Foundation

UPON THIS ROCK . . .

The wise man built his house on a rock.

• The body is a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit—a house of God. St. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you . . .” (1 Cor. 6:19a).
• God is the architect of the human body, as well as of the soul (CCC 362-366). Therefore, He is the sole designer of and authority on human form and function. As stewards of these amazing gifts, we must each strive to care for both our body and our soul. “Therefore glorify God in your body”(1 Cor. 6: 20b).
• Many forms of exercise—some of them ancient—have provided effective ways to strengthen the body, heal illness, and promote longevity. We recognize the good and true wherever it is found and do well to utilize physical movements that are helpful.
• We must take great care to point out, however, that a good source for exercise is not necessarily a reliable source for spiritual truth. The source may be unhelpful at best—and dangerous at worst. Because the human person is both body and soul, we dare not take lightly the implications of following guidance not rooted in and centered on Christ. “. . . no town or house divided against itself will stand” (Mt. 12:25). The soul, being greater than the body, should be properly formed and direct how the body exercises because what the body does affects the soul.
• It is easy to test the effectiveness of various physical exercises, but is it possible to identify a true authority for spiritual truth? Yes! Christ himself established the Church as the specific and ultimate spiritual authority on earth. He said, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt. 16: 18-19).
• Pietra means rock in Italian. Pietra Fitness was created as a way to renew both soul and body by building each on a strong foundation of love and truth. We utilize tried-and-true physical exercises to develop core strength, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the body. To nourish the soul, we incorporate Scripture and meditations completely consistent with the teachings of the Church that Jesus founded on the rock of St. Peter. We believe this powerful combination truly benefits the whole human person—body, mind, and soul, in unity and integrity.

Founder

Growing up, Karen Barbieri was involved in acrobats and cheerleading, naturally developing an appreciation for exercises that stretch and strengthen. She enjoyed good health until, after delivering her fourth child, she started having back pain so severe that it was difficult to walk. Doctor’s tried everything: steroids, muscle relaxers, pain pills, and a cortisone shot that caused an adverse reaction to her heart—leading to tachycardia and anxiety. When doctors felt they couldn’t do much more for her, a friend suggested a yoga video that was devoid of spirituality. Karen, who had previously avoided yoga because of her concerns with the spiritual philosophies, tried the video and was shocked to see that most of the poses were the same ones she had done in acrobatics. She began slowly, starting each session with a prayer. Each day, she did only small portions of the video until she started to see and feel an improvement in her back pain and in her strength. She also felt stronger spiritually because she incorporated prayer into her exercise. As she progressed, she continued doing stretches until she was feeling better than she did before her back went out. She says, “I feel like I did when I was in high school!” Karen kept feeling the Lord’s call to share what she was doing and create a stretching and strengthening program that was compatible with her Catholic faith—a program which would truly benefit Christians in both body and soul. She was torn. Developing a program of her own would necessitate training in the physical postures of yoga, but she was well aware that any yoga certification program would also include exposure to non-Christian spiritual practices and training in the philosophies behind them. Through much discernment with her spiritual director and with the blessings of a good priest, Karen decided to get her yoga certification. She maintained close spiritual direction throughout her training to assist her in careful discernment and in holding true to the teachings of the Catholic Church. During her training, she was able to take a close look at the ways yoga is heavily influenced by the New Age movement and how yoga philosophies conflict with Christian teachings. She has since utilized this knowledge in the development of Pietra Fitness, a program that specifically leaves out practices that are contrary to the faith.