About this site

Siddha Yoga is the organization started by Swami Muktananda and now controlled by Swami Chidvilasananda, also known as Gurumayi. Siddha Yoga is the religious organization governed by the SYDA Foundation, headquartered in South Fallsburg, New York.

This site points to claims of several concrete abuses in Siddha Yoga, such as predatory sexual abuse and pedophilia by Swami Muktananda and other Siddha Yoga leaders, and the long term stalking and harassment of Gurumayi’s rival, her brother Swami Nityananda. In the Lawsuit section, you can read about the lawsuit filed in 2023 against SYDA by sexual assault victims of Muktananda; this includes first-hand accounts of that abuse by two different women. 

While these claims of abuse are among the most egregious harms caused by Siddha Yoga, there are other significant ways that Siddha Yoga harms its followers, as described in many of the personal stories on this site. Critical thinking and questioning is punished by shunning, ostracizing and banishment from the community. Suppression and falsification of truth, and submissive dependence is rewarded. 

Some ask, isn’t all the wrongdoing in the past, and haven’t those who did wrong in the past left Siddha Yoga? Even if it were the case that Siddha Yoga had “cleaned up its act,” which is not the case, the retrospective falsification of Siddha Yoga’s history has been undertaken systematically by its leaders, and this is a wrongdoing happening now. The demand that followers ignore and deny the truth of Siddha Yoga’s history is a wrongdoing happening now.

The dissociative contagion that allows the organization to sweep its history of corruption and abuse under the rug is the means by which evil has always been perpetrated and perpetuated. It is the means by which those who participate in Siddha Yoga become unwitting accomplices to the ongoing deception and exploitation of its members and of the public. 

These pages are provided as both a resource and as a place to share all of our stories. We welcome your contributions to these pages. All material presented here is the personal opinion of that individual.

About the owner of this website

Daniel Shaw owns and maintains this site. It is intended as a public service and as a safe place for the voices of those who claim harm by Siddha Yoga. 

In 2025, I started a GoFundMe site where donations were collected to redesign and reorganize this site. Otherwise, web hosting for the site and any other expenses for maintaining the site are paid for solely by me. I do not derive any profit from this website.

I lived and worked full time as a Siddha Yoga staff member from 1985 to 1992. I was known as Sureshwar, and my various duties included Manager of the Manhattan Ashram, Manager of several Siddha Yoga Manadali tours, Director of Programming, Advance Tour Manager, etc.

I left Siddha Yoga in 1994, when I began my professional training. I have been a psychotherapist (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in private practice since 2000. I have not worked and do not work with former members of the Siddha Yoga community professionally. If asked, I can provide a referral to a licensed mental health professional who is not affiliated with Siddha Yoga. I can be reached by email at danielshawlcsw@gmail.com, or see www.danielshawlcsw.com.