Was I in a Cult?10 Des 2025

The Cult of Ashtanga Yoga: "No Touching, Guruji!"

This week, Liz and Tyler head straight into the sweaty "this-is-definitely-not-a-cult-except-maybe-it-definitely-is" world of Ashtanga yoga.

Our guest, Magnolia Zuniga, was one of only 20 women in the world to become a Certified Ashtanga teacher. She spent 22 years inside the system — traveling to India, waking up before the crack of dawn, giving up apartments, and building her entire life around the practice and the man who created it.

Then, on her very first day studying with master Pattabhi Jois — the "grandfather" of modern yoga — she witnessed something that shattered everything she thought she knew.

What followed was years of confusion, devotion, cognitive dissonance, community pressure, and the slow unraveling of everything she believed Ashtanga Yoga to be.

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Instagram: @magnoliasezso

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