| Guru Jagat | |
| Birth Name: | Katie Griggs |
| Birth Date: | 30 August 1979 |
| Birth Place: | Fort Collins, Colorado |
| Death Place: | Venice, Los Angeles |
| Alma Mater: | Antioch College |
| Occupation: | Yoga instructor |
| Years Active: | 2013–2021 |
| Organization: | Ra Ma Institute |
Katie Griggs (August 30, 1979 – August 1, 2021), professionally known as Guru Jagat, was an American Kundalini yoga teacher, podcaster, author, and the owner of both a fashion brand and record label.
She is noted for sharing QAnon conspiracy theories and interviewing conspiracy theorists on her podcast.
Katie Griggs was born in the summer of 1979 in Fort Collins, Colorado.[1] Her mother was a farmer and a therapeutic clown,[2] and brought her up surrounded by New Age teachings.
Before adopting the Guru Jagat moniker, she also used the aliases Athena Day, Katie Day, and Kundalini Katie. After initially dropping out of school, she obtained a degree from Antioch College. She studied Kundalini yoga in New Mexico under the mentorship of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa.
Journalist Emily Guerin described Griggs as an attention seeker and someone who was both a victim and perpetrator of injustice, referring to her abuse of employees and incorporation of cultish elements in her corporate yoga enterprises.[3]
Griggs was the owner-operator of Kundalini yoga studio the Ra Ma Institute, located on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, Los Angeles,[4] which opened in 2013.[5] Her clients included actor Kate Hudson, singer Alicia Keys, and actors Kelly Rutherford,[6] Demi Moore, and Laura Dern. Staff at the studio were paid less than minimum wage. She opened her second yoga studio in Boulder, Colorado in the summer of 2014.
Griggs operated the podcast Reality Riffing with Guru Jagat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her podcast to share conspiracy theories about COVID-19 being spread by chemtrails and artificial intelligence taking over. On the podcast she interviewed conspiracy theorist Arthur Firstenberg and conspiracy theorist and antisemite David Icke.[7] Griggs did not follow California's public health rules during the pandemic and refused COVID-19 vaccines.
Griggs used social media to share supportive statements about her mentor, the late Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, also known as Yogi Bhajan, who was accused of rape, child abuse, and financial impropriety. Griggs also shared QAnon conspiracy theories, including the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2021, two former employees of Griggs accused her of running Ra Ma Institute as a cult, and calling a Black Lives Matter supporter a "cockroach".[8]
Griggs owned the clothing line Robotic Disaster and the record label RA MA Records.
In 2017, Harper Elixir[9] published Griggs' book Invincible Living: The Power of Yoga, The Energy of Breath and Other Tools for a Radiant Life (.) Invincible Living includes lessons previously shared by Griggs via her media outlet RA MA Media on the topic of Kundalini yoga. The illustrated book includes instruction on simple breathing and moving exercises as well as lifestyle and wellness advice. The book includes advice that claims to increase metabolism, improve mood, increase creativity, reduce stress, and slow ageing.[10] It also provides advice on financial prosperity and improving reader's sex lives.
Griggs married husband Teg Nam in a Sikh ceremony in Scotland in 2019.
Griggs died on August 1, 2021, at the age of 41.[11] She died of a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism following surgery on her left ankle. She is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
HBO Max is working on a documentary-series about her life called Breath of Fire, after one of the breathing techniques used in Kundalini yoga.[12] LAist featured Griggs in season four of their Imperfect Paradise (podcast).