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***UPDATE: A judge imposed two-year sentences for each of the three deaths Friday afternoon, but the sentences are to be served concurrently. Ray must serve at least 85 percent of the term before he will become eligible for release. He was also ordered to pay a total of $57,000 in restitution to the families of the victims.
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More than two years ago, a fatal Arizona sweat lodge ceremony resulted in three deaths and ignited the downfall of famous self-help author and guru, James Arthur Ray.
The budding star -- who'd appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and CNN's "Larry King Live" -- was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide earlier this year. Authorities originally charged the Sedona, Ariz. Guru with manslaughter, but jurors rejected arguments that he was reckless in his handling of the infamous October 2009 ceremony.
The motivational speaker drew dozens to a retreat in the Arizona scrub forest with the promise of a sweat lodge ceremony, typical of several Native American cultures, which would cleanse the body, mind and spirit. The 56 participants paid up to $10,000 each for Ray's "spiritual warrior" retreat.
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By the time the evening was over, many participants were vomiting, struggling to breathe, and lying lifeless on the ground. Kirby Brown, 38, and James Shore, 40, were pronounced dead at the scene. 49-year-old Liz Neuman never regained consciousness and died over a week later at a Flagstaff hospital.
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On Friday, Ray will receive his sentence. He faces up to 11 years in jail.
In the days after the deaths, television news images of the sweat dome showed a low, windowless structure, covered in black roofing - a far cry from the glamour images portrayed by the lucrative industry.
The trial and subsequent downfall of Ray forced the nation to look into the safety of these ritualistic retreats.
Sweat or medicine lodges are typically small domed or oblong structures warmed with heated stones. Much like a sauna, the lodge uses hot rocks and steam inside a tent-like structure to cause the air to heat up, opening the participants' pores and helping to purify their bodies while inducing a mild, trance-like or deeply relaxed state, useful for meditation, group journey and other spiritual applications.
A sweat lodge ceremony is a purification ceremony that is generally used in preparation for some other ritual.
Prosecutors in the Arizona case argued that the lodge was heated to a perilously high temperature, causing the participants to suffer dehydration and heatstroke. They also urged that Ray did not monitor the temperature inside the lodge or the well-being of participants.
In Ray's case, all participants signed a release warning of the sweat lodge's dangers.
Sweat lodges are typically harmless, and it's certainly possible to participate in them safely, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you try one out:
1: Know How Many People Will Be in the Sweat Lodge:
