Plot Synopsis

Directed by Hayley Pappas and Smiley Stevens and based on Hayley Phelan's 2021 "Vanity Fair" article, "The Second Coming of Guru Jagat," BREATH OF FIRE is a four-part documentary that explores the culture of modern spirituality through the rise of Kundalini yoga in the west -- from its origins with Yogi Bhajan in the 1960s to its presence in millennial wellness circles.

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. 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. 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. But 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.

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.

BREATH OF FIRE debuted on HBO on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT, approximately 4.5 months after the series screened at Tribeca TV at SVA Theatre on Wednesday, June 12. The four episodes include:

Episode 1 (Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 9pm): 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.

Episode 2 (Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 9pm): 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.

Episode 3 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 9pm): 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.

Episode 4 (Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 9pm): 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.