How Narcissistic Yoga Guru Jagat Exploited Her Followers
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- Опубликовано: 16 фев 2024
- First, there was Guru Bhajan. A self proclaimed master of what he called Kundalini Yoga. Later known as an ab*ser on every level, he died and left a gaping hole in the Western market for the next “master” to step in as a celebrity Guru. Enter Guru Jagat. A charismatic female leader who started her own school, attracting young, enthusiastic millennials who wore all white with turbans to her classes. Filled with promises of enlightenment, abundance and more, one of her followers, Charlotte, became a very important employee of Jagat’s. Sleep deprived, over worked and underpaid, she slowly spiraled out and lost all sense of her original identity.
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Chapter Marks
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:04:19 Guru Jagat, Yogi Bhajan, and Kundalini Yoga
00:09:14:15 How Charlotte met Guru Jagat aka Katie Griggs
00:12:31:11 The techniques learned in Kundalini yoga
00:13:34:07 The money printing meditation
00:15:24:01 Charlotte wanted to work for Guru Jagat
00:18:20:04 Charlotte started working full time for Guru Jagat for cheap
00:22:05:16 Was Guru Jagat working with celebs and making a lot?
00:22:55:15 The point it all started unraveling
00:25:43:08 Did Charlotte feel like she was growing?
00:28:17:01 What the work environment was like with the co workers
00:30:13:05 What led to Charlotte quitting
00:36:54:11 Guru Jagat giving Charlotte validation
00:38:32:23 Charlotte was ostracized from family and friends
00:42:41:17 The culty things that started to wake Charlotte up
00:48:36:23 How is Charlotte now that she's reset?
00:51:31:10 Guru Jagat passed away
00:56:26:09 Charlotte's "consciousness" now
00:58:01:23 Linda, listen
Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara
*Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.*
I appreciate her perspective but I want to be very clear. Kundalini yoga as taught by yogi Bhajan is NOT Kundalini Yoga. The Yoga Kundali Upanishad was written thousands of years ago Kundalini Yoga is a real practice, it has nothing to do with Sikhi. Please understand this. Do not completely write off Kundalini Yoga as a fake or cultish thing. The man Yogi Bhajan created his own thing and called it Kundalini Yoga. Hindus who follow the principles of the Kindalini path are being harassed by westerners because of what Yogi Bhajan did, and they have been speaking against him all along, but now they are being ostracized as if they are the same as him.
Of course he named his cult shit after a legit thing 🙄 I hope you get more eyes on your comment because I agree that it is a VERY important distinction.
Thank you for sharing this distinction!
Spontaneous spiritual awakenings (including Kundalini awakenings) are real experiences that aren't well understood and can be extremely confusing and destabilizing to those going through them. (See Adyashanti's "The End of Your World.") It's hard to find compassion for people like Guru Jagat when they cause so much harm... but it's helpful to separate the gigantic ego trip(s) from the awakening bathwater. (One of my favorite yoga teachers was close with Katie (pre-GJ) and there's a real tragic element to her life.)
Glad to know this.
Thousands of years ago?! Yoga Kundalini Upanishad dates from the 11th century CE.
"It's fine to learn from people but don't give your power to them", great advice.
Bingo 👌👏👏👏👏👏
Break the silence. Break the cycle.
Toxic positivity, and spiritual bypassing seemed to be huge in these groups and when you’re in it you don’t see it so clearly. Really resonated ❤
I am in no way affiliated with any Sikhh community, but as a westerner who has traveled and lived at length in asia, all of my interactions with native Sikhs have been quite positive. I was on the receiving end of much kindness and generosity from total strangers.
Sikhi is the 6th largest religion in the world. They are taught from birth to live in Chardi Kala, good spirits, good deeds. They are the nicest people. They will help any stranger and don't shove their beliefs on others , like Evangelicals. I married a Sikh.
We have many Sikh’s in Canada and they do a lot of charity and many businesses during Covid lockdowns were cooking for essential workers ❤ Sikhism is not the problem and neither is Yoga, it’s the abuse of power by controlling people that give a bad name to the Kundalini community 😢
Sikhs have nothing to do with these pseudo wisdom cults, these fake gurus use the symbols and appearance and cultural insignia to create a certain look that induces a feeling of say purity, glory, courage etc etc. It's all part of branding the cult a certain way. I am a Sikh married to a Western Man, I have been a holistic healer for 15 years and seen a lot of stuff that happens in this so called Wisdom Industry! It's a shame that wisdom of the East has been hijacked by a few and some real dedicated students have fallen prey to fake masters. The situation is equally worse in India...all wisdom teachings Vedic, Buddhist and others are available freely and sincere practitioners can be found who can help learn a few things. I wish discernment guides every person seeking true path...stay safe from false masters.
Same
I live near a Sikh temple in the US, there’s a large Sikh community in my area and they’re known for their kindness and politeness here.
Productivity and Spiritual enlightenment should not be conflated. We are indeed meant to rest ❤
Balance is an essential principle of yoga.
