Conversation started March 2

312 11 01amYoga SandhanDear ~My name is Yogasandhan , I'm contacting you from my personal account as FB doesn't allow us to start messages to people from the Mangrove page.I have been a resident at Mangrove Yoga Ashram for the past 1 O years. Along with other newer residents I have recently taken on the responsibility of ashram management. Whilst we have known Mangrove's history, it has admittedly been in the context of 'the past'. Your comments and posts have made it human, real and present and we appreciate the courage it has taken to make these posts in such a public forum. To respect this and in response to a request, we want to keep our communication with you real. The Royal Commission was the initial catalyst for change in the ashram's response to the past and got the 'difficult conversations' happening in the ashram again . Last year the decision was made to focus the 40th anniversary on connecting with ,all residents from the past, knowing that this would in one way or other bring the past to the fore.The culture of the ashram today is very different to what it was when you lived here. We are looking at ways to communicate our current processes to the public, such as how people can air their grievances, a real commitment to chi Id protection processes and measures such as the management structure that prevent one or two people at the top from abusing a position of power. This was to be put in place before putting up the Mangrove history timeline with a public acknowledgement and apology. The timing has now changed a little to meet the needs of the conversations on the Mangrove facebook page but the whole plan is still in progress.Concerns were raised that we deleted comments. In regards to this the only comments that have been deleted were at the time Tim made the original post. An outside administrator of the Mangrove page saw the posts early one morning and unable to reach us deleted what she believed were libellous comments and I believe also reported Tim's review to Facebook. Tim was also blocked at this time from making further comments on the page, simply because we weren't sure what to do and wanted to know more about who he was. Admittedly this could have been handled better and Tim has since been unblocked. It is true we cannot delete comments from the review section - apparently we are able to shut the whole section down and possibly open it again with a fresh start

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but this idea does not fit with the over aim of transparency so it was left to take its own course. Facebook does have its own system for deleting posts although how this works we don't know. We only know there has been no effort made by us to protect either

lsHisHv ~s or Akhandananda's names, although we will get 1ega1 aav1ce a defamation and will k.eep you informed if there is any le al re uirement for us to take the posts down. For your knowledge, sHisHv s blacklisted from the ashram, as is her brother. Akhandananda's partner at the time of his death and their children are welcome in the ashram. This family has had to deal with its own tragedies and we hope the ashram can be a place of healing for them as well.In regards to our guest teachers who have been invited to speak at the anniversary, they all lived in the Munger ashram in India during this period and have only been connected with Mangrove since the Academy was established in 1997 and have inspired many students on the teacher-training program in the last 14 years. As the anniversary invite is open for all past residents to attend we cannot say who of those coming had knowledge of the abuse at the time it was happening. Anyone from that time who still lives here or who comes to teach on behalf of the ashram was unaware of what was going on. There are many conflicting perceptions and it remains a painful subject for everyone involved; this is undoubtedly one of the reasons this has not been dealt with in the past. People have been asked directly if they knew what was happening at the time and their word is taken on face value and it is recognised that in a time of great adversity these people kept the ashram alive allowing it to evolve into the open and very different place it is today. We wish to honour and celebrate all the goodness that has come out of Mangrove over the last 40 years and realise that first there needs to be an open acknowledgement of the past. One part of this will be a program on the Thursday before Mangrove's 40th that will be dedicated to healing the events of the past. Past residents and initiates will be invited to attend either to help come to terms with their own experiences and involvement or to

offer their support and recognition to the process. The practice of Mahamrityunjaya healing mantra with fire ceremony will be conducted in the afternoon and a memorial will be dedicated to the children and adults who suffered through the abuse of power. The ashram and all present will be asked to commit themselves to preventing this type of thing in any form from happening again, here or anywhere any of us may be. People will be welcome to come for the day, stay overnight or stay for the whole weekend as suits each

