THE CURIOUS RISE OF MANIFESTATION
Angie Tiwari wakes up, slides out of bed and pulls the shutter back from her bedroom window. As she prises it ajar, a stream of morning light comes in and, as if on command, the sound of chirping birds fills the room. She sits back on the tangle of sheets and drops her eyelids to soften her gaze, turning inward. In her mind’s eye, she sees herself running a yoga retreat; she’s speaking to a group of women, sharing with them how the practice helped her in difficult times. Next, she picks up a hardback journal the colour of charcoal and pulls it open at a crisp blank page. The words flow through her fingers and on to the paper. “I run a successful online yoga business. I inspire and encourage people to try it. I build a collaborative community.”
The 29-year-old yoga teacher isn’t alone in this practice. Alongside other items in the New Age bag of tricks such as tarot reading and crystal healing, manifestation (achieving material goals through sheer force of belief, using techniques like affirmations and visualisation) has enjoyed an energised buzz over the past year, taken up by a shiny new cohort of fans. This you’ll know if) views of manifestation content on TikTok. But, the big question: is it truly possible to get the life of your dreams just by willing it to happen? Or, is this simply a COVID-era balm that’s likely to lose its appeal when normality returns?