@@shields42062 100%
This was an interesting interview for me. I practiced Kundalini Yoga pretty religiously for 5 years, I studied with a teacher named Jai Dev Singh. He's a very down to earth, awesome teacher. I did feel Guru Jugat was cult like, she always had weird girls in all white following her around, and she did act like she was some god or something. I do think Kundalini Yoga has been a very beneficial practice for me. At the most basic of it the practice is deep breath work, spinal movement and mind focus practice which are all excellent for our bodies and health. I left the practice after the Yogi Bhagan scandal happened, and it was hard to keep practicing knowing he was a fraud basically. If you ever watched him give a class he was a total dick, like really mean, I never connected to him. But my teacher who still teaches is really awesome, and I learned so much from his teachings.
Yes I practiced in LA for a few years. Got a bad taste for it bc of the YB scandal, but I do feel it was so beneficial.
Jai Dev is wonderful
Yeah I started practicing kundalini as well but the I found the article about yogi Bhajan, and then I sat Aron sand thought about following some people who wear white all the time and decided it’s too culty for me
Jai Dev is aligned to truth.
Never place your power in someone else. Trust you own feelings. If something feels off it probably is. Leave something if you are witnessing abuse or abuse of power.
So many people have been duped into following these false gurus. Bikram, Yogi Bhajan, Bagwan Rajneesh (Osho), ISCKON many fallen gurus in this organization, ParamahamsaVishwananda. I myself have met two of the the above and felt they were fake from the moment I met them. I am not one to follow anyone but sometimes I am just looking for my "community" and somewhere to belong. I love yoga and bhakti chanting and i get pulled into these fake gurus communities because I so desire to belong to a group and try them out and realize very quickly its just a farce. I get the desire.
What about giving Jesus Christ a try? I decided to and I've never been happier or at peace as I am now.
With Jesus, as the Bible teaches, it's about relationship. He said "I am the Way. No one comes to the Father except through me. It's not about religion.
@@danilaroche1156 been down that road and I think I will just stick to my spiritual beliefs...which includes Christ.
What do you mean you've been down that road? Please explain. I'm really curious.
We are all remembering from nuances from whence we came…looking for a “tribe”group…(especially when family proves painful) and are childlike vulnerable…time teaches us to go to the connection with “source” that no other person/group can contaminate…take your money or rob free service…
Yogi Bhajan sexually abused my daughters. One has received a substantial settlement from his corporation, the other is in the process.
We lived in the ashram for 26 years. I benefited greatly from the yoga and still practice it. I love Sikh dharma and have great respect for Sikhs
Yelling at students was Bhajans pattern. When he yelled at me I got up and walked away. The whole Espanola ashram harrassed me because as a single mother I did not have a lot of money. Also I called out the illegal businesses going on and was hated for that. I have to say that we were continually harrassed by Christians. There was, and still is a great deal of prejudice from Christians.
My beautiful daughters are still recovering from this abusive culture and the assault. Rape culture is endemic to the US regardless of religion.
theres no such thing as "rape culture" in the US
Given the environment became that toxic and aggressive, may I ask why you brought your children into the fold?
@@kellymarieapplebee It was not toxic at the beginning. I was a single mother working 60 to 70 hours a week. My daughters said nothing about what was happening to me. They were ashamed and made to feel it was their fault.
People who blame the victim are a big part of why one quarter of women and girls in this country have been sexually assaulted
This girl seems so happy and self-accepting. I love how she laughs about so much of the trauma
Very interesting! Thank you. I remember getting horrible vibes from Katie years ago when looking into her youtube channel.. Just want to share that without the institutions and narcissistic teachers trying to take your power away, I believe through years of experience (as a mostly lone wolf practitioner) that Kundalini Yoga is an incredible tool to bring balance and healing to the modern-day overly stressed out nervous and glandular systems... I could go on and on about it, but the point is that you do not have to accept Yogi Bhajan or anyone as your teacher to claim this technology as your birthright if it happens to resonate / appeal to you as a practice to know / discover yourSELF... Perhaps Yogi B's fall from Grace is part of the teachings... For it is the essence of the teachings that is important, not the people and their organizations... But yes these people are unacceptable and are being exposed here in the aquarian age of transparency...
But, he made all the chants and kriyas up and said they were ancient technology. He lied. I knew from watching him in videos during teacher training that he was fake and cold, not spiritual. He had sex with Premka with his wife down the hall in the same house.
I resonate hugely with your comment, thanks for putting it out! I had a wonderful yoga teacher over 25 years ago, and a new world opened up to me. Practicing with her was nothing like the cult environment described in this interview, and it was the first time I actually enjoyed doing physical activity as it respected my body, my time, my limits, and also helped me grow spiritually. I have been practicing kundalini yoga on my own following RUclips videos now, and really miss it when I don't. And I chose the teachers very carefully. Guru Jagat raised many red flags immediately, and I could never take her seriously. It's interesting to have this confirmed here.
However I find it very sad that ALL kundalini yoga teachers and practitioners are being painted here with the same brush, when it could not be further from the truth. Kundalini yoga is NOT a cult in itself, even if some people might use it as such. But pé need to know it can be a wonderful thing if we'll used.
Also I've done constellation therapy quite a few times with another wonderful practitioner, and it is simply nothing like the fucked up session she described here. It would take me ages to explain what it is, but again is another wonderful tool that can be used in a positive and correct way or be a manipulative tool if you get the wrong practitioner.
Following your gut instinct is usually your best guide to chose well!
Yes this^ I was slightly more in the community for a while and since have continued mostly kind lone wolf practitioner status as well and I’ve felt with those I do communicate with that are in the community fully accepted to practice in the way I do but there are teachers that do seem off putting but I definitely agree that kundalini yoga is absolutely a tool that can be used to help navigate and manage life in the modern world in a way that works for each individual
Yoga in general is demonic from the research. It invites those spirit in. Opposite of God.
Excellent comment and I have exactly the same opinion. Various gurus steal our power with their narcissistic behavior. A true guru will teach you to stand in your own power.
Calling a collection of beliefs “technology” should be one of the sure fire things that lets people know they are in a cult.
Technology is applied science. Yoga is both an art and a science
I agree 100% on cults who praise 'technology' :/ should be a red flag to anyone 😮
In India, Yoga is just a technique anyway.. mmh, I heard that many popular Yoga methods are actually from late 19th/ early 20th century. Pls correct me if I'm wrong
That term is taken directly from Scientology, so yeah.
as in "Sadhguru" Jaggi Vasudev who sells "Inner Engineering"
@@JagirReehal i mean, if you cant listen to the word engineering or technology in spiritual practices without becoming fair game to cults, the problem is not them.
It wasn't just Guru Jagat, Harijiwan was big time behind the scenes and he was Guru Jagat's teacher. I saw her change over the years as well. I sat with her for a long time. Rama opened in April 2013. I started taking classes there in August of 2013. At the beginning things were good, as she started to grow, things did change. I was not indoctrinated to giving my life away to this organization, however I did drive up just for a class all the way from San Diego. I finally confronted Guru Jagat one day, after class, looked her in the eye, and told her, "I can see through all your smoke and mirrors", thank you for teaching me how to discern manipulation. Her response was, a "bye bye" wave like little children do. This was after I took the Teacher Training with Harijiwan and Tej. That's another story to dig up. And lest not forget White Sun, Harijiwan's band according to him. He had to get up on stage when they won a grammy for new age music. He didn't do anything but bang the gong a few times. The real artists are in the background. Guru Jagat's own Karma is what took her down. You get what you give.
Wow. Listened to white sun many times and had no idea!
Tej is my step brother and she is my sister how dare you say such things about her? Her intentions were good but I am not saying she was perfect either or I agreed with everything she did. I would like to see how you would feel if someone bad-mouthed your love one after they passed away.
@@supportadmin7735 My statements are what I expericiend myself, it's my "story" not rumours. Yes the truth hurts.
@@supportadmin7735Nonsensical. Because bundy has also passed, so should no one call out his wrongdoing? And madoff passed as well, does that mean no one should say what madoff did was wrong? Then there is jagat who did many bad things as well and has passed…and people are RIGHT to criticize. We learn from the past. It’s the duty of good people to call out mistruths, manipulation, and nefarious antics when they see it.
@@supportadmin7735 Nonsensical. People have every right to criticize wrongdoing regardless of whether the person is still with us or not.
I grew up near Espanola, NM. The people who lived in that commune were known for shoplifting and stealing silverware from restaurants. It seemed like they felt entitled to free stuff because they were so spiritual. This was in the 60s-70s.
We still have those people that feel entitled.
I would be too afraid to be a weird cult theif person in Espanola lol ya'll don't fuck around in Espanola.
I lived in Espanola by the ashram in 2017 and escaped to Santa Fe and got out of the 3HO madness of Yogi Bhajan.
I go to Ra Ma. Nobody makes you do anything. It’s just a yoga class. I dip in and out of it as I please.
Exactly noone is being held against their will. If you did not want to be part of it or did not like her teaching style you could leave. These people are millennial pseudo spiritualists with no real depth or maturity.
Most of these people wanted to be famous or around celebrities so they decided to go along with the Guru. This interview with the valley girl accent and giggling doesn’t elicit any sympathy. She was in cult and went along with it. It didn’t work out how she wanted.
Amazing how much we all crave bring exclusive, special, exceptional etc. Every single high demand religion, movement, cult or organization that exploits it's followers starts with luring people by promissing them special status, secret knowledge, exclusive teachings etc. We want to reach that special spiritual place and lo and behold, here comes a guru, pastor, bishop, leader or whoever, and before you know it, our money is on their account.
And often they are sleeping in our bed...
Excellent and very accurate explanation 😊
I was taught the opposite.
I asked my mother in elementary school why we didn’t go to church and she told me, “People who go to church think they are better than other people, and this is wrong because ALL people are equal…that no soul had any more worth than another’s soul.”
@@beanyboomer5391 Well, I am glad to hear that because a cult leader would have a hard time luring you into becoming their follower.
We've all been had - across religions 😢
I am a spiritual seeker, done meditation practice for over 50 years every day. I have a Guru, gone to India . India has a deep connection with Spiritual teachings. It’s the boring everyday hard work you do everyday, meditate, nothing is magical! Instant! I will not talk to many about this! It’s very personal, private!
Ive been seriously delving into my childhood religious and other types of trauma, in therapy, and Ive been watching so many of these episodes. They do make me sad and angry, but also incredibly empowering, and i thank you
Thank you for watching. You’re not alone ❤️
I found that out as well and I've made several breakthroughs so join the crowd and may we all find more breakthroughs and peace
I'm dealing with similar things: unpacking religious OCD, religious trauma syndrome, and malignant shame. Hearing other people's experiences on this channel has helped me in many ways.
