HOLY YOGA — Diane Waldbillig, Shannon Richardt, Kim Gage and Shirley Berthelet are among the Holy Yoga instructors in Saskatoon. (Hughes photo)
Holy Yoga brings Christ into meditation
By Anne-Marie Hughes
SASKATOON — Some 40 people came from all over Saskatoon to take
part in the Oneness Holy Yoga Practice Jan. 14 at the Cathedral of
the Holy Family.
“I thought it was really appropriate that this event about oneness
was being held at the new cathedral, as that is what this space was about:
oneness for all of us,” said organizer Shirley Berthelet.
The event was attended by representatives from a variety of Christian
denominations. Holy Yoga was started in Saskatoon by Berthelet, who
began workshops and classes at her home parish of St. Anne’s
and at nearby Cornerstone Church. From the beginning, it was ecumenical
in nature.
“We are called to unity in the Body of Christ,” Berthelet
said in her opening remarks. “Traditionally, yoga is using the
body for meditation, for stillness, for clarity. What Holy Yoga does
is allow you to choose intentionally what it is you are focusing on.
We take the essence of the spiritual practice of yoga and we place
Christ at the centre.”
Worldwide, Holy Yoga has 400 instructors in 10 countries, including
43 American states and four provinces in Canada.
“The Oneness Week was also the launch of Holy Yoga’s global
vision,” explained Berthelet. That vision is “to bring
the Word of God to every tongue, every tribe, and every nation, with
a vision to spread the Good News in India. There are Holy Yoga instructors
who have a heart for India, so we decided all donations today will
be going to that mission in India.”
To launch the event, 400 instructors across the world agreed to teach
about biblical oneness for the week of Jan. 8 - 15. “We also
made a commitment to cover the entire week in prayer. Every hour of
this week someone was praying,” said Berthelet.
Like traditional yoga, the practice can be as physically demanding as the practitioner wants it to be. Saturday’s practice was set at a multi-level slow flow. Berthelet clarified this for participants and explained that some may be new to yoga and others may have physical challenges that do not allow them to do all the poses.
“Soften your expectations of yourself and let go of all that,” encouraged
Berthelet. “Do the practice that is in you to do. It is not ‘no
pain, no gain’ but ‘refrain from pain,’ finding the
point between effort and surrender.”
Holy Yoga has been growing in Saskatoon. Berthelet founded the group
here after teaching yoga for the city. She found that she loved the
fitness, but being Catholic, wanted a Christ-centred practice for her
spirituality. She found a non-profit organization Holy Yoga in the
United States and travelled there for training both spiritually and
physically until she attained a master level. Studying the Scriptures
during this time, Berthelet also studied the catechism and writings
of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to ensure the practice was rooted
in her faith. She then began holding workshops in Saskatoon and Foundations
courses for the diocese.
Within a short period of time a team of leaders came forth from among the participants. Kim Gage, Elaine Zakreski, Diane Waldbillig and Melissa Esford pursued their teacher training through Holy Yoga.
Shannon Richardt,
who trained in Phoenix, has also relocated to Saskatoon and along with
the other five instructors, teaches at various churches throughout
the city.
“I always viewed Holy Yoga as a ministry,” says Berthelet, “not
the end all and be all, but another vehicle for people to find a space
for God in their lives. As more people came, more people were interested
in teaching. I saw that as more people were sharing in this ministry
that there was a real hunger for it. There has been such growth here
in Saskatoon. We are the centre for Holy Yoga in Canada.”
Often instructors were teaching or doing yoga before they found Holy
Yoga as an option. “I had been doing yoga for some time but started teaching
Holy Yoga in the last year,” says Waldbillig. “ I loved
the practice of doing a bit of yoga, lying back listening to Scripture
and really thinking about it.”
Gage agrees: “Bringing Jesus into it makes it so much better.”
Currently Holy Yoga has classes at the Cathedral of the Holy Family,
St. Anne Parish, St. Philip Neri Parish, Cornerstone Church and Circle
Drive Alliance. Instructor Gage has also done some teaching at local
elementary and high schools.
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