Pledge to strengthen body, mind, spirit this New Year

December 12, 2023

By Jennifer Willems

At this time of year, many of us are working on two lists, one for Christmas shopping and the other for New Year’s resolutions. The latter usually doesn’t change much from year to year with better health --- physical, mental and spiritual --- figuring prominently among the goals.

But what if you could do one thing that would check all the boxes?

Pietra Fitness is one way to accomplish that, giving people an opportunity to walk away feeling whole, the way God calls us to be, according to certified instructors Julie Dohrmann and Joy Nobles. They offer seven classes for a variety of ability levels at five parishes in the Des Moines area: St. Joseph, St. Mary of Nazareth and St. Theresa in Des Moines; St. Pius X in Urbandale; and Sacred Heart in West Des Moines.

Pietra Fitness is a stretching and strengthening program that incorporates Christian prayer in the Catholic tradition, Dohrmann said. She described it as the Christian alternative to yoga, which is based on Eastern religion and philosophy.

She completed her yearlong training in January 2020, and Nobles followed in 2021. Since then, they have been pro certified and trained to teach chair classes.

Developed according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, the program is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A San Damiano Crucifix graces each class space, not only providing focus but encouraging participants, as it did St. Francis of Assisi, to “rebuild the church.”

“Pietra Fitness wants to rebuild the church by bringing people closer to Christ,” Dohrmann explained.

PRAYER WOVEN THROUGHOUT

Each class begins and ends with the Sign of the Cross. Before working out, there is a prayer for the pope, bishops, priests and religious, as well as a prayer for a healthy body, sharp mind, joyful heart, and faithful and loving soul.

The prayer adds, “Let my heart therefore be holy and true to you, O Lord my God, so all may know I belong to you,” according to Dohrmann.

Participants also prepare by hearing a passage from Scripture and calming themselves so they can focus on the class and Christ. There are short breaks for bodily prayer throughout the warm-up, workout and winding down periods.

Each class, which runs from 30 minutes to an hour, ends with a prayer to thank God “for this opportunity to be able to come together, to work on ourselves and strengthen ourselves physically, as well as spiritually.”

Instructors have access to about 300 meditations provided by Pietra Fitness, which was founded by Karen Barbieri and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are about 80 instructors around the world --- four of them in Iowa.

“One of my favorite meditations talks about the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit,” said Dohrmann, a member of Christ the King Parish in Des Moines who works in the childcare program at Sacred Heart School in West Des Moines. “The Lord made us to move and we need to take care of our bodies. . . . If I’m going to do the things he needs me to do, then I need to be healthy.”

BUILDING A CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

Nobles, who is a surgical nurse at Unity Point Health – Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines and a member of St. Theresa Church, said this flow of movement and prayer is natural, citing those who pray the rosary while walking or biking.

While Pietra Fitness in Des Moines started with classes in a studio, the move to the parish setting has been important, Nobles said.

“I felt there were more people to teach,” she said. “Community is a huge part of our faith and people want to get together with their church community. . . . To pray with the people that you’re maybe used to praying with.”

Grace flows from that, making people more patient and compassionate, she said.

“At one of my classes, I have an 87-year-old. The entire class is patient, waiting for her because naturally, by age, it takes her a little bit longer,” Nobles said. “But they’re so thrilled she is coming and doing this and praying with them and wants to stay active.”

Having classes at different times and parishes makes Pietra Fitness accessible to more people and gives them a chance to meet Catholics beyond their parish boundaries.

“So it’s not just building a parish community, but a Catholic community within the metro,” Nobles said.

Taking into account St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, classes for men and women are offered separately to honor the dignity of each. This also allows them to maintain a focus on prayer.

To learn more about Pietra Fitness and the class schedules for Nobles and Dohrmann, visit holisticlifestylewithjoy.com. Contact them directly at naniejulie@mac.com or joymnobles@gmail.com.

Des Moines area Pietra opportunities

St. Joseph in Des Moines 
     Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Sacred Heart in West Des Moines 
     Tuesday at 1:15 p.m.
St. Pius X in Urbandale
     Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. 
     Thursday at 3:30 p.m. 
St. Theresa in Des Moines 
     Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. 
     Wednesday at 7:15 a.m.
 St. Mary of Nazareth in Des Moines 
      Thursday at 8:45 a.m.