Breath of Fire

I don't usually write reviews on here but after watching the 2 episodes that have been released so far (out of 4, that haven't all been released yet..) i think the series is great so far! Its highly entertaining, very well produced, and they are talking with the people who were closest to Yogi Bhajan and "Kundalini Katie", aka Guru Jagat..

As someone who taught hatha and vinyasa yoga for 12 years myself and dabbled in kundalini from time to time i'm very familiar with the yoga world, although i didn't know the full story of the background of the origins of kundalini yoga, and Yogi Bhajan himself, i'm not too surprised.. it does seem like most people who desire to become 'gurus' and amass a following have a certain personality type, and are often followed by scandals and controversy when put under further investigation.

It seems that the other reviewers have taken this obviously completely objective documenting of this story personally?.. which would only lead me to believe they have adopted the system being shown and discussed in this series as their own personal belief system?..

anyways i've always believed the most profound and truthful spiritual teachers live pretty humbly and don't necessarily desire the attention, following and acclaim that many who have created cult like communities and followings seem to desire. I heard someone discussing this topic recently saying be weary of anyone who physically elevates themselves over others, ie. Sitting above their 'students' or followers.. obviously to be taken with a grain of salt, but i have to agree some of the greatest teachers have lived simply and their life and their actions themselves were their teaching/message..

that said i also think people need to give up this idea of trying to find someone to follow and learn that the greatest wisdom is within ourselves; of course we can learn so much from others and we can have many teachers and find truths everywhere and from everyone, the point being not to follow another person or elevate them above yourself in importance or it starts to become a form of idolatry.

As someone with personal experience of this cult I found the series to be very good. It's important for this information to reach people as the cult is still doing their best to rope new people in. I was fortunate enough to see through them during teacher training as the facts didn't add up a lot of the time. I know the organisation is using their standard damage control about disgruntled former employees/students as can be seen in some of the reviews here. I have seen some of the communications sent out to the teachers about what to say with regards to this series. However, the number of testimonials from survivors and the legal documents speak for themselves.

I am a kundaliniyoga teacher but I had already left the Yogi Bhajan strict style of yoga around 2015-2017. Living in Sweden I was far from the toxic ashram environment but it was very informative to see the documentary. I would have liked more about Yogi Bhajan and less about Guru Jagat but I understand she was also a charasmatic leader and that for many viewers she is more interesting since she was active more recently.

I am currently foing Relgious Studies at a university in Sweden and I think it is important to know the history of some of these "cults" (cult has a specific definition within academic studies but here I refer to the more generic meaning).

I recommend the documentary.

I'm a believer in the benefits of yoga and meditation it does work. You may need guidance but paying thousands for someone to tell you how to be still is a bit ridiculous. I grew up in a household where yoga meditation where a normal part of life even though it was weird to all the rednecks around me I had a true understanding of it from actual Indians that li we by the yogi life. My farther is Hindu so a true respect for this is something that I learned through him. I never wore a turban or the garbs you see white people wearing to show how enlightened they are. It's not about what you where at all but that's what mainstream money making America needs so like the sheep we are we go along. True meditation is truly only done and found by you. Anyone can do this and everyone should experience the benefits of it without having to pay for it or to pay someone to open you up. Knowledge of yoga and meditation can be found and learned through research. Good for this woman and her followers but bad for her karma and gaining a profit off of the beautiful experiences. We each have the ability to become enlightened teach yourself and be patient it takes time and is worth the time but I promise it's not worth the money. Namaste.

This series is extraordinarily well done and manages to avoid the usual sensationalism that is a standard feature of most documentaries about cults. In large part this is due to the interviewing style of Hayley Pappas, whose compassionate and empathic approach elicited heart-felt and deeply moving responses. There were a couple of things that might have enhanced the series. I thought the "comic relief" of the bit explaining Kundalini Yoga was a bit silly, and the use of models and dancers dressed up to look like female yogis struck me as odd and unnecessary. The producers also left out a huge piece of the Kundalini Yoga culture, which was the music. Granted, the musical sound track was quite good, but for many in the cult, the music was a large part of the appeal. Overall, however, I give the producers high marks.