Calling themselves the “Kung Fu Nuns”, it is the fifth such journey for these women, which they refer to as a Cycle Yatra (pilgrimage). The event was first inspired by the attitudes towards women that they witnessed as they helped to clear up in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015, devastating towns and villages, and killing almost 9000 people: "That's how we had this idea of going on this Cycle Yatra to all the remote places and telling people we are all girls, girls are capable of doing everything. They are not useless, they are not things to sell", stated 25-year-old Kung fu Nun Jigme Konchok Lhamo on the group’s Facebook page, which is being used to update the public about their progress.

This year's 72nd Miss Universe competition was full of historic firsts.

And one woman to emerge from the competition with an overwhelming amount of support is 22-year-old Miss Nepal, Jane Dipika Garrett.

Garrett won the title of Miss Nepal earlier this year and represented the nation at the Miss Universe competition at the Gimnasio Nacional José Adolfo Pineda in San Salvador, El Salvador on November 18 - becoming the first-ever plus-sized contestant to ever take to the prestigious stage.

"As a curvy woman who doesn’t follow certain beauty standards, I’m here to represent all women," she said, per Indy100, proud to be an advocate of body positivity.

And the importance of Garrett's inclusion wasn't lost on those in attendance, as they erupted with cheers when the 22-year-old took to the stage in a stunning silver one-piece for the swimsuit competition.

Viewers at home couldn't help but voice their delight, with many taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to praise the beauty queen.

"OH WOW Nepal's Jane Dipika Garrett is SUCH A BEAUTY and defies stereotype in Miss Universe. I LOVE that the crowd is cheering for her. Finally a representation of plus size women in the Ms. U!!! GOO GOO JANE cheering for you," one person tweeted.

Another added: "Jane Dipika Garrett, you’ve broken barriers. Many women around the world see themselves in you. Congrats on Top 20, my sentimental fave."

And a third viewer tweeted: "Pleased to see Miss Nepal in the Miss Universe Competition which is dominated by slim ladies. It’s refreshing to see all body types there too. Women have all sorts of bodies and every kind of body is beautiful."

As well as being an advocate for body positivity, Garrett also uses her platform to champion hormonal health, PCOS, and mental health - after her own struggles with PCOS led to depression. She previously told Hola Magazine: "A few years ago, I was a very insecure person and had very low self-esteem. Now, I love myself, and that’s success to me."

Another groundbreaking first from the competition was that this year's Miss Universe featured the very first Miss Pakistan.

Representing the nation was Erica Robin - who also made a trailblazing statement during the swimsuit competition.

After hitting the stage, the San Salvador erupted with applause as Robin donned a stunning pastel pink burkini that covered much of her body - a stunning look when compared to the many daring swimsuits that had paraded the stage.

Sadly, per BBC News, Robin's inclusion in the completion was met with backlash, with some Pakistan politicians calling it "shameful" and even the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar even ordering an investigation.

Responding to the uproar, 24-year-old Robin said: "It feels great to represent Pakistan. But I don't understand where the backlash is coming from. I think it is this idea that I would be parading in a swimsuit in a room full of men."

Prior to the competition, Robin said she hoped to "change [the] mindset that Pakistan is a backward country".

The competition was eventually won by Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios.

Featured image credit: Hector Vivas / Stringer / Getty

An influencer reportedly faces deportation from Bali after she decided to pose nude against a sacred tree.

On Tuesday (April 11), Balinese activist and entrepreneur Ni Luh Djelantik called on authorities to intervene after a woman, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, took nude photos against a sacred kayu putih (weeping paperbark) tree in Tabanan, the Daily Mail reports.

According to The Travel Author, the tree is over 700 years old and approximately 164 foot tall, making it one of the most ancient trees in the entire area.

So with it being such a sacred site, you would assume that tourists would educate themselves on its importance before posing naked next to it, right? But it seems as though this unnamed woman didn't get the memo.

While the original post was deleted from her Instagram account, Djelantik reposted the series of photos in the hopes that local authorities would do something about the influencer disrespecting Indonesian culture.

The snapshots show a woman standing naked while leaning against the tree, her bare chest pressed up against the bark.

Alongside the plea, the Bali local also stressed: "TO ALL FOREIGNER[S] WHO DISRESPECT OUR LAND, BALI IS OUR HOME, NOT YOURS" before going on to add: "Do you think you’ll look cool taking naked picture on our holy trees? Go back to your country if you can’t respect our tradition[s] and culture!"

As per Coconuts Bali, the woman has now been arrested and faces deportation for her actions, though no official statement has been released on the matter as of yet.

