- 21 June, 2025
June 21, 2025
As the world bends and breathes in unison today to mark International Day of Yoga, one name quietly radiates from India’s spiritual and therapeutic landscape—Rev. Fr. Joseph H. Pereira. A Catholic priest based in Mumbai, Fr. Joseph is the visionary behind the Kripa Foundation, a globally respected organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation of individuals affected by chemical dependency and HIV & AIDS. His most powerful tools of healing? Faith, compassion and yoga!.
Founded in 1981, Kripa—meaning grace—was born out of Fr. Joseph’s desire to serve the broken and the marginalised. Over the past four decades, it has grown from a modest beginning in Bombay into a sprawling network spanning eleven Indian states. It also has tie-ups with other organisations in Europe, Canada and the USA. At the heart of its treatment model lies a unique spiritual-therapeutic fusion: the integration of Iyengar Yoga with Christian contemplative practices.
A Bridge Between Faith and Breath
Fr. Joseph’s story is not that of a conventional cleric. Armed with degrees in psychology, philosophy, and theology, and trained in counselling techniques at the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota, USA, Fr. Joseph also became a devoted disciple of yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar. Originally a patient seeking relief, Fr. Joseph soon became a practitioner of Iyengar Yoga. He later started training people in the art and eventually became a global ambassador of the Iyengar School of Yoga, mentoring others through what is now recognised as Kripafoundation Iyengar Yoga™.
In a world where religion and yoga often exist in separate spheres, Fr. Joseph has built bridges. His teachings have found resonance among Christian seminarians, drug addicts, corporate professionals, international yoga practitioners, and spiritual seekers alike. Today, as National Coordinator for the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) in India, he continues to guide others in the art of “sitting in silence”, a practice he merges seamlessly with yogic mindfulness.
Healing the Whole Person
What distinguishes Fr. Joseph’s work at the Kripa Foundation is the holistic care he offers: not just sobriety, but serenity. In his own words, addiction is not just a physical affliction but a spiritual void. His programmes, delivered through a staff of mostly recovered individuals—“wounded healers”—are grounded in a combination of yoga, meditation, counselling, and spirituality.
His audio-visual teachings, such as “The Silence of the Spirit”, “Living with AIDS”, “Wholeness and Holiness”, and books like “Yoga for the Practice of Christian Meditation”, have reached thousands around the world. His methods, presented at international platforms, have won accolades for their effectiveness in treating substance abuse.
Global Recognition Rooted in Humility
Fr. Joseph’s efforts have been acknowledged globally with over a dozen prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri (2009), India’s fourth-highest civilian honour. He has been recognised by Rotary International, the National Institute of Social Defence, the Anti-Narcotic Council of India, and even the President of India, who bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award on him in 2014. More recently, in 2022, he was honoured in Canada for over 50 years of yoga practice and service.
Yet, ask him about any of these, and he credits all of this to the blessings of Blessed Mother Teresa, Guruji Iyengar, and his spiritual mentor Fr. Anthony de Mello. “I am only a channel”, he often says, “of God’s healing love.”
A Living Legacy
Today, on World Yoga Day, as yoga enthusiasts across continents roll out their mats, Fr. Joseph H. Pereira’s legacy serves as a gentle reminder: yoga is not just a tool for physical fitness but a transformative path of healing, recovery, and grace. For Fr. Joseph, it is not about contortion or complexity but communion—with the breath, the body, and the Divine.
Whether through a backbend or a prayer, Fr. Joseph’s life continues to bend toward those in pain. And in doing so, he uplifts them—not just into recovery, but into the wholeness of life.
To know more about Fr. Joseph and his Kripa Foundation, visit kripafoundation(dot)org.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
Images from Kripa Foundation website
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