User reviews

As Episode 1 of "Breath of Fire" (2024 release; 4 episodes ranging from 51 to 64 min) opens, we are introduced to a woman named Guru Jagat, babbling nonsense like "Reality is a trance" and "If you can hypnotize yourself, nobody can hypnotize you!". She is leading a class in understanding and practicing Kundalini yoga, an Indian type of yoga that was popularized by an Indian immigrant named Yogi Bhajan in the 1970s. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: let me just say it out loud that it took me about 15 minutes into Episode 1 and I told myself: "this is the story of another cult". And indeed so it was. This documentary mini-series is based on the 2021 article in Vanity Fair by Hillary Busis, who herself appears prominently in this mini-series. All of the elements of being a cult are apparent from very early on, but of course the fascinating thing is that so many people fell for it (yet again). The story of how Katie Griggs, a/k/a Guru Jagat, ended up becoming a leader of the cult is what makes this for insightful viewing. At just 4 episodes, this makes for quick and easy viewing.

"Breath of Fire" premiered on HBO in late October and is now streaming on Max, where I caught it the other night. If you have an interest in how people become part of a cult, or are simply interest in Kundalini yoga, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

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.

As someone who followed a guru myself when I was in my early 30's, this is all too familiar. I wasted two years of my life learning how to meditate, becoming a vegetarian, and abstaining from sex, all in the name of enlightenment and the pursuit of cosmic consciousness. I went on meditation retreats all over the country. I received shaktipat, which is ritual where the guru awakens the kundalini in their students.

The result? My guru got rich, and I wasted 2 years of my life and a lot of money. It was a con. All of these gurus are conman. Every single one of them. They are all the same. My guru was a student of her guru, an old white haired man from India. Though meditation can be helpful, you don't need to join a cult and wear Indian clothing to do it, yet millions of people do it anyway. It is sad. We are all so desperate to feel special. That cult where the guy branded all the women was the same story. Desperate lonely people looking for answers to all their problems, but the answers never come. Somehow though, the journey becomes addictive in itself. If you are a grown man or woman wearing turbans and Indian clothing. God is telling you that you are lost.

The other point I want to make is that the Vanity Fair article that this series is based on is very short. It is not an in depth look into anything. It's just yet another story of someone trying to make a living by conning people out of their money. In the 60's conmen from India realized there was a huge market in America of gullible, ignorant people wanting to be special. If you google any guru in the world you will find the stories end the same. The guru who has all the answers, who has a pipeline to god, in the end is just a human being sleeping with the pretty girls from the cult, and living in a beautiful house while their followers end up feeling betrayed and depressed and struggling financially.

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.

Breath of Fire takes on the daunting challenge of trying to convey the dysfunction, enabling, and vast criminality of a man named Harbhajan Singh Puri, who later re-imagined himself as Yogi Bhajan.

The focus of Breath of Fire is Katie Griggs aka Gurujagat Kaur, who was emblematic of many of Yogi Bhajan's manipulative techniques, which they both used effectively to dupe their followers. Her teacher, Harijiwan Singh is mentioned only briefly, and is another nefarious "guru" who is still leading what remains of Gurujagat's followers.

I would have preferred to hear more of the stories of the victim/survivors and far less from talking-heads who had only a peripheral knowledge of the community.

Katie Griggs mother, Nansy Steinhorn-Galloway, was especially heartbreaking to witness as she comes to terms with all that transpired.

The early followers of Yogi Bhajan, Peter Blachly and Leah Lamb-Allen were particularly compelling, painting a rich picture of the early days of the 3HO organization and what they found attractive about this new lifestyle that Yogi Bhajan was offering.

Mahani Khalsa's story was gut-wrenching to hear. So many of the children, born to the first wave of devotees, were brutally harmed. They deserve their own documentary to begin to adequately tell the world what happened to them.

At times, the use of weird, circus-like music, screaming yogis with horror music, and glib commentary, was strange and unnecessary. The stories held their own without all that nonsense.

I recommend this documentary for its truth-telling and for its exposure of the hypocrisy and grift that is rampant in "new age-well-being" spaces.

It has reached a worldwide audience, which is cause for celebration.

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.