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person best. The offer to stay for free of course extends over this period and you can use the voucher code 40th-0001 when booking online. Camping is an option but not .an expectation. The weather has been beautiful over Easter for the last two years, but of course

with camping there are no guarantees.So that is where things are at right now. There is genuine intent to let this process be whatever it needs to be for those most affected. This comes from a desire to do what is right for all those affected and to do what is healthy for the ashram culture itself and also from a love of this place and all it has to offer. It is time to meet this challenge and we hope that even if you are not able to be here on Easter Thursday that you are able to accept this offering and the warmth , respect and goodwi ll that comes

with it. You are in our thoughts and we wish you well. If you would like to talk to someone here please call the ashram and ask to speak

with myself, Gurubhakta, or Suryamitra.Warm regards, Yogasandhan

On behalf of Mangrove Yoga Ashram March 4

n 3/4 6 29pm~K pear Yogasandhan,Thank you for

your thoughtful a: thorough message. I know it can't be easy for the current residents, swamis and supporters to see the conversations about Mangrove's past occurring so publicly on the ashram Facebook page and I genuinely applaud the bravery of those who made the decision to leave it all there. This information needed to come out and behind the scenes, away from the public space, there has also been an opportunity for people to reconnect and express their hurt to one another, also hel ing to heal old wounds.When I last spoke to Swami PT she indicated to me certain people were now living at angrove again who were there during that time and I must say, knowing who they are and how close they were to Shishy I am sceptical that they had no knowledge of the abuse. Especially with regard to the physical abuse perpetrated by Shishy, which was conducted very much out in

the open and as well as behind closed doors.In particular regard to Tim who copped most of the violence from Akandanand , the violence was vicious and very public,. occurring during meal times when everyone was gathered around and at satsangs and in front of the reception where he was made to stand naked while Akandanand beat him and where adults were encouraged to participate in his

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public humiliation. With regard to the physical abuse my sister received (she has now removed her post so I won't name her here) from Shishy, it can only be classed as physical and psychological torture and there are people there now who were part of the administration at the time who witnessed it. One who is there now was made to go fetch my sister when Akandanand wanted to have his way with her so again, I doubt they had no idea what was OCCUrring. ~PA rs abuse WaS alSO Severe, public and psychologically damaging. The incident she talks about where her head was hitting the brick wall as Shishy hit her repeatedly across the face occurred in front of the old press building located metres away from the Reception area.Also with regard to one of the very youngest children who was 4 years old at the time, he was sexually humiliated and made to take cold showers in the middle of the night because he wet his bed and one of the ones who I understand to be there now was made by Shishy to be a participant in this. I know it hurt her at the time to be doing it, but it didn't stop her from doing it. The only consolation for this one is hopefully he was too young to remember any of it. My own abuse and humiliation (which could be considered mild in comparison to the people I've mentioned above) occurred in public, sometimes at mealtimes, always in front of witnesses. Swami Akandanand beat me himself, not long before I eventually ran away, at lunch time in the kitchen, while people lined up for food. I can't say those who are there now were present at this incident, but not one person who was there stood up for me or intervened on my behalf. The 'seduction' process he employed on me also occurred at satsangs and in front of adult swamis who acted like it was natural. Again, I can't say who was there at those times, but as with the beatings no one suggested it was in anyway inappropriate and most adults thought the children were receiving these attentions as some form of spiritual blessing. I certainly know that was the attitude of some also when the revelations came to light. The only thing that saved me from Akandanand's increasingly overt sexual advances was my absolute and openly expressed

horror at the idea and my eventually running away.So I while I don't blame those who might still be there for what occurred the only way they, who were among the most devoted to Shishy and Akandanand, could not have known what was going on is through the act of sheer wilful blindness. In there defence I suppose I must acknowledge, Akandanand antjsHrsHv ~ere both violent toward some of these adults (who essentially weren't much older than the children) and anyone who ever stood up to Akandanand or

