Jennifer Attonito (right) leads a YogaMass on Sept. 26 at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church. Participants include (l-r) Barbara Rivera, Jim Filson, Sue McDermott the Very Rev. Mary Ellen Cassini, and Charlene Singer. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Janis Fontaine
We breathe in love, we breathe out peace,” yoga instructor Daphne Lombardo tells the group of about a dozen people from Gen-Zers to baby boomers who have come to celebrate YogaMass at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton.
YogaMass is a contemporary worship service that weaves together scripture, prayer and Holy Communion (the Mass part) with gentle movement, stretching, breathing and meditation (the yoga part) to integrate the body, mind and spirit. It’s one way, Lombardo says, to separate ourselves from the chaos of our daily lives and grow our relationship with God.
St. Gregory’s is always looking for ways to reach more people and help them along their spiritual path, and the Yoga Ministry does that. It was founded by the Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren about eight years ago. Pankey-Warren, who celebrated 38 years as an ordained pastor in 2025, is also a psychotherapist and a 500-hour registered yoga teacher with more than 17 years’ experience.
Pankey-Warren said, “I thought, ‘How can we make this a spiritual experience that speaks to people who aren’t getting what they’re searching for in a typical church service?’”
She knew that yoga, as a spiritual practice that engages the body, breath, mind and soul, could help those people become more aware of God’s presence in their lives.
YogaMass sessions last about an hour and begin with a warm-up with the yoga teacher, followed by a gospel reading by the pastor. That’s followed by about 20 minutes of gentle yoga. At the end, the eucharist is given. Each session is a little different, depending on who is leading. When Pankey-Warren isn’t available, volunteers teach the yoga part of the service.
One of them is Lombardo, of Boca Raton.
Lombardo has been practicing yoga since she was a teenager growing up in the Bahamas. She said she had let go of yoga but took it up again seriously after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The tragedy also brought Lombardo back to the church.
“It was definitely the impetus to get back to church, to reconnect. There was so much missing that I had neglected for so long,” she said.
Inspiration behind classes
In 2017, the Rev. Gena Davis, an Episcopal priest, published “YogaMass: Embodying Christ Consciousness.” The book inspired hundreds of congregations like St. Gregory’s to begin offering YogaMass, which Davis defines as “a unique worship experience engaging and integrating all of our dimensions — physical, psychological, emotional, mental, energetic, social, and spiritual.”
From the yoga mat, it’s a quiet, peaceful time filled with positive, affirming messages and slow stretching and movement under the direction of the teacher. The class is perfect for people with no experience with yoga. You don’t need to be fit or limber or athletic to benefit, and the class is geared toward newcomers. One woman participated using a chair for part of the class.
And it doesn’t matter how precisely you execute your pose, Lombardo says. “Your poses, whatever they look like, are perfect,” she said.
The movements and breathing we do when practicing yoga are healing, Lombardo explained. We all have traumatic experiences that we are holding inside, and yoga can help release them. “It’s like a door that’s locked, and the movements of yoga can unlock it,” Lombardo said.
“Movement is key to the practice of yoga because it is all about stilling the mind and stilling the body so that you can pray deeply, meditate deeply and hear the voice of God.”
On a physical level, Lombardo said, “the stretches also counteract the effects of sitting all day.”
Parishioner Julie Grubb of Boca Raton has been coming to YogaMass at St. Gregory’s for at least five years. “I try to come as often as I can,” she said. Grubb had been practicing yoga on her own, but when she learned about YogaMass, she signed up.
“I enjoy it but I’m not a real yoga person,” Grubb said with a laugh. “But I get spirituality, I get peace of mind, and I get a lot of good stretching. And some insightfulness. It’s just great.”
Because movement is so important, last year the church added a second monthly session called Yoga and Sacred Movement that combines the teachings of yoga with prayer. Participants do gentle movements and breathing exercises while reflecting on scripture verses and reciting traditional prayers. Sometimes they read poetry that aligns with the liturgical calendar, including work by poets like Jan Richardson, Mary Oliver and Malcolm Guite.
In addition to Pankey-Warren and Lombardo, classes are led by volunteer instructors including Jennifer Attonito, Susan Standbrook and Rosie Sandoval. Both YogaMass and Sacred Movement are presented by the Center for Spiritual Formation at St. Gregory’s, a learning center for adults seeking to continue their education in theological studies.
There are no figures on how many places of worship are offering some sort of YogaMass, but the combination of yoga and worship isn’t exclusive to Episcopalians or even Christians.
Yoga at Temple Beth El
Temple Beth El offers a monthly class, “Mussar and Movement,” on its Schaefer Family Campus in Boca Raton. Rabbi Amy Pessah and yoga instructor Amy Appel lead the class, which blends the physical discipline of yoga with the spiritual wisdom of Mussar. Each session focuses on a human attribute such as perseverance, generosity, awe, or orderliness and finds new ways to grow that attribute by mindful movement, breath work and Jewish teachings.
Temple Beth El sessions meet 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 22, Nov. 17, Dec. 15 and Jan. 20. Bring your own yoga mat.
Register online at tbeboca.shulcloud.com/event/mussar-and-movement2.html, call 561-391-8900 or email RPinhasi@tbeboca.org.
YogaMass meets at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton, on the last Saturday of the month. Yoga and Sacred Movement meets the third Thursday. Check the church calendar for dates and times.
“I want people to see yoga as a way of life,” Lombardo said, “as part of their spiritual discipline that they do on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be postures all the time. It could be meditation; it could be breathing practices. I want them to take what yoga gives them on the mat and share that with other people because this world is so in need of peace.”
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events.Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
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