In Paris, this parish organizes female cardio training sessions combining sport and prayer

Cardio-training exercises under the eye of a statue of the Virgin Mary? Faithful leggings and sneakers in a church? This is the amazing proposal of the sessions Body and mind (Body and Spirit) organized since 2015 in the crypt of the Trinity Church, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Every Monday at 7:30 p.m., around thirty women aged 25 to 40 meet there in sports clothes. With an annual participation of 300 euros, they chain cardio-training and muscle strengthening sessions under the direction of a coach. The Ozanam house, in the 17th century, welcomes the same initiative.

Tailor -made

After a snack, the participants share a spiritual time from 9 p.m., before welcoming the evening guest. If the theme of these meetings is vast (“being a Christian woman in the world”, for example), the speakers come from a very varied universes, like Charlotte Darcy, who created the first crèche with disabled employees in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine). The priest of the Trinity, Emmanuel Pinot, also came to expose the principle of discernment according to Saint Ignace. At 9:45 p.m., the evening ends with a tailor-made prayer for sportsmen: “My God, you who, by my mother, shaped a body and who, in this body has instilled the life of the mind, help me make the unity of one and the other. »»

Responsible for the organization of sessions, Anne-Laure, 36, an executive in digital marketing, confides: “These workshops feed both my body and my mind. It reconciles me with my femininity. “President of the association, Alix, 35, underlines the diversity of women who find themselves in the crypt:” nurses, childcare assistants, teachers, crafts … some are in professional retraining, and we even have a business chef. »»

If no baptism certificate is required to register, men, on the other hand, are prohibited. “We have nothing against them, of course. It is neither sexism nor feminism. But the association was created by a woman for women. And the exercises are suitable for our body, ”explains Anne-Laure. 29-year-old consultant, Marie-Liesse, practicing Catholic, concludes: “It’s a well-established time in my week. After my work in the defense, I appreciate letting go before thinking about a theme. There is also a very good atmosphere. We come as we are. Between girls. »»