Naman Shrestha
HBO’s ‘Breath of Fire’ provides the viewers with a detailed account of the spiritual and yogic teachings given by two controversial figures — Yogi Bhajan and Guru Jagat. The latter ran the Ra Ma Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology, former employees of which alleged that Guru Jagat used to manipulate and abuse them on a regular basis over minor mistakes. One of the employees at the time was Elizabeth Grignon, who shared intricate details of her time at the institute, raising questions about her life and current whereabouts in the minds of the viewers.
Elizabeth Grignon Was Passionate About Yoga From Her Early Days
After graduating from East Hampton High School with flying colors, Elizabeth Grignon had a lot to look forward to in her professional life. The free-spirited woman was enthusiastic about yoga and wanted to dive deeper into the practice. At the time, one of her friends, who was also into yoga, introduced her to Kundalini Yoga, after which the trajectory of her life changed. She was told that the best way to follow her passion was to join yoga classes in Los Angeles, California, with Harijiwan Singh Khalsa and his partner Tej. At the time, Elizabeth worked for her father as a bookkeeper and earned approximately $25 per hour.
Excited about getting her Yoga teacher training and certification from Harijiwan and Tej, she quit working for her father and moved to Los Angeles. Although she had some idea about the growing Kundalini community in LA, she was surprised when she became a part of it. Talking about her first impression of the community, she told Business Insider, “I knew they dressed weird, but when I saw Steve walk in with five to eight very young women dressed head to toe in white, with turbans and scarves, and nobody was talking, and they didn’t look at you. They ushered in this man from his car with a special gong and his special drink. I was like, ‘Oh, this is a f***ing cult.'”
Elizabeth Worked For Guru Jagat to Get Money For a Membership Fee
Furthermore, Elizabeth claimed that she was expected to choose a spiritual name for herself and not eat certain kinds of foods. Apart from spending various hours in meditation every day that put them in a trance, she and her peers were also ordered to stay sleep-deprived. Despite the toxic environment at the yoga training center, she stayed in the program to earn her teacher-training certificate. While she was already paying over $3,500 for the annual certificate program, she was also told to become a member of Immense Grace, a women’s leadership program.
Thus, to afford the program’s membership fee, Elizabeth began working for Guru Jagat at the Ra Ma Institute for Applied Yogic Science and Technology as a bookkeeper and studio manager. Between 2015 and 2016, Elizabeth claimed to have witnessed her employer verbally abuse and control her staff. She alleged, “She’s screaming at us because she’s leaving her car out front and getting parking tickets because someone isn’t moving it to the parking lot fast enough while the assistant is out getting her five beverages all over Venice. I remember thinking, ‘Come to class early, park it in the back, and walk. You’re not a princess.'” As the bookkeeper, Elizabeth reportedly dealt with a lot of delayed checks and tried to remedy debts to vendors.
Elizabeth Grignon Efficiently Maintains a Balanced Professional and Personal Life Today
After completing her Kundalini Yoga and Meditation training from Harijiwan and Tej in Santa Monica, California, Elizabeth Grignon began dedicating her life to spreading the knowledge and advantages of Kundalini Yoga. Under her spiritual name, Shabadjot, which means “to receive God’s light through sacred sound,” she took regular Kundalini Yoga and Gong classes in the village of Montauk, New York, where she began residing.
When she is not busy taking Yoga classes, Elizabeth loves to spend time with her loved ones. From what we can tell, she regularly visits her parents and even has a day out with them every once in a while. When it comes to matters of her heart, she has been dating Kevin Foran, a drummer in a band called Student Body, at least since 2020. As they look forward to spending the rest of their lives together, the couple enjoys going out on different adventures and travels. There are many things that they have in common, one of them being their love for dogs and fascination with wildlife.
Read More: Laura Burhenn: Where is Guru Jagat’s Childhood Friend Now?
