by Zakiyyah Madyun, Staff Writer

Breath of Fire
Created by Hayley Pappas and Smiley Stevens
“Episode 1”
Now streaming on Max

HBO has been uncovering cult activities and illicit business operations with a mad passion, from Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God to the stumbling “Medieval Succession” known as Ren Faire. In its newest docu-series Breath of Fire, we tackle what can happen when the quest for spirituality proves profitable. Guru Jagat is the “Kim Kardashian of the spiritual world.” A mid-thirties white woman in a turban who heads Los Angeles’ wildly successful RA MA Institute. Specializing in Kundalini Yoga and with connections to the infamous Yogi Bhajan, Jagat sits at the helm of several thriving business ventures, and effortlessly corrals a fleet of Millennials looking for ritual, connection, and understanding.

The Goop-ification (see: Gwyneth Paltrow’s behemoth) of wellness and the exorbitant prices many among us are willing to pay (see: Erehwon) to feel intelligent, healthy, and in alignment with ourselves, is an endlessly interesting topic. Breath of Fire succeeds in drawing parallels between the early adopters of Kundalini in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and the Millennials on a quest for non-denominational spiritual enlightenment in the 2010s. A discussion around the “bastardization,” and appropriation, of Sikh concepts and aesthetics by Yogi Bhajan and Guru Jagat makes for one of the most interesting parts of the episode, and is something I hope will be explored further as the series progresses.

The scope of both Jagat and Bhajan’s influence is massive, with star-studded references from Alicia Keys and Kate Hudson to Bill Clinton and the Pope. Despite the credibility of its impact, Breath of Fire shoots and misses with a mishmash of jump cuts and stock footage. It seems, at times, that there’s a distinct lack of coverage, and a few narrative holes had to be patched up in post.

By the end of the first episode, I come to believe that Breath of Fire would have benefited from a more linear approach. The current set-up is a crime scene investigation board, connecting decades of events and a dizzying cast of characters. The scrapbook-like editing and certain stylistic choices left me feeling that I was watching an extended trailer and missing out on the core of the story. With three episodes left to go, I’m eager to focus on Guru Jagat herself, to understand more of “what,” and to truly put things into perspective.