Kriti Mehrotra
With HBO’s ‘Breath of Fire’ delving deep into the tale of Katie Ann Girggs (better known as Kundalini Yoga teacher Guru Jagat), we get a true insight into every aspect of who she was. In other words, this documentary series is an exploration of her past, career, as well as a bit of what could have been, all the while also shining a light upon her mentors, Yogi Bhajan and Harjiwan Khalsa. It thus comes as no surprise it features her mother, Nansy Ann Steinhorn-Galloway, too, with her making it clear that she only ever knew Katie and not the persona of Guru Jagat.
Nansy Ann Steinhorn-Galloway Was a Single Mom For a Long Time
Although a native of Baltimore, Maryland, Nansy had built a life as a happily married family woman in Colorado by the time the late 1970s rolled around, only for her world to soon be shattered. That’s because her children’s father walked away from the family for good when Katie was just a year and a half old, forcing her to take on the mantle of both mom and dad both at home and outside. She thus took them back to Maryland, where she found them a safe space to live in a silent retreat center before evolving into a farmer and therapist.
Nansy actually carefully raised her children surrounded by New Age teachings, helping them understand the world better by having compassion but also questioning some key things. Little did she know this would eventually push her daughter to the path of spirituality, only for it to gradually expand to such an extent she made it her entire life instead of a part of it. Nevertheless, since she knew her daughter was destined to succeed no matter what she put her mind to owing to her determination, she chose to stand by her at every step.
Nansy and Katie Drifted Apart During the COVID-19 Pandemic
While it’s true that Nansy never could get into Kundalini yoga even after her daughter essentially became the face of it, they remained in constant, close touch as the years passed by. However, everything turned upside down in 2020 as the latter got so deep into some conspiracy theories that her mother and stepfather simply could not get on board. As per records, Guru denied the pandemic, made claims of alien existence/abductions, shared QAnon conspiracy theories, and much more before distancing herself from Nansy when she refused to believe in the same.
As if that’s not enough, the young woman had also demanded that Nansy now refer to her as Guru Jagat instead of her birth name, which she declined because that’s not who she viewed her daughter as. This caused further friction in the family, and despite them all having just celebrated her wedding in Scotland to a student-turned-lover named Teg Nam in 2019, the family drifted away. In fact, Nansy didn’t get a call from her daughter again until 2021 after she broke her leg in Germany, only for her sadly passed away not long after from complications after a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism – on August 1.
Nansy Ann Steinhorn-Galloway is Now Trying Her Best to Move Forward in Life
While the dark cloud of her daughter’s loss continues to hang over Nansy to this day, right along with a feeling of anger, it appears as if she is currently doing her best to move forward. This Milforrd Mill High School and University of Maryland, College Park graduate is actually based out of Front Royal, Virginia, where she serves as a Licensed Professional Counselor at GettinItTogether. She has also been battling Parkinson’s since her early 40s, yet she hasn’t let it hold her back from anything or anyone, especially not love. In other words, she is still in blissful matrimony with Rabbit Galloway – they celebrated their 21st anniversary this year in early June. This now dog mom honestly seems to be doing her best to keep moving on, all the while keeping the memories of her daughter alive in her heart.
Read More: Nicole Norton: Where is the Former Personal Assistant of Guru Jagat Now?
