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Who we are
ATMAN – The International Federation of Yoga and Meditation is a non-profit organisation. The majority of its members are committed to a non-profit or charitable orientation. ATMAN is providing a basis for communication and cooperation between various traditional yoga schools and genuine spiritual paths worldwide, promoting true spiritual values for the benefit of mankind.
Our Mission
We support the idea of unity between science and spirituality, and we consider that yoga is a spiritual science which provides the methods to realise this Unity inside of us, and also in the outer world. The tradition of yoga reveals the laws of genuine spiritual science, while offering immediate practical applications.
In the International Federation of Yoga and Meditation, we aim to promote and reveal the yoga science and methodology in its traditional forms, teaching the physical techniques as well as including the essential and fundamental theoretical principles that are part of the yoga system. In this way the practitioner becomes able to understand profoundly how yoga works – yoga then becomes a valuable tool to be used for the plenary transformation on all levels of the human being. We provide knowledge, spiritual advice and the subtle support needed for understanding and practically applying the spiritual teachings.
What Experts Say
Renowned academics’ viewpoint on ATMAN Federation and Gregorian Bivolaru, author of the Integral Esoteric Yoga course
The unbiased evaluations of experts in human rights, sociology and spiritual movements prove the authenticity and unique value of the teachings offered in the Atman Federation.
Experts like Massimo Introvigne, J. Gordon Melton, and Gabriel Andreescu have studied Mr. Bivolaru’s life and movement for decades in a systematic, academic way, reaching to the conclusion that these teachings offer a genuine body of knowledge and practice for anyone interested in yoga, tantra and spirituality in general.
Massimo Introvigne presents in his book the brilliant way in which these teachings bridge the gap between spirituality and Eros, a feature often neglected in Western esotericism.
PierLuigi Zoccatelli about the Esoteric Movement
“If we look at the spiritual group of the yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru as an esoteric movement – or perhaps, according to Introvigne’s terminology, as a magical movement (Introvigne 1990) – it is currently one of the largest in the world in terms of membership.”
Gordon Melton about the tradition of Tantrism
“MISA, rather than being a uniquely “deviant” phenomenon, is part of a tradition with a long history. In the literature of MISA, the most frequent references are to Siddha Yoga from Tamil Nadu, which seems to have been the main vehicle through which Bivolaru approached Tantrism. Both Bivolaru and the other main teachers in the movement appear to have a good command of the academic sources on Tantrism.”
Massimo Introvigne on Spirituality and Eroticism
“What the world cannot tolerate is to put together eroticism and religion. There is a limited tolerance for religion in our world, and there is a wide tolerance for eroticism, but there is ZERO tolerance for groups that transgress the boundaries and claim that eroticism is religion and religion is eroticism, and that after all for the initiate they are one and the same.
And those who do this, they do this at their own risk. These people are persecuted not because they had abused a girl, no, no, that’s not the real point – they are persecuted because they crossed the red line. Bivolaru mixed religion with eroticism, and that’s the reason why he was and is persecuted.”
Massimo Introvigne
Gabriel Andreescu
Gordon Melton
PierLuigi Zoccatelli
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements.
Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press’ Nova Religio.
From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the “Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions” of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.
John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History with the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he resides.
Gabriel Andreescu is a Romanian human rights activist and political scientist born on 8 April 1952 in Buzău. He is one of the few Romanian dissidents who openly opposed Nicolae Ceaușescu and the Communist regime in Romania.
At present, he is professor in the Department of Political Science at the National School for Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) in Bucharest, and an active member of several Romanian human rights organizations. He is also a prodigious journalist, writing and lecturing on topics such as multiculturalism, national minorities, religious freedom and secularism, the ethics and politics of memory and others. He is editor of the Romanian-language New Journal of Human Rights (Noua Revista de Drepturile Omului, formerly Revista Romana de Drepturile Omului).