Sometimes (often) having NO religion is the best choice. So often anything spiritual or mystical will just lead to more guilt, shame, and magical thinking.
@@aksez2u that is very good advice I went through that and had to detangle everything and then it took me years to find out where I was comfortable and I landed there and I'm at peace that is such great advice
I think I’ve binged most of your episodes in a month and I’m so obsessed. The stories, the similarities between cults, the way you interview, the way you make space for everyone, ALL OF IT. Please follow John’s advice and make a way to donate to the cause I would love to support ya! 😊
Same! I have moved on to the channels of her guests now.
Omg same. I personally think the similarities between Mormans and Jehovah's witnesses are fascinating.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! We do have a donor box on our website Cultstoconsciousness.com We are working to become a 501c3 non profit so people can donate for tax write offs too 😊❤️ thanks for your support!
And I'm coming in from the Christianity deconstructing side of things. Same. Exact. Thing!!!
@barbarabornholdt285What a great idea!! Which of Shelise ' s guests are you particularly enjoying and and Watching??? There are so many ...
I sat with Guru Jagat for a while and I loved her. She changed my life. However, I never submerged myself into it all, never drank all the Kool-aid. Rather I sipped what felt right and took what resonated. Kundalini yoga rid my nervous system from years of gunk and unprocessed trauma. I can’t explain it. All these things are true. She was a narcissist. She lost her way. I saw the way she treated her employees, she went deep into conspiracy in the end, even interviewing that holocaust denier.
I took the teacher training. There was a lot of great information and practicing with a 100 other people was magical, but I felt the veil above it all. It’s such a shame. So much suffering.
YOU changed your life not her
@@Ms.Delphine1204 if you want to get literal, yes. I’ll re-phrase for you: she showed me the way. Better?
love how you can hold the nuance.
Exactly she did something that I do not agree with but she did a lot of good for many people why is everyone piling on to criticize her after we lost her? Makes me so mad.
@@supportadmin7735 seriously? The good does not outweigh the bad. That’s like saying we can’t criticize the ww2 axis because they had good architecture and nice parades. What was good about jagat was only surface level shallow things that were there to draw people into the cult.
There are many narcissistic scams in the so called yoga world
I had a good friend in this group who also left in 2020! She invited me to go and all my red flags went up so I didn’t go and I’m so glad I didn’t.
Always listen to your own inner guru; your heart, love yourself not the guru who’s telling you your not good enough. Thank you for speaking and spreading consciousness. Yoga is completely different from these manipulative practices by spurious people, it is union, connection, oneness, wholeness, presence, you find it within and all around you; you do not need to find it through anyone else, you are yoga. 💕🙏✨
Great interview.💜 I’m all for truth telling and exposing the grifters within ALL spiritual communities. My only problem is that folks really started speaking up about Guru Jagat after her death, which is unfortunate because she’s no longer here to defend/speak up for herself. I wish more spoke up while she was still here. I also respect their reasons for not doing so… Regardless of her ways, may she rest in peace. 🙏🏽🕊️
It was the same with Pattabhi Jois...
They did speak out. In multiple articles with Vice News, Vanity Fair, Business Insider and more. Simple google search will show you that
Omg I’ve been waiting for videos exposing guru jagat
It's so beautiful how her boyfriend didn't push, but was ready to support her when she was ready. And he came with receipts! He thought that through carefully. He must love her very much.
Love the show! Big fan! Great interview!
Just FYI. Kundalini awakening is real, possible and attainable. I’ve had many experiences. In the appropriate setting and with the right preparation it’s the most wonderful, life altering, life affirming experience you’ll ever go through.
You need no guru or religion. You need the right mindset and information.
Good luck!
I’ve heard from many kundalini teachers that you shouldn’t practice alone that you always need to have a guru. This is just in case you get spiritual psychosis the gurus will be able to help and if you’re doing it alone it maybe not that easy. Can you share your thought on this?
Oh man, this topic is triggering for me. I spent thousands upon thousands of dollars and a decade of my life in yoga trainings. There is so much manipulation and love bombing and abuse in the whole extended yoga community. So many different types of yoga. I was sucked into the Americanized Anusara yoga. It felt like a pyramid scheme. Look up John Friend. Go back further and look at Siddha yoga and Swami Muktananda.
I love how embodied movement practice, meditation and breath work make me feel and help my mental and physical health but good god is has been hard to disentangle from all of the religious, semi quasi spiritual, cultural appropriation and manipulative side of things.
Thank you for sharing ❤️
I can relate!! And being surrounded by cults is like walking through a mine field.
Yoga can be a very helpful tool. No matter what style but always use discernment. I just do my thing and what feels good whenever someone tries to tell me how to do something I automatically go the opposite direction. 🤣 I just stick with my intuition and always found Kundalini yoga very helpful. But I do my own thing and don't get involved with the yoga community in general that much. Never wear white, never wear a turban and just take what makes me feel good and leave the rest. But I agree for some people it can be hard to differentiate.
@@nicoledarcy1977wearing white and a turbin is not of religious purpose. White has the largest magnetic radiance (black absorbs), and the turban locks in the cranial bones to keep energy that would normally dissipate through the crown chakra containing in your electro magnetic field. These aspects are not up for debate - Science will catch up soon enough.
