A parish priest in Co Donegal has described yoga and other disciplines such as tai chi and Reiki as contemptible. Photograph: Getty Images.

A parish priest in Co Donegal has described yoga and other disciplines such as tai chi and Reiki as contemptible.

Fr Padraig OBaoill made his comments in the latest issue of the Gaoth Dobhair parish newsletter.

As followers of Jesus Christ we should not partake in deeds that go against our religion, he wrote.

Accordingly, you should do not take part in yoga, thai chai or Reiki...Do not put your soul in jeopardy for the sake of these contemptible things.

A local yoga teacher said Fr OBaoills stance and advice to his parishioners was ignorant.

Sean OTuathalain, who runs the Yoga Centre in Letterkenny, said he would love to meet Fr OBaoill to try to understand why he was urging people not to take part in yoga.

I have to say that this advice appears to me to be coming from a position of ignorance, he said.

However, I think priests in general are skeptical of yoga and Reiki. I can understand where they are coming from but I think they need to find out more about these subjects.

Mr OTuathalain suggested that many people in Ireland turned to yoga after the scandal of clerical sexual abuse emerged.

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Yoga putting souls in jeopardy, priest warns