Gregorian Bivolaru's message about this controversy In the light of the recent events regarding the “Congress of Yoga and the Planetary Millenary Wisdom” I would like to express my sadness to see how a spiritual event meant to promote the values of genuine spirituality for the whole world was used as a scene for mean “political” purposes.

With deep regret I have to admit that all the agreements we had established with the International Yoga Federation and European Yoga Alliance last year in November (when our representatives attended the official meeting of the International Yoga Federation held in Uruguay) were broken. How it is possible that people who claim to be yogis (therefore trustworthy and men of their word) who had decided along with the representatives of MISA Romania and NATHA Yoga School Denmark about how the congress of Yoga and Planetary Millenary Wisdom 2008 will develop (with our Contest to promote the spiritual values and not at all with any World Yoga Championship) – to change their decisions suddenly, and to press us to follow some unacceptable terms!

Only one month before the congress was to take place, the leaders of IYF and EYA completely turned around and denied the agreements that we had established. Are hypocrisy and two faced behavior compatible with the true genuine yoga spirit which should characterize the leaders of the International Federation of Yoga and the European Yoga Alliance? I am shocked to see that despite the wonderful ideas that we can read in their home page (www.internationalyogafederation.net): (“From 1987, the emphasis has been on mutual tolerance, respect, friendship, sensitivity and support of different approaches to yoga and an equal voice for every member of the Global Yoga Community”), in the case of this congress which will be held by MISA in Romania, the actions done by IYF and EYA are completely opposing this statement!

Where are the mutual tolerance, respect and friendship when we were forced to submit to and obey the imposed regulations of the Yoga Sports Federation (of which we are not members!) despite what previously we agreed upon in November 2007! Where is the ‘mutual tolerance, respect, friendship, sensitivity and support of different approaches to yoga…` in our case, when we advertised and prepared a lot of posters for the upcoming congress in Romania, using a lot of financial and human resources, and with little time beforehand we are told that if we do not blindly obey the rules of a federation we are not members (!) we will be expelled from IYF and EYA! This is far away from the yoga spirit of ‘mutual tolerance, respect, friendship, sensitivity and support of different approaches to yoga’…

I am deeply shocked and surprised about the fact that, all of a sudden, following strange gossip and bad rumors about our school, and without personally coming to check how we teach yoga and to speak with our students about their results and spiritual transformations (as we have offer to them this possibility), the leaders of IYF and EYA just decided to cancel our collaboration and to withdraw their patronage once offered for this spiritual event!

The excuse used by them to withdraw the patronage of IYF and EYA was that we did not want to organize the World Yoga Championship, but we have mentioned our position regarding the strange connection between Yoga and Sport in the meeting from November 2007 between our representatives and Swamini Dayananda (the current president of IYF) and Swami Maireyananda in Uruguay! And I take the opportunity to underline again my opinion: it is a big disappointment for me to see how the noble ideas of yoga (as a spiritual path and life science offering methods of reaching the communion with the Absolute) were perverted when this strange connection between yoga and a banal sport has occurred! Could anyone believe for example that Buddhism could be a sport? It is an abomination.

On another hand, it is a big disappointment for me to watch all the “backstage games” which are played in this so-called free International Yoga Federation who promotes the “support of different approaches of yoga…” as they claim on their website! Sadly I have to admit that all I could see in this Federation is a state of chaos, manipulation, bad will, intolerance manifesting clearly in our case.

Finally I want to mention one more aspect. The organizers of the “Congress of Yoga and the Planetary Millenary Wisdom” have invited all the leaders of the IYF and EYA to participate in Bucharest in June, so once and forever they could get convinced about the wonderful approach MISA has about yoga.
Swamini Dayananda (president of IYF) and Sri Yogacharya Ajita, President of European Yoga Council (who behaved so strangely lately against us) have promised their participation at the Congress in Romania, when they attended the Euro Yoga 2007, Congress held by NATHA (a sister school of MISA) in Copenhagen. Yogacharya Vasudeva Carlos Miguel Perez (president of EYA) has promised his participation to our representatives in the Euro Yoga 2006 Congress held in Lisbon, Portugal. Lately (in April 2008) I was also informed and I welcomed with great joy the possibility of participation of Swami Maitreyananda (the former president of IYF and friend of us since 2004) at the Congress held by MISA in Romania.

I am astonished now to find out that not only they cancelled their participation to the Congress in Romania, but they are even supporting the strange decision to withdraw the patronage of this Congress offered by IYF and EYA since November 2007! I am shocked to see how, just because of gossip and rumors, without seriously checking themselves (as leaders), they want to cancel even our membership in IYF and EYA (where we are members with full rights!). Sadly I can see how two faced these leaders are in this situation, proving fear and cowardice.

I am still inviting any leaders from IYF and EYA to come to Bucharest to see with their own eyes the wonderful yogic spirit in which this congress will be held and thus to prove their real emphasis upon ‘on mutual tolerance, respect, friendship, sensitivity and support of different approaches to yoga…’ Accepting this invitation they would prove a minimum integrity in this respect and judge us after facts and not after gossip, and I assure them of all our support for participating in this great event.

With or without the so-called patronage of IYF and EYA, MISA will organize the “Congress of Yoga and the Planetary Millenary Wisdom” in which the true spiritual light of yoga will shine clearly and we will organize it in the traditional and genuine manner, as we have understood and practiced yoga for more than 40 years.

With great compassion,
Always the same
Gregorian Bivolaru