Renowned comedian and actor Russell Brand is currently facing sexual assault allegations, according to reports from The Guardian. The allegations stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in London in 2003 when a woman filed a sexual assault complaint with the London police.
These allegations come in the wake of a joint investigation conducted by British media outlets, in which four women accused Brand of sexual misconduct, including rape and sexual assault, during the years 2006 to 2013.
One of the accusers, who was just 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident, claimed that Brand groomed her for sexual exploitation, with a specific focus on her virginity and innocence. This investigation was a collaborative effort between London’s Times and Sunday Times newspapers and Channel 4.
Russell Brand has categorically denied all allegations of sexual abuse.
Kundalini Yoga and its Association with Manipulation
Russell Brand has been a longtime proponent of Kundalini yoga, a form of yoga that has come under scrutiny for its alleged cultish and manipulative practices by some of its former practitioners.
In 2021, the same year that Brand increased his advocacy for Kundalini yoga, Insider published accounts from over a dozen former employees, students, and business partners associated with the Ra Ma Yoga Institute. They described a culture of abuse within the organization, with some referring to the group and Kundalini practice as cult-like.
Jules Hartley, a former actress who shared her experience of studying Kundalini yoga alongside Russell Brand between 2011 and 2013, highlighted the power dynamics, control, and manipulation tactics prevalent within the practice.
Hartley stated, “It’s the same story. It’s power, it’s control, it’s manipulation. It’s getting others to become mesmerized to get what they want.”
Efforts to obtain comments from Russell Brand, his former Kundalini teachers, and 3HO, the organization representing the Kundalini community, were unsuccessful.
Brand’s Association with Kundalini Yoga Leaders
Russell Brand has maintained a long-standing association with prominent figures in the Kundalini yoga community, including Tej Kaur Khalsa, whom he brought as a guest to the MTV Awards in 2012. He also featured her on his appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and was frequently seen with her in Los Angeles.
Although Brand and Khalsa parted ways in the past, he continued to promote Kundalini yoga in recent years through his social media channels, providing insights and tips related to the practice.
Both Tej Kaur Khalsa and her former husband, musician Harijiwan Khalsa, have deep ties to Kundalini yoga, having followed Yogi Bhajan, who introduced Kundalini yoga to the United States in the 1960s. Their association with Bhajan’s teachings was marked by a distinctive “American Sikh” identity, characterized by wearing all-white attire and turbans, despite its divergence from traditional Sikhism.
Allegations Against Yogi Bhajan and His Followers
Yogi Bhajan, who passed away in 2004, has posthumously faced accusations of sexual and physical abuse, including rape, across multiple continents. Reports emerged of children born to his followers being sent to boarding schools in India, where they endured physical abuse.
Following Bhajan’s death, his followers splintered and established their own studios in his honor. Both Harijiwan and Tej Kaur Khalsa went on to teach at various Kundalini studios in Los Angeles, including Golden Bridge and Ra Ma Yoga Institute.
Ra Ma Yoga Institute, co-founded by Guru Jagat (Katie Griggs), Harijiwan Khalsa, and Tej Kaur Khalsa, garnered a devoted following across the United States, Europe, and online. Former students have alleged verbal and mental abuse within the institute, financial exploitation of teachers, and even arranged marriages between followers.
Yoga Practices and Vulnerability to Abuse
Former students, employees, and teachers from Kundalini studios have attested to the intensity of Kundalini practices, involving chanting and breathwork, which can render practitioners vulnerable to manipulation.
Ra Ma Yoga Institute’s curriculum, for instance, required students to engage in early-morning chanting exercises and extended meditation sessions, followed by classes, workshops, and sometimes unpaid labor. Some students who couldn’t afford workshops claimed they were encouraged to attend and then work to cover their fees.
Jules Hartley emphasized that such practices can induce altered states of consciousness, making individuals more susceptible to manipulation. She also noted Harijiwan Khalsa’s use of tactics consistent with the ones Brand’s accusers have described.