Don't worry, I managed to find culty people and problems FAR from yoga. It's everywhere, and I think it's the best lesson anyone can learn - learning to trust our own instincts despite what any teacher, family member, doctor, government, etc. tells us. A true gift that comes out of getting ourselves out.
As I’m watching further into the video
I personally never dealt with guru jugat
But I was near people that did personally know her
And I was deeper in the community (working at a yoga center) during some of the same years as the guest ^ was involved
I never heard the comments about being around parents for 72 hours
Most of the people I knew and know in that community actually are very family oriented
I think there are different experiences based on who you are/ were around in the space I can’t deny that
I also do know there are definitely people that seems to act as though they are better or above others within the kundalini space
But though I was around people that were and still are considered ‘high’ up people in the kundalini space I never really got a cult like experience i experienced it in a very much more this is something you can use along with your your regular life as a tool to help you manage living in the modern world
Kind of random, but Guru Jagat's studio was not the only employer who tried or succeeded at getting their employees to work while getting covid unemployment from the government. I remember my coworker telling me that her boyfriend's boss tried to pull that shit. (He worked at a bowling alley.) Thankfully he ended up not doing that and sticking up for himself, but that is messed up that some people made more money on unemployment.
For everyone who asks how can I help my person get out, here’s a great example. Talk to your therapist. Ask gentle questions and have answers ready for when they are ready to leave. Because you may only get that moment once
I just want to say I practiced Kundalini Yoga and had very good results with the meditations. Yoga is no different than any other organization. You will find people who power trip and enjoy having power over others. The same way you exercise to make your body stronger, you also need to exercise to make you mind strong. Anything can be a cult if you let it. You have to know where you stand. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions.
Amen.
I came across Guru Jagat’s RUclips a few years ago while healing from an abusive relationship and loss of my brother from suicide. 😢 I was alone and struggling emotionally and kundalini yoga helped me through the darkest days of my life. The practice is powerful. I cried when Guru Jagat died. Now hearing all of this along with these other spiritual leaders who are actually cults has me doubting everything I believed. Makes me wonder if all spirituality is BS.
I feel like the spiritual methods and messages themselves aren't the problem; they are always readily available across all spiritual traditions as tools to understand ourselves deeper and facilitate self-healing. It is just that we have to be extremely discerning of teachers, especially those who claim special standing or powers, as the belief of one's own specialness tends to morally corrupt. We have to be careful of our own endless spiritual chase as well, as we tend to project our need for ultimate salvation or of being 'chosen' to these teachers and get horribly disappointed when they turn out to be just greedy narcissistic arseholes 😆
If it helped you at the time. Don't regret it! Don't be harsh with yourself. We all learn and grow and try different avenues it's part of the process ❤
hi rachel, sending you love 🤍 regardless of the personal drama, the practice and teachings work, and are real. please dont lose faith, its okay to believe in what calls to your heart, and what works for you, even if others dont 🤍
You gotta filter information you are getting. Guru Jagat was there for a reason at the difficult time for you. These two ladies are absolutely haters who’s trying to get some attention. It’s so easy to talk BS of someone who is dead and can’t defend herself.
People want to try everything but God. They want to do it their way. These narc cult leader want to be worshiped as an idol. The bible warms us no to worship idols and false Gods or Satan or self or money. Be not if this world.
I think the true goal of these teachers either genuine or fake is that you can't follow another person to find your goals in your life. That is your job. Read books that interest you but evaluate each book. Watch videos like this and evaluate. School has taught us that we have to be told. We do not and hopefully they change the education system sooner than later. Great video you both were great.
I can’t believe you guys met like 3 hours before recording! It’s a testament to your amazing skills Shelise, and of what an awesome person you are! Really enjoyed this one!
You’re so kind! Thank you!❤️🙏
Rest in Peace and Love Guru Jagat! You made a HUGE difference to my life in so many ways, so did Kundalini yoga
The ironic thing about all these spiritual seeking practices, that push us towards doing more and being more is that the point of them is to get us to where all the programming falls away and we realize there is nothing to do and no-one to be, and nowhere to go.
Congrats for speaking up. Had her on my podcast and she was extremely rude because I wasn’t seeing her as someone higher than me.
Wow, I’m only 19 minutes in and this sounds eerily familiar to my own story. Mine was a new age group with a husband and wife team, but almost identical. Thank you ladies for sharing this story. It really helps. 🙏💕🇨🇦
Thanks for sharing!!
Typical abusive tactics - saying "you're lucky that I scream at you, it's for your own good" and then when the person can't take any more, love-bombing them to try to get them to stay.
Oh my God, this is "Dance Mom's Cult" vibes. Abby Lee Miller would scream at little tiny children until they cried, and then tell them "save your tears for the pillow..you should be more worried when I'm not yelling at you!" That was a cult too.
It is a harsh method to bring the disciple into own power. It is controversial and should not be done. Through pain a person can "enlighten" and learn to get into own responsibility. To grow out of codependency. Those who do not learn that, stay. It is a method for helping you stand up for yourself and move on.
Scamananda AKA Nithyananda does that! Now that is a very dangerous cult!
Another great episode 👍🏽 thank you.
I did one kundalini yoga session when I was in Bali, but it went on forever. I was exhausted way before the session ended and I just didn’t get along with it at all. It didn’t make any sense.
