Diversas houses of spirituality and monasteries linked to Catholic religious congregations in Spain have hosted yoga congresses, retreats, and activities promoted by groups related to spiritual currents foreign to Christianity in recent years.
The situation has generated concern in some ecclesiastical sectors after the Javier castle (Navarra), cradle of Saint Francis Xavier and spirituality center managed by the Jesuits, hosted the XII Iberian Yoga Congress organized by the Spanish Federation of Satsanga Yoga (FEYS) at the beginning of May.
According to the Diario de Navarra, about 250 people participated in the event, held between May 1 and 3, in which meditation workshops, mantra concerts, yoga sessions, and conferences on Eastern spirituality were developed.
The images disseminated by the organizers showed several attendees meditating before representations of Jesus Christ alongside images of Buddha and Krishna. Among the programmed activities were proposals such as The Awakening of the Soul, Essene Mantras or 108 Sun Salutations.
The founder of the FEYS, Soma Satrustegi, assured that the choice of the Javier sanctuary was not casual and defined the place as “the ideal setting for a congress that seeks to transcend borders and traditions”.
Experts warn of spiritual content incompatible with the Christian faith
The researcher from the Ibero-American Network for the Study of Sects (RIES), Luis Santamaría del Río, warned that this type of encounters cannot be interpreted solely as physical or cultural activities.
“It is clear that the event held at Javier castle had an evident spiritual character, and not precisely Christian”, affirmed the expert, who considers that many of these practices promote a religious vision incompatible with Catholic anthropology and doctrine.
Monasteries and sanctuaries used for yoga activities
The Javier case is not isolated. As El Debate recalls, the same federation had already held similar encounters in other spaces belonging to religious congregations, such as the Marist monastery of Las Avellanas (Lérida), the Aránzazu sanctuary, directed by the Franciscans in Guipúzcoa, or the International Teresian Sanjuanist Center of Ávila, linked to the Discalced Carmelites.
One of the most controversial episodes took place precisely in Las Avellanas during a congress held in 2007. The promotional image of the event showed a woman practicing yoga in front of a tabernacle, apparently with the Most Blessed Sacrament reserved inside.