The series conclusions are very weak and simply ask the audience to believe the angry and vengeful former students and workers on their word. It's pretty clear there was a rift between the filmmakers and the subject. It should be on TMZ not HBO. Very surprising. Now, that the subject is dead the only thing the filmmakers feel they can do is produce a series using a short almost footnote Vanity Fair article and its writer as the voice of reason and truth. When it's clear the writer's only mission is to make her reader as deeply skeptical of any form of spiritual practices as she is. I want my time back from watching this series.

Breath of Fire is a fine, fascinating and frightening 4 part documentary about a lineage of Kundalini Yoga Masters. They get their students to wear white clothes and huff and puff, while pumping their arms every which way. This causes Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini yogis to get very stoned and gullible.

Kundalini Yoga students pay lots of money, and offer their labor for free, to experience Kundalini Crack. This cult is still going strong. It is a huge, global yoga mafia, with a history of lots of crime and horrible abuse of women and children. The founder, Yogi Bhajan, was pure evil.

To make it even worse, the cult members pretend to be Sikhs, but they aren't.

Of course, at some level all cults are the same, but this one deserves to be exposed and brought down. Sharing "Breath of Fire" is a great way to help that cause. It is NOT boring one bit.

The abuses and crimes in Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga world were hidden for far too long. This documentary proves that history can repeat itself if truth-telling is not done.

Breath of Fire will make it more difficult for this group's current leaders to sweep their dark history under the Yoga Mat.

Highlights for me: the picture painted of GuruJagat's past, the revelation of the actual criminal Harijiwan (nick-named toner-bandit), and the sensitivity with which the testimony of the survivor of sexual abuse is brought.

The documentary makers did a great job on so many different levels. A big thanks to all those who contributed!

This series covers both the Bhajan Cult and the RA MA Subcult very well.

In 2017 I was happily doing Iyengar yoga and was a Hatha teacher. I just wanted my spouse to do it with me. When she discovered RAMA and Katie Griggs ( AKA Guru Jagat ) she suddenly wanted to do yoga. I regrettably did not do any research as I usually do. So we were sucked into this Bhajan yoga cult big time. I was happy to be practicing yoga with my spouse ... Granted gfs and her elitist style and better than you attitude appeals to my spouse ...

I was attracted to all the great ordinary people practicing ...

This series really covers the bases well and i recommend people also check out the companion podcast temple of steal. It will prevent you and others getting sucked into this cult. I still teach yoga but not Bhajan yoga...

Thanks to the producers the crew and all the people who shared their experiences in this series ... amazingly well done... most of the negative reviews are posted by cult members so use your critical thinking... there are things one could critique about the series but I believe it gives a great general overview in a well produced way. Thanks.

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.

Uncovers the spiritual materialism snd grift so common in modern day groups, as well as the true history of kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. It covers a lot of ground in a compassionate way and manages to still entertain. I had the sense of the wild ride that was part of RAMA yoga. I liked the interviews with her mother and friend from before she became Guru Jagat. The arc of her life is both interesting and sad. Good job of exposing the abuse and controversy of Yogi Bhajan. I hope this documentary will serve as a cautionary story to those looking for spiritual groups as there are many Guru Jagat's out there.

I was part of the Kundalini Yoga world for 20 years. I never heard some rumors of a dark side of this yoga style but the release of a book called premka "white bird in a golden cage" was an important moment for some many survivors voices to be heard after that.

This documentary contain a brief explanation of the twisted discourses and incongruencies of a movement that preached to be a happy healthy and holy lifestyle that resulted to have a shadow as big as the light they presumed to have.

Sites as "abuse in kundalini yoga" and the book "under the yoga mat" will clarify what is underneath all of it.

I also recommend to the people that saw the documentary or is interested to have a look, to also give a chance to other cult documentaries as. "holly hell", "the vow", "la luz del mundo" to recognize the sect inside of it and the importance of learning about mind control on the high demmand groups.

Podcasts as "a little bit culty" / "cults to consciousness" etc, will give a chance to the new generations to avoid this type of expressions trying to find a purpouse.

I was part of this group till I recognized that something was "fishy" about letting one man dictate my life. I got out in the mid 80's. Later I got my children out as well.

I became a trauma therapist to help others who fell into a spiritual abuse situation.

It is a good overview of how a cult works and what to avoid. Now I can see other cults out there, past and present.

It has former members telling their stories for pain and betrayal. Some of them I knew. Their stories are riveting. Stories that illustrate how a narcissist can pull followers to follow and eventually control all aspects of their lives.