However, I was staying next door to the guru’s ashram and went to a walking meditation there one day, although he wasn’t there. But somebody else, dressed all in white, took the session, which was literally just walking round his ashram, in bare feet, for about two hours chanting something, although I can’t remember what we chanted. And I didn’t see the point of it but I was told it was powerful and special because the guru had designed these different areas of different sensations under the bare feet, that were more painful than anything. It was just weird and boring, so I never did that again.
But I tried one last thing, and it was a special ceremony and the guru was going to be there. However, he was hours and hours late, flying in at something like midnight or maybe even later and that was all about manifesting money, which I thought was a bit weird. But the ceremony was ok. I enjoyed the dancing we did, but it was still a bit boring.
And I’ve never done anything else with kundalini yoga and now I’m glad I didn’t. It seems I dodged a bullet. The woman who first told me about it, in India, couldn’t sing it’s praises enough. She was mad for it, but it just never struck a chord with me, thank goodness :)
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. I know there are a ton of variances to the practice so we can’t lump them all in one category necessarily, but it’s good to be aware of what others are doing in the space!
LOVE this! Ex Kundalini Yoga practicer and teacher 2016-2020!! I woke up from the yoga of delusion. Yogi Bhajan had a 'figure it out' quote, reminding me of the books I used to read or a lecture. Thank you for calling out teacher training as indoctrination and the mediation and kriyas as a disassociation from feelings! This brings up a lot of things I had forgotten about especially the child-parent 72 hours thing and the subtle fears that were implanted, it's really healing.
I was a teacher too and finished teaching training in 2013 at Golden Bridge NYC with Gurmukh and I eventually moved to the 3HO ashram in New Mexico and I finally woke up and got out.
@@christinamorales6887good for u!! Woop woop!! 🎉
I think I knew someone in this too. Did you have to wear white all the time?
for one kundalini teacher or student who gets deluded, there are dozens that learn valuable life lessons that dont involve deceiving, cheating, or indoctrinating people. I feel like a lot of how yoga affects your life has to do with your relationship with yourself and others, the trauma that you carry, etc. We all know there are people who are so lost that they are easy pray for any discipline. I say this because I am currently training to become a kundalini yoga instructor, and so far no cult, no indoctrination and no deception.
@@carlosparra8976This is the truth. Everyone on this thread is lost at sea and believes the have found their path through judgement of other (self). The practice will bring up whatever needs to be healed in you and all the people who quickly hoped off the band wagon are still dealing with the same issues. This practice will be what YOU make out of it.
Kundalini changed my life. I love it so much and can't wait to get back to it. I'm bummed my teacher left to move across country and teachers of Kundalini are rare compared to other forms of yoga. It is weird, I agree... It helps to know what the words mean when chanting as I was not comfortable chanting words I don't know. The breathwork and opening of chakras is where it's at. The focus on opening of chakras is similar to somatic releasing of hips etc. It works if you think it will. It benefits your manifesting abilities, truly, but again like all manifestation, only if you think it will. I'm sure the weirdness and unconventionality of Kundalini scares a lot of people away.
What a giant pain in the butt narcissism is. My experience with someone with those traits was so draining, confusing, maddening, and did I say draining??? It was my child's father who was under their spell, and even just being on the periphery was intensely draining; I cannot imagine being in the direct line of fire.
I did kundalini yoga and I can tell you it’s tough. Holding poses for minutes on end.. ahhhh. Definitely makes your mind and body stronger.. try it ❤
I practice kundalini yoga but I realized you can do anything in life but with balance, And listening to your body, the extremes are bad in any practice.
I hope someone reported the organization to the labor board. It is against the law to run a business with employees all being hired as independent contractors. A business can be in big trouble if caught doing that.
Kundalini Yoga itself is an amazing practice and helped me a lot! The problem is NOT the practice but the people who obviously know it works and abuse it to form cults. I never liked Yogi Bhajan. Seems like Guru Jagat was no different. But we have to differentiate between people and practice. I never wore white or a turban. Discernment is key! Take what makes you feel good and leave the rest! Nobody is anyone's guru. We are all equals! This doesn't just happen with Kundalini Yoga but all styles of Yoga. The Mantras used in Kundalini Yoga are often taken from Sikhism which doesn't make you a Sikh but the Mantras are written in Sanskrit or Ghurmuki. The reason for using them is because they actually work because Sanskrit is one of the first languages. Look into cymatics where sound generates physical structures. A violin bow, drawn at a right angle across a flat plate covered with sand, produces patterns and shapes depending on the frequency. When vowels of ancient languages like Hebrew and Sanskrit were pronounced, the sand took the shape of the written symbols for those vowels. Modern languages like English failed to generate those patterns.
The problem is actually the practice of any kind of yoga. It's demonic. Do your research fully. I did thank goodness.
Yelling at an employee is never right.
I love the concept of spiritual detox. I’m so glad that Charlotte regained her freedom from the false promises of someone else’s creation. Great interview! 💫😍
I have just listened to the first 10mins... cults seem to pop up where you have the right mix: narcissistic people having spiritual experiences and then they successfully manipulate others to believe them while everyone is having spiritual experiences... so no wonder Yoga is another place of successful cult growth...
eager to listen to more...
Narcisistic people appear everywhere in society, regardless of being spiritual. In fact I know quite a few narcisists who are anything but spiritual. The key word is manipulating. They will use whatever tools or environments they find, in order to manipulate others. Spirituality is not necessarily connected to narcisism
I totally agree, I meant to get a cult happening you need a manipulator/narc who understands and uses spirituality. Anyway, I think this applies to most cults. With, or without spirituality, pathological narcissistic people are a true pain...