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spoke out about his abuse of the adult women was ex­communicated in ways not too dissimilar to Scientology's method of declaring someone a suppressive person. (In fact reading the books written by ex-Scientology devotees has an eerily familiar feel to it and anyone who wants an insight into what it was like at Mangrove back in the day could get a pretty good idea from reading those accounts.) People were made to turn on one another and anyone who spoke against the cause was to be essentially cut dead. The devotion to the guru and the cause made people accept and do things no normal , sane person would dream of. And while I sincerely understand the majority of you who are there now played no part in the abuse or the dereliction of duty you are all still worshipping Swami Satyananda who DID know what was going on and who turned a blind eye and in effect told everyone it was no big deal. He also sanctioned Akandanand to use ashram money to pay for Chester Porter, a top Sydney Barrister with a reputation for defending known pedophiles, protecting his 'brand' before the life of his devotees and their children. While he (and Niranjan) refuse to acknowledge us and what occurred any apology is essentially incomplete and insincere (at least at an institutional level). It is one thing for those of you who weren't there to apologise but quite another coming from those who WERE there and those at the top who should have rotected us_and didn't.It does mean something thatFPT and~---] are not welcome at Mangrove, but in your defence of Aka~ s wife you might consider how she benefited from the money and property that was stolen from the families, like mine, who not only gave up their homes and their life savings, but also gave years of free l.abour to Mangrove - my family was involved with the ashram from 1977 through to 1987 or 88 when the revelations came to light (though I myself left in 1986). We left with nothing and were given nothing and our family had to rebuild with nothing. So unless his wife is prepared to pay back to the ashram what is not hers (and I don't hold my breath on that) I don't know that I can hurt for her too deeply - especially considering she married him in full knowledge of the abuse that had come to light. The only thing I do genuinely care about regarding her is that her children are not brought into this. That, in the end, is what will protect her.I want to be clear I do genuinely appreciate the efforts the current administration is making to acknowledge the history and make amends through the ceremony and the Facebook apology. I appreciate the offer to attend the 40 year celebrations and to participate in the healing ceremony and I will consider whether I will

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attend this. In considering what the ashram does in the future to protect the children who come there I would suggest Tim is right in his post where he says you don't need a guru or to devote yourself to a cause to reach spiritual fulfilment. Devotion, particularly blind devotion, is toxic and dangerous and time and again it becomes an excuse used to justify terrible things. Any guru who does not turn you immediately back around to find the truth within yourself is a false one as far as I'm concerned. And THAT is quite possibly the greatest lesson Mangrove ever taught me. Thank you again for your message.Kind regards,f PK I

March 13

3/P 11 ·14pmYoga SandhanHello F PK ~hank you for your reply and for the understanding you have shown for ashram residents including some of those who would have been around at the time you were here. Thank you especially for sharing that there are reconnections also taking place. The facebook conversation understandably has waves of anger and resentment. To know that there is also healing happening behind the scenes gives some confidence that this process can be a positive one.I appreciate that it is hard to understand or believe that people did not know what was happening to the children living at the ashram. No doubt there was also behavior that was witnessed and somehow it was 'normalised' within this abnormal environment. That many people deferred their responsibility to someone else is clear and with that attitude you're right abuse is bound to flourish. It is one thing for adults to make that deference a conscious choice, as they are the ones who will have to live with the consequences. Though for children such as you were, it is a failing of the culture that no one took responsibility for your welfare or allowed themselves see what was right in front of them. We're sorry that the system failed you and left you to fend for yourself. The ashram today and the residents here are dedicated to the teaching of Satyananda Yoga. I riealise that given,_v_o~u~r __ _ experience of ashram life under Akhandananda and foe I it will be hard if not impossible to understand how this dedication could be anything but the blind devotion you saw around you. It's not my place to try and convince you otherwise but for the sake of an ongoing process of reconciliation , especially if you would like to attend the apology day, it is worthwhile you knowing that the culture of blind obedience died here long before Akhananda did. The

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ashram and the academy has been purposefully structured to be integrated with mainstream society and to instill self-responsibility and accountability in individuals. The academy itself is also accountable for the behaviour of any teacher who is accredited with it. That responsibility lies with people like me, so rather than people being in 'positions of power' living here means being in a position of responsibility.