The news comes shortly after another woman from Russia, Alina Fazleeva, saw similar consequences after she also posed nude photos with the scared tree.

As per News.com.au, the incident made international headlines last year and following public backlash, Fazleeva deleted the images and posted an apology video, which showed her fully clothed and praying at the base of the tree while speaking of her regret.

However, Fazleeva and her husband were later deported, with Bali immigration chief Jamaruli Manihuruk slamming the pair for endangering public order.

"They have carried out activities that endangered public order and were disrespectful to the local norms, so they are sanctioned with deportation," he said at a press conference at the time.

This is not the first time we've heard about apparently disrespectful behavior by tourists visiting the area.

Last month, it was reported that Russian tourist going by the name of Yuri faced deportation after he took an inappropriate nude photo while standing on top of Mount Agung.

The active volcano range situated in Bali, southeast of Mount Batur volcano also located in the same region, is an important area for the Balinese people as it is believed to be home to Mahadewa, the supreme manifestation of Lord Shiva, considered by many as the most superior of all Gods.

Posting to Instagram, Yuri snapped a photo in which he was nude from the waist down while standing on the site.

Not only did Yuri act out in such a manner, but he was also part of a group of other tourists who decided to climb the mountain without registering first - a direct violation of the rules.

Following intense backlash for his actions, the tourist also released a public apology expressing his regret about his decision.

Alongside the video, he also wrote in the caption: "I want to apologise for my actions that desecrated the sacred volcano for the local population. There is no excuse for my actions. The only thing that led to what happened was my personal ignorance. Ignorance of the peculiarities of the local religion.

"I am very sorry that this happened," he concluded.

Featured Image Credit: Gekko Studios / Alamy

Cults are inherently a very scary prospect for many of us. Popular Netflix shows like Wild Wild Country and classic movies like The Wicker Man (1973) have created an aura of fear and mystery around any that do continue to thrive, with survivors telling tales of bizarre sex rituals and outlandish initiation ceremonies.

Susan Shumsky followed the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement and spiritual guide to The Beatles, and spent 20 years under his spell. Now she speaks exclusively to VT as she launches her new book, and reveals what it was really like to be in thrall of a man who told his disciples they would be responsible for a nuclear holocaust if they did not adhere to his strict rules.

Was there an initiation at all, and if so, what was it?

"I had to bring sweet fruit, flowers, and a new white handkerchief. My TM Teacher used those items in the ceremony when he performed pooja, which is a traditional ceremony in India where offerings are made to Hindu deities.

"In the ceremony that was done when I learned TM, the offerings were made to Maharishi's guru, whose name was Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. My TM Teacher chanted the pooja ceremony, which included some Sanskrit words quoted by George Harrison's in his song "My Sweet Lord.""

At what point did you realise that you were in danger?

"I was never in physical danger. I was brainwashed and then got un-brainwashed.

"When Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of TM, first brought meditation to the West in 1959, he represented TM as a simple, effortless, mechanical technique that anyone could do. By simply meditating twice a day, our lives would naturally improve (which did happen, at least for me).

"The first seeds of TM's cult-like characteristics emerged in August 1979 in Amherst Massachusetts, where Maharishi gathered 2600 meditators for a World Peace Assembly. There he made the fantastic claim that the Goddess "Mother Divine" had told him that crime, war, and environmental toxins had polluted the earth, Maharishi's "World Plan" to create global peace wasn't working fast enough, and therefore the Goddess was threatening to annihilate the entire earth's population. After Maharishi pleaded with her, she purportedly agreed to give him one last chance.

"Maharishi then declared that time had run out and there was a world emergency. All of us must pack our bags, relocate our families to Iowa within one week, and meditate together in order to prevent certain global annihilation. So about 1000 of us meditators moved to Maharishi International University (MIU) in Fairfield, Iowa, where the cult gradually took over our lives.

"Two gigantic geodesic domes slathered in gold paint were built on the MIU campus—one for men and another for women, where we practiced group meditation twice daily. Maharishi terrorized us into believing that if we didn't adhere to this program, we would be responsible for nuclear holocaust or the end of the world. His manipulative fear-and-intimidation tactics proved extremely effective motivators.

"His stifling rules determined what to eat, what to wear, where to live, what to believe, what to say, what to read and not read, what activities were acceptable, even our house's architecture. If we towed the line, we were "on the program." If we wavered, we were "off the program" and branded as outcasts, shunned from the community.

"Since we believed TM was the only path to enlightenment and Maharishi was the only true spiritual master, we lived in terror of banishment from TM's presumptive heavenly paradise. Our only chance for spiritual enlightenment would vanish, and we would be lost.

