Anita Draper
Catholic Herald staff
Rooted in Christianity, Pietra Fitness is the Catholic answer to Hindu-based yoga. The exercise program pairs stretching with sacred music, Gregorian chant, Scripture meditation and more.
“It is a way to honor the Lord with your mind, body and spirit,” explained Lori Keisic, an instructor of virtual and in-person classes who also trains new instructors in the program.
Keisic is a physical therapist specializing in sports medicine and a revert to the faith. Originally from Michigan, she competed in baton twirling for 12 years and spent five years as a featured twirler with the Detroit Lions.
Now living in Green Bay, she first encountered the Pietra program through DVDs purchased at a Catholic bookstore. “With some nudging from the Holy Spirit,” she signed up to become an instructor and was certified in 2019. With advanced training completed in 2021, she builds and records routines and serves on the Pietra Fitness Instructor Training Team.
The Pietra Fitness program is largely unknown in the Diocese of Superior, Keisic said. She was at Holy Family, Woodruff, at the Music Ministry Retreat in October, returning to the site of her recent wedding with her husband, Jeff Hummel, who converted to Catholicism at Easter.
Choosing to come back to the Diocese of Superior for their nuptials was sentimental and nostalgic for the couple, who took their first camping trip together a few years ago in Clear Lake – Holy Family was where they first attended Mass together – and who received special permission to use one of Music Ministry Retreat leader Francesca LaRosa’s psalms during the wedding ceremony.
The couple jumped at the chance to thank LaRosa in person, so they traveled from the Diocese of Green Bay to attend the Music Ministry Retreat. LaRosa composed the “Surrender” series for Pietra Fitness – the classes are organized thematically, Keisic explained – and that’s how the couple became familiar with her work.
While in the Diocese of Superior, Keisic hoped to spread the word about Pietra Fitness. The yoga-style workout program was largely unknown in this state when she started; she was the first Wisconsin instructor, and now there are five certified trainers in the state but none in the Superior diocese.
In addition to hosting online classes, Keisic also offers in-person demonstrations, series and retreats. The classes can be gentle, intermediate or advanced, prenatal, postnatal or customized for kids, although she hasn’t approached any schools yet.
The program was founded by a Catholic who suffered debilitating back pain after childbirth. She enjoyed the health benefit but felt uncomfortable with the spiritual element of yoga, which is based on philosophy not consistent with the church’s theology. Basically, as the pietrafitness.com website explains, “We must take great care to point out … that a good source for exercise is not necessarily a reliable source for spiritual truth.”
The Pietra program, in contrast, is fully Catholic, with a San Damiano cross at every class, approval from archbishops, patron saints and consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Spiritually, the program appealed to Keisic, who has been an active member of St. Bernard Parish in Green Bay since 2012. As an athlete and a physical therapist, she knows the value of yoga-style exercise. Now, she’s hoping to share it with others.
To contact Keisic, email . To learn more about Pietra Fitness, visit www.pietrafitness.com.
Newlyweds Lori Keisic and Jeff Hummel traveled back to Holy Family, Woodruff, site of their recent wedding, for the Music Ministry Retreat in October. Keisic is a Pietra Fitness instructor in Green Bay; she hopes to spread the word about the Catholic workout program in the Diocese of Superior. (Catholic Herald photo by Anita Draper)
