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What Role Did Yoga Play In Guru Jagat’s Descent Down The Conspiracy Rabbit Hole During The Pandemic?
Prints of Guru Jagat for sale at the RA MA Institute of Applied Yogic Science and Technology in Santa Monica.
(
Emily Guerin
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The latest season of our podcast Imperfect Paradise examines the “wellness to QAnon pipeline” by following one yoga teacher’s descent into conspiracy theories. Episode 2 is out today.
About Episode 2: Katie Griggs, a young woman from rural Maryland, discovers Kundalini yoga in her early 20s and goes all in. She transforms herself into Guru Jagat, a beloved and controversial yoga and wellness influencer in Los Angeles. In this episode, her friends, family, and coworkers grapple with how she changed in the final years of her life. And we explore the connections between yoga and conspiracies like QAnon.
Why you should check it out: Listen to an exclusive interview with Guru Jagat’s mother, who describes how she and her daughter “were inseparable until the pandemic and her crazy volatile ideas.”
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Also — everyone loves a wild origin story: Hear Guru Jagat’s tale of receiving the business plan for her yoga studio from a dead yoga master while at a meditation retreat in New Mexico.
How do I listen? Episodes 1 and 2 are now available from LAist Studios. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts! Or listen here:
Listen
31:00
Listen to Ep. 1: “Queen of Conspiracy Theories”
Listen
34:21
Listen to Ep. 2: Kundalini Royalty
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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