The Asana of Authority: Power, Legitimacy, and Yoga’s Hidden Hierarchies

What does it mean to be “authentic” in the world of yoga? Who decides what is legitimate knowledge, and how does one gain access to it?

In Authenticity, Legitimacy, and the Transglobal Yoga Industry, ANU alum Dr. Patrick McCartney takes a sharp, critical lens to these questions, dissecting the intricate power dynamics within yoga ashrams—specifically, the global organisation Shanti Mandir.

This is the first-ever book to focus exclusively on Shanti Mandir. Far from a celebration of yoga’s global spread, Patrick’s book interrogates how yoga institutions manufacture authenticity and regulate knowledge. By studying the structure and hierarchy of Shanti Mandir, he unpacks how diverse groups within the ashram—Renunciants, Scholars, and Patrons—negotiate power, legitimacy, and access to knowledge. His research exposes how disciples are socialised into a particular way of feeling, one that discourages critical thinking in favour of total submission to a guru’s authority.

“My book is focused on the structuring of identity, and how access to the predetermined knowledge/knower structures is regulated within a yoga ashram. What does someone have to do to fit in and become an 'insider'?”

Temple of Peace or Pyramid of Power?

Shanti Mandir (meaning “Temple of Peace”) presents itself as a continuation of a spiritual lineage, tracing back to the deeply controversial Siddha Yoga empire of Baba Muktananda. However, Patrick’s research reveals a much more complex story—one of internal conflict, power struggles, and a calculated effort to establish a distinct identity while remaining tethered to its origins.

His work details how disciples at Shanti Mandir do not have free rein to define their own spiritual journey. Instead, they are assigned to one of three social groups, each with its own symbolic currency:

• Renunciants (Swamis) – holders of religious capital, embodying spiritual authority
• Scholars – specialists in Sanskrit and Vedic rituals, possessing cultural capital
• Patrons – financial backers, whose contributions sustain the organization but who lack religious expertise

Critically, Patrick highlights that competition for status and access to esoteric knowledge occurs within, not across, these groups. A Patron cannot compete with a Scholar in Sanskrit proficiency, just as a Renunciant cannot challenge the economic influence of a Patron. This rigid structure ensures that each group remains in its place, reinforcing the guru’s ultimate control.

“Individuals cannot symbolically compete with people from another group. Competitions for status and resources (like the guru's attention or 'grace') occur within each group, among the group's members. And it matters little whether the organisation or its members feign an attitude of disinterestedness toward wishing to appear more 'yogic,'. This is partly due to the very etymological and historical roots of the word 'yoga' being about a time for 'martial action' to acquire and maintain property and prosperity. Yoga is about the acquisition of power, both esoteric and exoteric.”

The Economics of Enlightenment

Legitimacy within Shanti Mandir is not freely granted—it is cultivated through ritualised investment. Patrick’s research outlines how followers must strategically navigate the organisation’s expectations, whether through financial contributions, rigorous Sanskrit study, or unquestioning devotion to the guru. He meticulously analyses the marketing strategies that uphold this system, as well as the narratives that followers construct to rationalise and justify their participation in an institution with a deeply problematic past.

This past, Patrick argues, cannot be ignored. He situates Shanti Mandir within the wider history of Siddha Yoga, exposing a lineage tainted by abuse, coercion, and financial scandal. From forced resignations and violent internal conflicts to its leaders' alleged connections with organised crime, the history of Siddha Yoga—and by extension, Shanti Mandir—is anything but peaceful.

Mastering Devotion: The Fine Line Between Faith and Control

One of the book’s most unsettling revelations is the nature of guru-disciple relationships. Patrick demonstrates how disciples are not merely passive followers but active participants in a system that demands submission, discourages doubt and fosters emotional dependency. The guru is simultaneously revered as a divine being and feared as a figure who wields absolute power over his followers.

Patrick’s work is not just about yoga—it is about power, legitimacy, and the cost of belonging. He challenges the romanticised narratives surrounding yoga institutions and instead presents a stark analysis of how these spaces operate as sites of control and symbolic warfare.

Decoding Devotion

While Authenticity, Legitimacy, and the Transglobal Yoga Industry focuses on Shanti Mandir, Patrick’s analytical framework extends far beyond this case study. His sociology of knowledge approach provides a model for examining power structures within any ideological community, from religious sects to corporate organisations. By blending ethnographic fieldwork with textual analysis of primary Sanskrit sources, he offers a novel methodology for dissecting how groups regulate knowledge and enforce social hierarchies.

From ANU to Ashrams: A Scholar’s Journey

For Patrick, his time at the ANU School of Culture, History & Language (CHL) was transformative. Under the mentorship of Professor McComas Taylor, he delved into the sociolinguistics of Sanskrit, exploring how cultural traditions are passed down, adapted, and sometimes reinvented.

“ANU gave me the tools to see beyond the surface,” Patrick says. “Whether it was analysing ancient texts or unpacking modern marketing, I learned to ask deeper questions about how traditions are shaped and shared.”

At CHL, Patrick’s doctoral research focused on the intersections of language, identity, and cultural transmission—concepts that continue to drive his work today. It was here that he was encouraged to think critically about cultural authenticity—not as a fixed concept, but as a dynamic, evolving process. McComas Taylor’s approach to teaching Sanskrit and cultural studies was a game-changer for Patrick, allowing him to understand how language shapes identity and connects people across time and space.

This perspective has profoundly influenced Patrick’s approach to yoga studies, bridging academia, community, and cultural diplomacy.

More Than a Stretch: The Global Reach of Patrick’s Work

At its heart, Authenticity, Legitimacy, and the Transglobal Yoga Industry is not just about yoga—it is about how culture evolves. It is a must-read for anyone interested in globalization, identity, or the fascinating ways we navigate tradition in a modern world.

“Yoga is a lens,” Patrick says. “Through it, we can explore so many broader issues—like how communities adapt, how cultures interact, and how we all search for meaning in a fast-changing world.”

Beyond the Mat: What’s Next for Patrick?

Patrick’s next book, Imagining Sanskritland: From Yogic Fundamentalism to 'Sanskrit-speaking' Villages, builds on the foundations of his current research, by exploring the social structures surrounding Sanskrit-speaking communities.

The book delves deeper into the relationship between the biographies of Sanskrit and Yoga through unpacking and tracing how the term 'vedic' has been used to market various identities across millennia, and, today, promote 'sustainable' lifestyles through 'vedic lifestyles.'

Patrick’s broader research interests continue to probe the intersections of language, power, and identity—shedding light on the ways institutions shape human belief and behaviour. For now, though, he hopes his latest work will spark deeper conversations about the underexamined power dynamics of yoga institutions.

“This isn’t just about yoga,” Patrick says. “It’s about how people learn to surrender their agency in pursuit of something greater—and what that means for the way we understand knowledge, power, and legitimacy.”