Guru Jagat's Rise and Fall: A Kundalini Yoga Journey

In the United States, a documentary series titled Breath of Fire has premiered, highlighting the life of Guru Jagat, a well-known and contentious Kundalini yoga teacher. The series expands on journalist Haley Phelan's 2021 Vanity Fair article about Jagat's unexpected rise and fall, featuring interviews with friends, family, and former employees. It delves into the juxtaposition of Jagat's public persona, which advocated for success and empowerment, against her personal struggles to maintain control within her business. The documentary also reveals Jagat’s deep ties to her mentor, Harijiwan, who learned Kundalini yoga from Yogi Bhajan. Jagat embraced this lineage by adopting the title 'Kundalini Katie' and began attracting a celebrity clientele that included Christy Turlington and Alicia Keys. However, her declining reputation was accelerated by her responses to historical allegations of sexual abuse against Yogi Bhajan and by promoting controversial views during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, former associates have expressed discontent towards Jagat's conduct, noting a contradiction between her feminist teachings and her public defense of Bhajan. This dissonance led to an erosion of trust among her followers, who began voicing their concerns about the toxic environment in her yoga studios. Ultimately, Breath of Fire serves as a critical examination of the contradictions in Jagat’s life and the larger implications within the Kundalini yoga community, revealing a narrative that is both compelling and sobering. As the docuseries unfolds, it offers viewers essential insights into the complex dynamics of power, leadership, and accountability within spiritual movements, concluding that the legacy of figures like Jagat cannot be easily categorized as either wholly virtuous or entirely condemnable.