A review by heykellyjensen
Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat by Derek Beres

Over the last decade, we've seen an uptick in the number of wellness influencers thanks to social media, and while many of their beliefs are grounded in truth and facts, the pandemic became a perfect opportunity for many of these influencers to turn to grifting. But how does that happen, and how does it happen in a world of yoga, Eastern practices, and the wellness industry? This is a powerful, necessary read for anyone who wonders about the clashing of spirituality with conspiracy theory, and it is an eye opener on everything from how even smart people get facts wrong because of poor research and researcher credibility, how yoga has roots in fascism (and why "holidays" such as International Day of Yoga are grounded in this legacy and should be approached more thoughtfully), and how repeat failures in science communication opened the door to rampant misinformation on COVID, vaccines, and healthcare. This is a deeply empathetic book that both explains the ways and hows while also calling out the groups and individuals who have caused tremendous hurt, misinformation, and even death through their money-making schemes.