Russian officials have started cracking down on yoga studios in the city of Nizhnevartovsk – because they believe them to be spreading the ethos of ‘religious cults’.

The local authorities sent at least two studios – The Aura and Ingara studios – a letter saying they should stop hosting yoga classes to “prevent the spread of new religious cults and movements”, according to The Independent.

They’ve been asked to stop hosting yoga classes to ‘prevent the spread of new religious cults’

The classes currently take place in a sports stadium and public meeting hall in Nizhnevartovsk.

“Everybody is scared and amused”, Inga Pimenova, a yoga teacher at the Ingara School told The Times.

The Moscow Times described yoga as “inextricably linked to religious practices” and having a distinct “occult character.”

Thoughts?