HBO's Breath of Fire features interviews with friends, family, and former employees of controversial Kundalini yoga teacher Guru Jagat as they examine who she was as a person.
The four-part documentary tackles the complexities of Kundalini Yoga, a type of yoga focused on calisthenic movements, breathwork, and chanting, and how Guru Jagat, formerly known as Katie Griggs, utilized it by becoming one of the most popular yogis of all time.
Breath of Fire premiered on HBO and Max on October 23.
Every Main Interviewee Who Appears in HBO's Breath of Fire
Nicole Norton
Instagram: @begm87
Nicole Norton, Guru Jagat's former personal assistant, joined the interviewee pool in Breath of Fire. Working closely with Guru led her to discover her boss's negative side.
Norton participated in RA MA Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology in March 2018. Her brilliance and determination to re-evaluate her life led her to embrace Kundalini Yoga.
In addition to being Guru Jagat's assistant, Norton also became the Director of Special Events, Studio Director, and Yoga instructor at RA MA Institute.
Charlotte Medlock
Instagram: @charlottemedlockk
Charlotte Medlock is the former director of marketing at RA MA Institute who worked alongside Guru Jagat.
Medlock said she was craving "something deeper," pointing out that she wanted a community and a sense of belonging, so she participated in Kundalini Yoga.
She also described RA MA as "the watering hole for Los Angeles influencers."
Medlock also said that Guru Jagat made her feel like a special insider within the spiritual world because, thanks to Kundalini Yoga, she was exposed to various secrets.
Elizabeth Grignon
Elizabeth Grignon served as the former bookkeeper of RA MA Institute.
She explained that RA MA "felt like a hub of all these artists and creators coming to practice yoga."
Grignon also said that the RA MA Institute was poised to change the next generation's consciousness.
Nancy Koenig
Nancy Koenig is a former student of Guru Jagat who appears in the documentary to share her experience in the ins and outs of Kundalini Yoga.
Koenig said she was impressed with Guru Jagat's confidence, noting that she knew right away that she was the perfect teacher while she listened to her speech.
Once Jagat's followers heard her speech, Koenig pointed out that it would feel like you had known her for a while, saying, "She was just this essence."
Philip Deslippe
Philip Deslippe is a religious scholar and Yoga historian who has discussed the origins and rise to prominence of Guru Jagat's mentor, Yogi Bhajan.
Deslippe explained Bhajan's birthplace and how he came to the United States in late 1968. His arrival essentially cemented the beginning of Kundalini Yoga in the U.S.
He also noted that Yogi Bhajan claimed Kundalini Yoga is an "ancient, powerful, and previously untaught in the open" form of yoga.
Sundeep Morrison
Instagram: @sundeepmorrison
Sundeep Morrison is a Sikh activist and journalist who has a passion for storytelling. Their solo show, RAG HEAD, takes a deep dive into the Sikhs in America.
Morrison also wrote a novel titled Lady Bitch Whore, which is described as a feminist guidebook and memoir.
In Breath of Fire, Morrison said that Sikhi is a 500-year-old religion that began in India and was created to have "a sense of equality." They also pointed out that Sikhi and Kundalini are two entirely different worlds.
Hayley Phelan
Instagram: @hayleyphelan
Vanity Fair writer Hayley Phelan joins the conversation in Breath of Fire.
She said that many women were interested in seeing a woman like Guru Jagat in a position of power who exhibits charisma and confidence at every turn.
Hayley wrote a story for Vanity Fair about Guru Jagat and Kundalini Yoga. She interviewed Guru for her article.
Stacie Stukin
Instagram: @staciestukin
Stacie Stukin, an arts and culture journalist, gave her thoughts about Guru Jagat and Kundalini Yoga.
Stukin said that Guru's followers think highly of their leader, noting that they knew her as "kind and gentle."
Amanda Montell
Instagram: @amanda_montell
Amanda Montell is a linguist and the New York Times bestselling author of Cultish, a book that examines the use of language in cults.
Montell explained in Episode 1 that millennials are not fascinated with mainstream religion.
Instead, they seek "a sort of bespoke spiritual routine that might not involve a God whatsoever, but that still gives you that sense of ritual" and a sense of community.
This explains why many millennials are drawn to Kundalini Yoga.
Learn more about another cult led by Shekinah Church (Robert Shinn's 7M) that made waves on TikTokk.
Laura Burhenn
Instagram: @laurabird
Laura Burhenn is Katie Griggs' childhood friend who said everything went crazy after the shocking revelations about her friend came out to the public.
Laura is an established singer-songwriter, producer, and writer outside of Breath of Fire.
Nansy Steinhorn-Galloway
Nansy Steinhorn-Galloway is Katie Griggs' mother, who takes part in the conversation in Breath of Fire.
Rabbit Galloway
Rabbit Galloway is part of the cast of interviewees in Breath of Fire. He is Katie Griggs' stepfather.
Peter Blachly
Peter Blachly is an early follower of Yogi Bhajan, who is now a trauma recovery coach helping former cult members rediscover their path to an authentic sense of identity.
Blachly described Bhajan as someone with a different charismatic aura to the degree he never experienced before.
Leah Lamb
Another early follower of Yogi Bhajan is Leah Lamb. She revealed that she left college early because she felt it was "meaningless."
Lamb became a follower of Bhajan because she said that he carried a "mesmerizing, very forceful, very large energy field."
Mahankirn Khalsa
Mahankirn Khalsa is another early (and now former) follower of Yogi Bhajan. She felt blessed that her daughter, Mahani, became an essential staff member in Yogi Bhajan's regime.
Mahani Khalsa
Instagram: @mahankirn
Mahani Khalsa is an ex-follower and the former secretary to Yogi Bhajan. She now works as a healing coach. She revealed that Yogi Bhajan appointed some of his loyal secretaries presidents of the companies he owned.
She was appointed as the treasurer of Golden Temple and Yogi Tea Enterprises.
Siri Khalsa
Siri Khalsa served as the former bodyguard of Yogi Bhajan.
In Breath of Fire, he talked about Akal Security, a security company that did both commercial and government contracts.
Some of Akal Security's work includes guarding immigration detention centers, NASA facilities, federal buildings in Washington, and embassies under construction from Ecuador to Iraq.
Jules Hartley
Jules Hartley is a former Kundalini teacher at the RA MA Institute. According to Hartley, doing Kundalini Yoga felt "mystical and exotic."
HBO's Breath of Fire is streaming on Max.
