Movies And Specials: 'Breath Of Fire'

Synopsis: In 2013, Katie Griggs, a millennial YouTube astrologer, rose to fame as the face of Kundalini yoga, opening the RA MA Institute in Los Angeles, donning a white turban, and reinventing herself as Guru Jagat. Breath Of Fire explores Guru Jagat’s evolution while chronicling the shocking secret history of Kundalini through its origins in the 1960s to its expansion in the United States and its presence in wellness circles today. Based on the Vanity Fair story by Hayley Phelan, “The Second Coming of Guru Jagat,” Breath Of Fire illuminates the culture of modern spirituality revealing complicated themes of cultural appropriation and the dangers of self-proclaimed gurus.

Claiming to be the anointed successor of the late Yogi Bhajan, a Punjabi Sikh who created and popularized a version of Kundalini in America in 1969, Guru Jagat leveraged social media and her charismatic online presence to capitalize upon Kundalini’s multi-million-dollar spiritual empire. Positioning herself as the embodiment of divine femininity and a sanctified seeker, she attracted a growing base of followers — including many celebrities and loyal, fee-paying devotees — with promises of prosperity, physical health, and spiritual fulfillment.

In the 1970s, at the peak of Yogi Bhajan's influence, his followers praised his teachings as a message of enlightenment and equality, offering solace during a time of social and political turmoil. However, decades later, investigations uncovered a systemic culture of abuse and misogyny perpetrated by the organization's leader and some members of the inner circle. Despite these revelations, Guru Jagat and some members of the Kundalini community staunchly and publicly defended Yogi Bhajan's legacy.

Told through conversations with family, students, former employees, and followers, the series weaves together the stories of two of Kundalini’s most prominent figures – Yogi Bhajan and Guru Jagat. Including a wealth of footage of Yogi Bhajan, clips of Guru Jagat’s online preaching at the RA MA Institute, and revealing audio interviews with Griggs herself, the film reveals the darker facets of wellness industry figureheads driven by a desire for power and profit.

Breath Of Fire paints a multi-decade examination of the corruption within Kundalini yoga and a portrait of a well-intentioned seeker turned into a misguided guru and master manipulator, spotlighting the uneasy nexus of the American dream, self-invention, and fanatical ideology. (Courtesy HBO, 2024)

The Cast:
Featured participants include former employees at RA MA Institute Nicole Norton, Charlotte Medlock, and Elizabeth Grignon; religious scholar and yoga historian, Philip Deslippe; Sikh activist and journalist, Sundeep Morrison; Vanity Fair writer Hayley Phelan; journalist Stacie Stukin; author of “Cultish,” Amanda Montell; Griggs’ childhood friend, Laura Burhenn; Griggs’ mother Nansy Steinhorn-Galloway and stepfather Rabbit Galloway; followers of Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini including Peter Blachly, Leah Lamb, Mahankirn Khalsa, Mahani Khalsa, bodyguard Siri Khalsa, and Jules Hartley.

Production Credits:
HBO Documentary Films presents Breath Of Fire. Directed by Hayley Pappas and Smiley Stevens; executive produced by Matt Ippolito, Hayley Pappas, Smiley Stevens, Agnus Chu, Helen Estabrook, Sarah Amos, Lexy Altman, Sonia Slutsky, Jennifer O’Connell, and Lizzie Fox; co-executive producer, Hayley Phelan.

The Episodes:
1-01 Episode One--10/23/2024
Charismatic Katie Griggs, who takes on the name Guru Jagat, espouses the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, a mysterious Punjabi Sikh who brought his version of Kundalini yoga to the United States in 1969. Former followers of Yogi Bhajan discuss the social conditions of the ‘60s and ‘70s that led to the rise of anti-establishment spirituality and the growth of Yogi Bhajan’s following.

1-02 Episode Two--10/30/2024
Yogi Bhajan’s backstory and the invention of his mystical persona who preached a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, enlightenment, and equality is scrutinized. Former followers recount the rigor of his teachings including physical hardships, unusual rules, and abuse. By 2007, Kundalini yoga hits the mainstream and years later Katie Griggs opens the RA MA Institute in Los Angeles, claiming direct links to Yogi Bhajan.

1-03 Episode Three--11/06/2024
The lavish lifestyle that Yogi Bhajan led with are now the luxuries that Guru Jagat enjoys as the spiritual leader of RA MA Institute. Former RA MA employees describe the business model of the company and the increasingly erratic behavior of Guru Jagat. A tell-all 2020 memoir changes the narrative about Bhajan but Guru Jagat and RA MA continue to staunchly and publicly defend Yogi Bhajan's legacy.

1-04 Episode Four--11/13/2024
A growing movement online builds to discredit RA MA and Guru Jagat, calling on aggrieved members to come forward with their stories of abuse. COVID-19 hits and Guru Jagat’s messaging espouses wild conspiracy theories and a mistrust of the mainstream while her business and health begins to quickly unravel.