Our spiritual lineage
From the standpoint of the yoga tradition, the courses of integral esoteric yoga offered by the member schools of ATMAN – The International Federation of Yoga and Meditation are aligned with the Gupta Maha Siddha Yoga lineage, an esoteric tradition of a high spiritual accomplishment and of the profound, ineffable communion with God.
By dynamising and ascending the endless inner energy Kundalini Shakti, the yogi on the path of Gupta Maha Siddha Yoga can enter and maintain an ineffable state of communion with the clearly superior sublime energies of the macrocosmic life and manifestation. Thus, Gupta Maha Siddha Yoga can be rightfully speaking considered a genuine art of living and existing in a deified manner.
The specific methodology of this doctrine, largely kept secret, can be applied only by those yogis who are capable of controlling the endless colossal occult energy Kundalini Shakti and ascending it at will. They can then transfer into the being of other aspirants the ineffable spiritual states that they exemplify by means of Kundalini Shakti.
Beyond belonging to this traditional lineage, we can assert that the teachings of ATMAN – The International Federation of Yoga and Meditation aim to synthesise all that is godly inspired and fundamental in the known authentic spiritual traditions, in order to offer to all those, who are suitably prepared and receptive, direct new and ancient ways of transformation and spiritual realisation that are accessible as possible for their current level.
The methodology revealed by this federation has been applied with great results by tens of thousands of students all over the world. Being scientific and practical, it is easy to approach by modern man. Being also founded in the deepest spiritual tradition of our planet, this methodology leads to a profound spiritual transformation of the one who perseveres enough.
We know that yoga is not and cannot be a sport and also that yoga is much more than a “keep fit” method. Yoga is an accurate science of personal development and it has the power to transform every single aspect of your life in a positive way. Because the yoga techniques are natural, appropriate for our structure, logical and very effective, they can be practiced by everybody, irrespective of age, believes, religion, convictions, social status or physical health. You will have the understanding that life is much more than a sum of coincidences. And that you are the master of your destiny.
Our Code of Conduct
All courses and activities in the Atman Federation aim to spread genuine spiritual teachings and help people efficiently rediscover themselves through continuous transformation – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We do our best to ensure an inclusive, kind and sincere environment in all our activities and among all our staff and volunteers in the Atman Federation.
As part of our responsible hosting and teaching, we invite our students and guests to inform us if you should notice any behaviour or attitude which does not comply with our code of conduct. Please formulate in a clear and explicit way the complaint in case of such situations and we assure you in advance that we will do our best to solve it harmoniously, to ensure a beneficial running of all activities within the Atman Federation.
The Atman Federation’s code of conduct applies to all its affiliate member schools and is based upon core values intrinsic to the practice of yoga.
Code of Conduct
- Adhere and respect the traditional yoga principles, Yamas and Niyamas, which are moral and ethical guidelines including non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), non-accumulation (aparigraha), control of the energies (brahmacharya), purity (saucha), ardent effort (tapas), contentment (santosha), spiritual study (svadhyaya) and devotion (ishvarapranidhana).
- Respect the rights, dignity and privacy of all students regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, physical limitations or religion affiliations.
- Create and maintain a safe, clean and comfortable environment for the practice of yoga.
- Respect national and international laws.
- Yoga Schools, Yoga Teachers and Yoga students should integrate the Yoga methods into their lives, in a way to understand the true essence of Yoga.
- Yoga Schools, Yoga Teachers and Yoga students should not tolerate any misbehaviour or actions intentionally causing discomfort or sexual harm to anybody.
- The teachers and activities do not promote or support in any way, substances considered harmful to health and harmonious spiritual evolution such as, but not limited to: drugs, cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms, and alcohol.
In case of any misconduct or action not in accordance with this elementary code of conduct, please communicate with us immediately at the email address atman@atmanyogafederation.org.
Thank you for your collaboration and for helping us be in harmony and spirituality.
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