It happens everywhere! Power corrupts. And when people have spiritual awakenings... I learned the hard way that it does NOT mean it was bestowed upon them because they were moral and disciplined.
Along the journey of “seeking”, I’ve come across & handful of teachers (Guru Jagat being one of them) that I have found to be empowered within themselves, which is inspiring, however - serving such a teacher / guru in close proximity, day in & day out, seems pretty hardcore. If we’re ultimately being led to the self, it seems to me that making the majority of your life about another’s self would be draining & stressful. It is about choice. I see aspects of certain teachers that I try to apply within myself (if it resonates) and I never expect anyone else to follow or serve me for it. It’s a balance of empowering oneself without using it to manipulate others. I like Guru Jagat as a distant viewer that never met her in person or got personal with her
I've only been to a Sikhh temple once before but they pronounced it "seek" instead of "sick" don't know which ones "correct" but thought I'd put it out there. :)
It’s definitely pronounced ‘seek’.
I questioned myself for a second. My friend is Sikhh, and him and his family pronounce it "seek".
Yes it is pronounced "seek".
Yup. I live in a neighborhood highly populated with Sikh people and yes, it’s definitely pronounced SEEK.
" sik" is a new annunciation, brought about by woke Canadian media, the CBC, even tho a Party Leader who is Sikh says " seek". It's a Canadian thing that is making rounds.
I really enjoyed this interview and I was thinking that this lady sure has recovered amazingly well considering what she went through plus the baggage she was carrying to begin with until she said she’s in the Alanon program. I HIGHLY recommend it to all who have suffered from a loved one’s addiction. It is free and the 12 Steps will rebuild you like nothing else while being supported by ppl who have been there as well.
Bravo and thank you both 👍🏻❤❤❤
I think her appeal was the idea that you could have it all: wealth, fame, health, love, & all at the same time. Life doesn't work that way though. In order to receive or pursue a path, there will be things you give up. There will be sacrifices. That's not as attractive or marketable, but it's been demonstrated. Especially, in nature. Thank you for the talk.
SUCH a great interview! Thank you Charlotte for sharing your story!! I’m in a 12 step program and have taken the steps and have always said I wish everyone on the planet had to work the steps at least once.. there’s sooo much benefit in it.. building a relationship with a higher power OF YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, working thru resentments, making amends to your loved ones and yourself most importantly, learning to love yourself and show yourself grace, and being of service to others… it’s given me a life beyond my wildest dreams! So happy for you for finding your way out of the toxicity and finding your peace! I wish you well:) 👏🙏🏼💗
Yes! Very well said!
I heard for the first time in my 12 step program-
“take what you like and leave the rest.” I grew up in Mormonism and was told- “believe everything you’re told and swallow it whole and if you don’t then Satan has a hold of you”.
I still work my 12 step program.
No longer a member of the church.
A great conversation, thank you both.
So glad the younger generation is understanding narcissist behavior, which is half the battle. Once I learned I finally understood why my bf and I would go around in circles for 4 years. It all made sense and then I spent time realizing and getting rid of the rest.
I was with Yogi Bhajan from 70 to 73. I was 16. Yogi came to the West at the invitation from a professor in Toronto
When he got there( 2 years later)he was told that the prof had died. He was stranded. He had"mastered" this yoga at 17. He eventually moved to LA
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Kundalini is an EVENT that anyone can experience and cannot be taught
Great discussion. Thank you, ladies!
One of your best interviews. Really insightful questions. A beautiful guest too.
I could really relate to this. I had a very intense turn around experience during a 5 day introduction to Jivamukti yoga. I had read the founders book and really looked up to them. They were “living their spirituality” which is what I wanted to do. The first two days of the training I was smitten-I was going to do whatever I had to do to become a Jivamukti yoga teacher and join their “tribe.” But things turned dark and I realized by the end of the training that this was a cult. I was shattered. That led me to a year long investigation of the dark side of yoga and it was shocking. When I got home I googled Jivamukti scandal and found a ton of information. There was even a recorded conversation between a student and a top Jivamukti instructor, that was soooo creepy. Talk about proof! The student (who had gotten into therapy to deal with the abuse) secretly recorded it.
This is why they say the age of the guru is over. You can't trust anyone!
Really interesting, thanks to both of you for this!
Great interview thanks!
Its pronounced seekism Sikh seek. The fact that it hasn’t been properly pronounced is testament to how much bs was taught.
And how little desire there was to learn the actually roots of the practice.
Thank you for sharing! I’ll remember this for future if it comes up
I'm sorry but as an Indian I must correct this piece of misinformation. Ultimately, you can call it whatever you want but that pronunciation is a bastardization by British Colonizers. The original pronunciation is closer to sick, not seek. I know some westerners might feel vary about referring to someone as sick but as long as you are not trying to make fun of them, most sikhs won't care. Btw, the word sikh actually comes from Sikkhī, which means to learn.
@@lucyferdakool7237 absolutely. If anyone wants to learn Sanskrit, they should just take an online class from a good (preferably Indian) teacher. Especially the mantras have to be pronounced precisely.
That's what I thought. Thanks for the clarification.
