MU writes: “What do you know about sword yoga? Is it real yoga? Are there any spiritual risks for a Catholic who wants to take a class in it?”Yes, sword yoga, the hottest new fitness trend, includes real yoga as one of its components.
As the New York Post explains, “Sword yoga is a fusion of tai chi and kung fu with a touch of intuitive movement, slow breathing, paired with vinyasa yoga and sculpting movements. With the help of a kung fu jian, an ancient Chinese straight sword, this noncombative workout helps women build strength and confidence.”
Although the components may have ancient roots, sword yoga is a thoroughly modern invention. It is the brainchild of Sabina Storberg, a martial artist and fitness entrepreneur and founder of WeaponUp, the world’s premier sword yoga enterprise. Storberg claims the concept came from a deep connection she made with the kung-fu straight sword practice she learned while studying with Shaolin monks at the Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu school in the mountains of China for several years. She described the practice as being “an extension of myself over the last twelve years” and said the benefits went far beyond the physical.
“I developed a mindset focused on resilience, self-belief, and the value of consistent, disciplined effort,” she explains on the website. “This period was pivotal in reshaping my view of personal achievement as a continuous journey of practice. With a strong desire to seek knowledge at its source, I moved to Rishikesh, India, where I became a certified yoga teacher. During this time, the seeds of WeaponUp were sown.”
However, it remained a personal pursuit for many years while she focused on completing a degree in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Sustainability Management. After graduating, she went to work with UNICEF at the United Nations and although the work was rewarding, “my heart continuously gravitates back to the art of movement.”
In May of 2024, she left the UN and started WeaponUp. The venture quickly took off. Within less than two years, it has built a national following in the U.S., expanding into major cities like New York, and developing a subscription-based online platform with global access.
The user base is overwhelmingly female (99%) due to its focus on feminine strength, empowerment and confidence, along with a “graceful warrior” identity.
Considering this history, it’s easy to see why a Catholic should think twice before jumping on this latest yoga bandwagon. As the Church teaches, not all spiritual frameworks are neutral, even those that are presented as “just exercise” such as yoga. In spite of the innocent label, yoga is historically rooted in Hinduism and is ordered toward union with a divine consciousness and awakening inner spiritual energy. The same holds true for tai chi and the martial flow systems that are part of sword yoga. Both are rooted in Chinese philosophical and spiritual traditions, often involving concepts of qi (life force energy) and harmonizing with cosmic forces.
Even when stripped of explicit language, these systems carry embedded worldviews, which is why the Church cautions against blending physical exercises with roots in non-Christian religions in the 2003 document, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life.
“Some physical exercises automatically produce a sense of well-being…but this can open the door to a cult of the body and to spiritual confusion.”
Sword yoga is not spiritually neutral by any means, and its components can introduce Christians to foreign concepts of energy or consciousness, blur the line between exercise and spiritual practice, and encourage a kind of self-focused spirituality rather than dependence on God.
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