The Catholic Yogis
because Christ is everywhere
“Some call Him Ishwar, some call Him Allah, some simply God, but we all have to acknowledge that it is [God] who made us for greater things: to love and be loved. What matters is that we love. We cannot love without prayer, and so whatever religion we are we must pray together.”
~ St. Teresa of Calcutta
Get Involved
Let’s build community
Welcome to The Catholic Yogis! Spiritual & non-spiritual seekers are welcome here, religious and non-religious are welcome here. All are welcome.
About The Catholic Yogis
Previously named “The Catholic Yogi,” this website has entered a time of transition.
Amy Secrist founded this website in 2013 in hopes that other seekers wouldn’t feel alone.
The advent of The Catholic Yogi grew out of the encouragement of a dear friend who insisted she start writing about her journey as a Catholic and a Yogi of sorts. It is unique place to be because she sought to honor the traditions of yoga and follow Christ. She never changes the Sanskrit names or the shapes of the postures when praying or practicing, and she didn’t call necessarily Christ Isvara when on her mat or in the company of fellow yogis. It seems God blessed her with a contentment of sorts, as not being “afraid” of the yoga knowing God is big, and as not being timid about Christ knowing God is big. This Catholic/yoga dynamic was a serious journey for her for years. So, she embarked on the journey of engaging it in a huge way, through The Catholic Yogi.
The website recently underwent a change when Allyson Huval humbly adopted the community Amy built. Allyson founded Bethel Yogi after going through similar tensions of being Catholic and a yoga practitioner. As student of religious studies, her voice in writing blog posts and in teaching yoga classes became more interfaith than strictly Catholic. But that doesn’t mean her Catholic identity completely faded away.
Now The Catholic Yogis is a hub for community in line with Amy’s intention of creating a space where “other seekers wouldn’t feel alone.”
About Our Logo
“The Catholic Yogis” is a unique group, so we needed a unique logo.
Each element of our logo took hours of thought and design. Read on to learn the purpose behind our logo.
Color
Green is the color that God reveals his love for us through the multitudes of nature. Our greenery friends provide us with oxygen to breathe. The color green was chosen to mirror the representative color of the heart chakra. Read more about Allyson’s reflections on the color green here.
Shape
The triangle pointing down to represent the three forms of the Trinity coming down to meet us on earth. Likewise, the three circles form a triangle in the opposite direction do the same. Tracing the connection between the circles over the triangle, the Star of David is present, acknowledging the Abrahamic roots of the lineage of Jesus and Catholicism. The Star is also representative of the geometric shape associated with the heart chakra.
Hands
Prayer hands lay in the center of the Star of David, resting on the base of a lotus. This gesture is also called anjali mudra and is usually taken directly in front of the heart or anahata chakra. Hands in prayer denote the prayerfulness surrounding a Catholic-based yoga practice as well as seeing yoga as more than an asana-based practice.