For many people, yoga can be beneficial for mind and body. Meditation can relieve stress. Crystal healing sessions seem to provide some intangible benefits. But for a small minority, wellness – and the gurus who practice it – have provided a gateway to a much darker way of seeing the world.

What begins with meditating in a room with your mates, can end in an unhealthy obsession with population control, fears of world government and other popular conspiracy theories.

The author and journalist James Ball, whose book The Other Pandemic addresses the phenomenon, talks with Michael Safi about the connection between wellness and conspiracy theories. And considers what happens when a friend or family member has gone through the pipeline: how do you pull them back?



Graphic of a hand controlling a person in gym gear like a puppet with five strings attached

Illustration: Susanna Gentili/The Guardian

Support The Guardian

The Guardian is editorially independent.
And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all.
But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.


Support The Guardian

Source link

Join the exciting world of cryptocurrency trading with ByBit! As a new trader, you can benefit from a $10 bonus and up to $1,000 in rewards when you register using our referral link. With ByBit’s user-friendly platform and advanced trading tools, you can take advantage of cryptocurrency volatility and potentially make significant profits. Don’t miss this opportunity – sign up now and start trading!