The Rev. Donnie Wilkinson approached in a black T-shirt and lounge pants, barefoot.
Not your typical attire for a pastor inside church, but this wasn't Sunday nor was it a typical service.
The word styled in script on his shirt spelled it out — "breathe."
A class member reaches to the right as she hears instruction from the Rev. Donnie Wilkinson during YogaMass.
Participants in the monthly Saturday morning YogaMass at Broadmoor United Methodist Church, 10230 Mollylea Drive, would hear that word frequently in the next 90 minutes. Yes, instructions from the yoga leader who, for some, is also their pastor.
"One of my favorite quotes is from Howard Thurman, who was a pastor and leader in the Civil Rights Movement back in the '50s and '60s," Wilkinson said from one of the front pews as yogis (including his wife April) trickled in, grabbed a mat and headed up the aisle. "And he once wrote 'Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'"
The pastor has been "finding his center" for about 16 years now.
The Rev. Donnie Wilkinson directs participants through YogaMass in the sanctuary at Broadmoor United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.
"It's one of the things that helps me become fully alive, you know, to be grounded, embodied, with a healthy clarity of mind, calmness — learning to feel comfortable in uncomfortable positions," he explained.
So immersed did Wilkinson become in the practice of yoga that last year he became a certified yoga teacher.
"Not to change careers, but just to do something new," he added.
Class members perform the warrior pose as part of YogaMass.
The pastor trained for his certification alongside Heather Kemp at Yoga Rouge in Baton Rouge.
"As part of the training, we went to Trinity Episcopal (Church) in New Orleans, and they had YogaMass," he said. "As we're doing it, I'm like, 'I'm gonna bring this back to Baton Rouge, bring it to Broadmoor.'"
Last summer, Wilkinson trained with the founder of YogaMass, Gena Davis, an Episcopal priest who lives in the Houston area. With a grant from the United Methodist Foundation, YogaMass at Broadmoor Methodist commenced last fall. The grant helped in purchasing the blocks, mats, bolsters, cushions and other equipment. Classes are free and open to all skill levels.
Class members work through lunges during YogaMass.
The event is small — 11 took part in the April event, but numbers have reached around 20 — and it's growing.
Wilkinson says for those with whom the practice resonates, "it's just a new way of connecting with God that allows it to create a space where you can encounter God."
Theology, breath and body work, along with the principles of yoga overlap between Christian spirituality, according to Wilkinson.
Frequent YogaMass-goer Alexa Harris would agree. Harris, 25, lives in Baton Rouge, graduated from LSU in 2022 and works as an environmental consultant.
Harris has been attending Broadmoor since she was young.
"I attended the 'trial run' of YogaMass before it was open to the public and try to go as often as I can," she said. "It’s a time for me to connect my mind and body with my spirit. It’s a time to escape the noise of the world to relax and reconnect."
According to Wilkinson, there are a variety of reasons church members and nonmembers are drawn to this exercise-worship combo.
"There's a woman who said there was just something so beautiful about coming back into the Methodist Church and being in this beautiful space and finding a way to connect with God that just kind of reawakened something deep within her family," recalled. "I said, 'Well, welcome home.'"
A nimble Joyce Dugas reaches high at YogaMass. Members and nonmembers of any skill level are welcome at YogaMass.
The environment is welcoming, calming, whether one is participating or just watching from the pews. Lit candelabras stand near the altar with more candles burning on the altar. The yoga leader lightly taps a sound bowl with a mallet to begin.
The use of the term "mass" may be confusing to Catholics, but the minister explained that in this sense it's just another word for celebration of the Eucharist — which is what the whole sequence leads up to.
"We move. We breathe. We create space in our hearts and minds to hear a word from God through the Scripture and through the little homily and reflection," he said. "But then the real moment is when we commonly receive the bread and the cup, and again, it's kind of an embodied spirituality."
Last month, participating yogis were predominantly female, save for one male attendee and their teacher. Ages ranged from 18 to 80. All claimed a spot in the sanctuary or near it, where they rolled out their mats and waited for Mass to begin.
A nimble Joyce Dugas, center, reaches high at YogaMass. Members and nonmembers of any skill level are welcome at YogaMass.
The first 15 minutes consist of very gentle breath and body work, centering themselves, beginning to move, to flex. The yoga sequences are not anything too strenuous, Wilkinson said.
"I kind of base kind of the flow of what we're doing based on who's here and what everybody can handle," he said.
A brief Scripture reading follows, then a homily and more breath and body work.
It's a participatory liturgy. Each attendee reciting a line from a handout sheet.
"Then we receive the bread and the cup, and then back to our mats for kind of a closing sequence, a little guided meditation," Wilkinson said, "allowing yourself to deeply rest and relax and integrate everything that we've done here before,"
From there, participants go into the final resting pose — and then they get up and go out about their day.
Likely with a renewed spirit.
Broadmoor Methodist's next YogaMass will be at 10:30 a.m. May 17.