"I began to realize I'd spent over two decades in a repressive organization, largely motivated by fear. By that time, I was already engaged in spiritual practices that were "off the program" and leading a weekly prayer circle.

"As a result of my "off the program" activities, I became a blacklisted outcast, along with my students. Because I was branded persona non grata, nearly everyone in Fairfield avoided me. They were afraid to talk to me or be associated with me, for fear they would be blacklisted also. Once I became the wicked witch of Fairfield, I realized that I would have to sell my house and leave. It was over for me."

Why did you not leave sooner?

"I did not leave sooner, because I was very devoted to Maharishi and I loved the experiences of TM itself. He was right. I was too dependent on him. One day in 1973, as I was waiting amongst the devotees who were standing in line to greet him, he walked up to me, handed me a rose, and said, with gravity, "Don't look to anyone. When you don't look to anyone, then everyone will look to you." Later I came to realize he was referring to my over-dependency on him.

"One more thought: When considering joining a spiritual organization or movement, it's important to ask yourself whether it's a "cult," or whether it's a way to "cult"-ivate self-improvement. In my case, I gained so much from being in the cult, I would say that if I had to do it over, the only thing I would change would be this: I would stand up to Maharishi and communicate with him more as an equal, rather than being so intimidated and painfully shy."

What was your worst experience during your time in the cult?

"Probably the most devastating experience was when Maharishi sent me back to the USA in 1976 after I served on his International Staff in Europe for six years. His expressed reason: "You are too dependent on me as a person. I won't always be here." When I asked him about a precious book I'd been writing for years, he told me to give my only copy (this was before computers existed) to the one person on staff that was my nemesis, whom I was intensely jealous of.

"It felt like a cannonball hit my stomach, but I did pass on the book to the person Maharishi asked me to give it to, even though it crushed me.

"To make matters worse, when I asked the finance guy (who was also Maharishi's nephew) for a plane ticket back to the States, I was told in the most hostile, arrogant tone, that there would be no plane ticket for me. So I had to borrow money just to leave. I was flat broke after subsisting on a stipend of $25 per month for the six years I was on staff (ironically working in the Finance Office a lot of that time).

"I didn't think it could possibly go downhill from there. But it did. After packing my bags, when I buzzed Maharishi's private secretary on the intercom to tell him I was leaving in the morning and wanted to see Maharishi, the secretary said it was too late, Maharishi had already gone to bed, and I should come at 9:00 AM. But I had to leave at 7:00 AM to catch my plane. I was devastated. No one on staff ever left without saying goodbye to Maharishi.

"But the last straw was the following morning, as Maharishi's driver and I were packing the Mercedes that would take me to the airport in Zurich. In the car trunk, I saw paper that looked like trash scattered about randomly. But when I looked closer, I realized they were pages from the precious book I'd been working on. Nothing could have been more shattering than seeing that book discarded with such callous disrespect.

"Returning to the USA, I was thrust into a threatening world in bliss-withdrawal trauma, alone and penniless. Expelled from heady heights of Maharishi's paradise, nothing seemed real. I had no context for a new life. Fractured and dispossessed, devoid of social or survival skills, I was incapable of relating to anyone. In culture shock, I was a displaced refugee from a remote planet, speaking an alien language: Maharishi-speak.

"An entire decade of culture was absent. I pondered how to open a soda can and asked for a can opener from a puzzled cashier. To define me, "introverted" was an understatement. "Paralyzed" was more accurate. An appalling sense of helplessness overtook me.

"Nothing could stop the excruciating pain—no cure for the grief and rejection. My connection with Maharishi felt broken and my only chance for spiritual enlightenment seemed in ruins. With nothing but regrets for friends, life seemed meaningless. And I felt it was my own fault."

Do you miss any aspects of the cult now you're free from it?

"I miss Maharishi. I loved him. He was the most extraordinary and happiest person I'd ever met—always cracking jokes. His laughter was contagious. He was charismatic to the point of hypnotic and projected a vastly irresistible, unparalleled love vibration along with waves of bliss."

How can we make sure other impressionable young people don't fall victim to cults like the Transcendental Meditation Movement?

"Education is key for youngsters. It helps them develop discernment. I would caution anyone who is considering joining an alluring organization that makes ultimate promises. Ask yourself whether it can deliver the goods or whether a carrot is being dangled just beyond reach. Investigate thoroughly first. Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out! Keep your brain intact and make informed choices."

Maharishi & Me: Seeking Enlightenment with The Beatles’ Guru by Susan Shumsky is out now, priced at £19.99 and is available on Amazon.co.uk.