The actions of the past continue to have a direct influence the culture of today. That we are able to address this now is due to the work of the previous management to nurture this culture. Their generation may not have been able to face this situation themselves but they taught us how to. I think this is true in society in general as we see the shift towards transparency. In regard to the funding of the court case the ashram was under government administration, which did not allow the ashram (as a charity) to pay for the legal fees. Swami Satyananda had already sent a second letter directing Akhandananda to step down but AK rejected this outright and retained control of the ashram until h1e went to goal. He funded his own case from the money he had received from devotees. This money never went through the ashram and being donations there was nothing the donors or the ashram could do to get that money back even when his guilt had been confirmed. In mentioning his family a detail was omitted but as 'fl1'M3'1'has now mentioned this herself in the conversation on fb I'd like now to explain. One of their son's, 'fl11ff1:committed suicide a couple of years ago. His ashes are buried at Mangrove, and for this reason we hope the ashram can always be a place of peace for them. Perhaps this is another significant change from the past, that everyone is welcome back rather than being ostracized.Maybe one day if you'd like you can also have the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful space again and feel welcome and at peace here. The apology day will be one part in this process. If you or others would prefer another time to be heard and for your experiences to be acknowledged either individually or as a group we can work something out. The past is a mess of perceptions but if you would find it helpful to discuss any of this we are happy to related the series of events as best we have understood them and discuss them with you. Many people have the need to attend the apology day but in particular it is you who were children here that we want to ensure are met a way that is meaningful to you and is inherently positive. At present we are looking at each action that happened and including this in a full apology that addresses each individual hurt. This wi ll be read at the apology day and sent to you

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individually. Wishing you all the best for your ongoing journey~ with respect Yogasandhan

March 20

3/20 11 20amYoga SandhanHello fPi<1 1·m writing to let you know that the ashram has been independenuvtontacted by external legal advisors informing us that the Satyananda Yoga Mangrove facebook page is in breach of social media regulations and that we are legally obliged to shut it down. The conversation regarding Mangrove's history and the abuse will hidden. All individual comments to the page will be blocked until we are clear on how to manage the page.In the mean time direct channels of

communication remain open if you w ish.Kind regards Yogasandhan

3/20 11 ·3sa{ PK pear Yogasandhan,Thank you for

letting me know. I understand the position you are in.Independent of your role with Satyananda Ashram and without exempting the administrators or organisational figure heads of their responsibility to address the ashram's past, I would like to let you know (you personally) that I have appreciated your communications and think you are doing a beautiful job of handling what is obviously a very tricky sitution. It can't be easy. I should also let you know I won't be attending the fire ceremony or the reunion. It isn't convenient or appropriate for me to attend at this time, but I sincerely hope it brings positive benefit to those who do take up this opportunity to attend.

Kind regards.LJ

~ DK 3/20. 11:41amYoga SandhanOea hank you April 10

4/10 4 42pmYoga SandhanDeaLJA few weeks back a team was set up to work on this as we realised it was bigger than what Suryamitra, Gurubhakta and I could manage or had the skills to deal with. Attached are two letters for you, to let you and others

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know where things are at. Ahimsadhara is now responsible for communication and can be reached via email:

worki ngtogethertf@gma i I. com Warm wishes, Yogasandhandownload01 . Easter Sunday at

Mangrove.pdfdownload02. Easter Sunday Acknowledgement Day at Mangrove Ashram copy.pdf

April 15

4/15 9·55pr1r PK ~hank you Yogasandhan . I've only

just now had the opportunity to properly read these letters. I have withdrawn from the conversations that were occurring about Mangrove for the most part for reasons which are personal. But I do understand these letters have been shared and everyone is aware of them.I will contact Ahimsadhara when I can - I understand she has been talking to Tim also -

but I appreciate you passing these letters on to me. Kind regardsLJ

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