Shared and liked and commented. You find the most amazing guests. The more we learn about how folx can be manipulated by mean spirited people the more we can call it out and some day prevent it.
Thank you!!❤️
THANKS!! KEEP POSTING!!! I have been in some cultish environments. its so important to teach!
Fantastic interview!
This was such a lovely interview, down to earth, honest and kick ass. So cool. As someone who's had my fair share of narcissistic entanglements it always brings me joy to listen to these types of conversations... about that ''other'' realistic side of the story!!!
Yoga is a self exploring work. All you need is Patanjali Yoga Sutra and Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Maybe Gherandra Samhita and the Suryanamaskar. It's available online. Everything else is ornamentation. Interesting but not necessary. Don't let anyone fool you.
This is a great spontaneous interview. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! This is a great interview! Thanks to both of you. What's so interesting is that no one can bring you out of it. Something has to click internally. This woman's boyfriend seems so smart and so supportive to let her figure it out on her own. All the best to both of them.
Gotta love being one of the first. Thank you for putting so much time into this I love watching your videos💜💜
You're the best! Thanks for your support!!!
Yay for 12 Steps, its helped me a lot.
Great interview! Such a natural for spontaneous talking!
These are great, keep it up!
I literally was just watching her TikTok’s and was SO close to commenting about your podcast!!
Another great story! Thank you both.
I’m so happy you had her on! I saw her tik toks a few weeks ago. I’ve always wondered about this ‘guru’. I found out about her just before she died.
I lived in Santa Fe from '88 to '94. I knew (not well) a couple of Yogi Bhajan followers, who seemed relatively normal - even played volleyball with one. But at the movie theater, etc., it could be musical chairs avoiding sitting behind a turban-wearing person.
What are they even doing in Santa Fe? New Mexicans don’t want them there.
I left an abusive relationship almost exactly 2 years ago and the similiarities, man, the similarities.
Reminds me of how scientologists believe that LRH chose to "drop his body"
Thank you for this wonderful interview. And I'm relieved it had a good ending.....boyfriend in tact !! Thank you for sharing your story. People need to hear
about these experiences to understand how easy it is to fall into something like this. So glad you got out and can now live your best life !!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am a yoga teacher and yoga student. Seeing your experience is helpful in discerning the types of red flags to watch out for when it comes to some of the big name yoga "rock stars" as I call them. I like many yoga students have my favorite teachers, and they don't teach strict lifestyle practices as Guru Jagat did. The minute the practice changes from something to enhance life into something restricting, I will run for the hills! It is shameful that Guru Jagat was so, so abusive and I'm so sorry for what Charlotte endured. I've followed you on TikTok and really appreciate your story!
Great interview! How cool it is you live close enough to do the interview in person! How fun! 🥰
It was!
Don't get me wrong, but people with different traumas have a tendency to repeat the abuse in different ways. I am not defending Guru Jagat, but I think that the woman had a desire to belong somewhere, to be accepted and to feel that real connection with people. And the price she paid was really high. I am happy for anyone who manages to get out of the clutches of sick people. The practice of yoga, however, has nothing to do with this.
this interview bothers me. it’s not about kundalini, it’s about fraudulent people and a fraudulent business.
Succes a Nice flowing conversation between the two of you, many wise things said 😊you Are such a good host here😊
Out of nowhere, that Linda listen made me start crying. Guess I need to hear that today❤❤❤
Charlotte I hope you see this post, I want to respond to what you said at 43:30 . I want to say to not worry about that as one doesn't go loosing all the progress one has made, all the work you did on yourself is not lost. I've found I go backwards a bit if I stop all my meditation practices etc but one has still progressed and any energy clearing done from say kundalini practices will stay with you. I noticed right away when I started watching this video that the amount of light you have around you got my attention, your aura is brighter still than most peoples. I see this brightness I see surrounding you in people who have done higher energy practices eg people who do things like Qi Gong, kundalini stuff etc etc.. anyway, you still have that there around you. An increased amount of brightness, a higher frequency of energy.
Though you obviously from the things you said had a bad teacher (never give up your own power to anyone else), the efforts you put in, it wasn't all a waste. If you believe in past lives (ignore this or you don't) what you've done this life time in regards to your energy and the clearing done will stay with you and carry on into your next so even if you don't do those things again in this life they still made an impact. Nothing wrong with wanting to be normal. Spiritual progress isn't a rush and is done over lifetimes. Everything happens in it's own time. (ignore this if bible sayings are triggering to you).. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up '
Thank you!
Charlotte is a wonderful young lady❤ it doesn't take long for people to get sucked into something but it takes a long time to get out. I'm so glad to see that she's doing well and I would love to hear more of her story. I think she's stronger than what she thinks she is ❤ another great episode I have talked to my best friend because we have both experienced religious trauma and by watching you it has helped us very much to detangle a lot of stuff thank you so much❤
Nxium and The Vow also helped to me to see clearly. 🙏💕
Shelise , you are so compassionate, authentic, empathetic, empowering and loving’ A true blue ❤
Wow, thank you!
Excellent content!
Much appreciated!
Retain self powers. Regain self esteem ❤ Thanks to both of you 🌹
So glad she got out of that madness, so many people looking for help and guidance get misled by SCAMMERS ,CONTINUE TO EXSPOSE THESE FRAUDS!!!!!