What is Ra Ma Yoga Institute? Woman makes shocking revelations about alleged yoga cult loved by A-list stars

Ra Ma Yoga Institute, a place to learn about Kundalini yoga and meditation, was recently accused of being a cult. A woman named Charlotte Medlock, who spent four years at the institute, recently opened up about the abusive leader of the alleged cult, Katie Griggs, better known as Guru Jagat.

Charlotte spoke about Griggs on her TikTok channel, @charlottemedlock, in the first week of January 2024. She explained how the leader's "charismatic" nature initially attracted her, but their relationship soon deteriorated due to the latter's "abusive" nature. Medlock added,

"She became extremely verbally abusive. She was just like a tyrant - just screaming at us in meetings. There were no boundaries."

The 41-year-old alleged cult leader Guru Jagat died on August 1, 2021, as per The Sun. She suffered a pulmonary embolism and is survived by her partner, Teg Nam.

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Woman claims she was lured in by an alleged yoga cult, Ra Ma Yoga Institute

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Ra Ma Yoga Institute is a place for like-minded folks to gather and meet wellness instructors and teachers. They learn how to perform Kundalini yoga and meditation as a tool "to chemically release, strengthen, and activate the genetic code while igniting the energy centers of the body, mind, and spirit," according to the company's website.

Founded in 2013 by Guru Jagat, Ra Ma Yoga is located in Venice, Los Angeles, with other locations in Mallorca, Spain, and New York City. The institute's leader, Guru Jagat, had a high-profile reputation as a yoga instructor. Her students and customers included A-list celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Demi Moore, and Kate Hudson, as per Business Insider.

As per Charlotte Medlock, she worked at the Ra Ma Yoga Institute for four years, initially elated to work for Guru Jagat. However, on Sunday, January 7, 2024, she opened up about her experience on her TikTok, calling Jagat a "tyrant."

Medlock shared her experience of feeling lost after quitting her corporate job in 2016, following which she attended several yoga classes at the Ra Ma Yoga Institute. At the time, Medlock also began watching videos of Jagat. She said,

“There was something different about her [Jagat]. She was very charismatic. It was really the only thing that was giving me a sense of positivity and belonging, and spirituality and purpose. It didn't matter how cruel or mean she was to me. I felt this sense of attachment to her. She was giving my life meaning at the time."

Kundalini yoga offers a prescriptive lifestyle, according to the practitioners and followers of the craft. As per The Sun, Russell Brand is also a longtime follower of Kundalini, once describing it as the "crack cocaine of yoga.".

Talking about her routine at the Ra Ma Yoga Institute, Charlotte said she was supposed to be available 24 hours a day. They reportedly had to wake up at 4 am every day to meditate when the sun and the earth were "aligned perfectly." Speaking about how she was brainwashed into chanting mantras throughout the day, Charlotte said,

"Every time I made a mistake or something bad happened, I was told it was because I'm not waking up at 4 am and doing my yoga practice. It became a hamster wheel that I couldn't get off."

She further added,

"If you don't sleep with it (mantras) on, then bad entities can come in while you sleep and attack you at night. It got into my subconscious."

Charlotte also spoke about the diet plan prescribed and followed inside the alleged cult. Reportedly, the institute prohibited chicken because it would "rot in her stomach." It also excluded eggs, citing that they were bad for her spiritual energy. She said,

"I gained a lot of weight because I was eating cheese all the time for protein. It's ironic because even though I'm yogi and I'm supposed to be super healthy, I was actually the unhealthiest I had ever been."

In addition, Charlotte mentioned how addictive the process of chanting mantras became, saying she would spend all day "hyperventilating," as per The Sun.

"It was definitely weird at first, but then it did give me a really like high that I hadn't found in any type of yoga. It makes you feel like you're hovering on a cloud and I think that feeling can be very addictive."

Other devotees of Jagat and Ra Ma Yoga have also accused the former of manipulative and abusive practices. She has faced allegations of running a cult, spreading COVID conspiracy theories, and platforming a Holocaust denier, as per The Sun. None of the claims have been presented in court or have led to a lawsuit yet.