The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests. Some Catholic retreats use yoga for relaxation.

Ms Withell, 37, from nearby Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was from another religion so she could not have the hall. A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

''I had never heard about any religious issue with yoga before but I have looked into it since and found that some other religions feel that when people meditate it could let the devil inside them,'' she said.

''But there was never any meditation in my class - it was just exercises. Yoga is not religious: spiritual, but not religious.

''I do not object to anyone having a religious viewpoint, but it seemed terribly petty to cancel the classes.

''As a nation we have an obesity epidemic. I was trying to bring some exercise to the community and coming across blocks like this is frustrating.

''I offered to go down and show them the moves and, literally, the shutters came down.''

Fr Chandler said the church was ''misled'' by Ms Withell's booking because he claimed that, at first, the hall was booked for pilates and then he found out it was also for spiritual yoga.

''Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise. Being a Catholic church we have to promote the gospel and that's what we use our premises for.

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Priest bans yoga for 'being incompatible with Catholic faith'