Control
- Parenti concluded the Swami functioned as a theocrat who used state power and wealth to enforce conformity while silencing dissent.
- He tied the Swami's ego, expulsions, and threats of police to theocratic control rather than genuine spirituality.
Parenti's Activism Led To Arrest And Public Vilification
- Matthew Remski summarized Michael Parenti's background as an American Marxist professor who was active in anti-war protests and later vilified by press before arriving at UVM.
- Remski noted Parenti's 1970 arrest after being clubbed by police while defending student demonstrators and his subsequent conviction and fine.