Women gather at St. Mary Parish in Pella for a SoulCore session last month.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
PELLA — With colorful yoga mats in tow, a group of moms gathered on the St. Mary Parish lawn in Pella last month to exercise and pray in front of a Marian statue. It was their first time experiencing SoulCore, a Christ-centered fitness practice that integrates the prayers and mysteries of the rosary.
The women learned about the practice while listening to a Catholic podcast together — something they often do at the church while their children participate in religious education classes. “It seemed like a really neat way to pray the rosary and honor your body,” said parishioner Molly Engelhart. The women visited SoulCore’s website and connected with instructors from the Des Moines, Iowa metro, who agreed to make the hour-long drive and teach a class at the beginning of October.
The timing was perfect, as the women in Pella had been discussing ways to observe the Month of the Rosary through Marian prayer, Engelhart said. The women hoped to be able to gather for SoulCore outdoors, due to space limitations, though they worried about the prevalence of “pirate bugs,” which have a painful bite and are resistant to repellant. Neither the weather nor the insects posed an issue the evening of the event. “It was just really beautiful.”
Each 45-60 minute session begins with basic stretches and plank poses to warm up the body, according to SoulCore’s website. The SoulCore leader recites the Apostle’s Creed, then invites everyone into a position of rest while announcing the day’s mystery, virtue, Scripture and reflection. From there, the group moves into a series of modifiable core-strengthening and functional movements while praying Hail Marys. The group returns to a resting position for each Glory Be. After completing each decade, the group finishes with a final resting pose through the Hail Holy Queen and closing prayer (www.soulcore.com).
Feedback for the Pella session was positive. Two women from the parish are discerning whether to undergo certification training and host regular SoulCore sessions, Engelhart said.
SoulCore in Iowa City
Jacinta Hamilton, a member of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City, recently became a SoulCore instructor.
“I was drawn to it given my background in teaching ballet,” she said. “It is all faithful to the Catholic Church and does not incorporate any New Age spiritual or yoga practices. It’s quite remarkable.”
The Church does not forbid yoga as a form of exercise but warned against engaging in chants and other elements tied to the practice’s origins in Eastern spirituality in its 1989 document, Orationis Formas.
Earlier this year, Hamilton taught a SoulCore class during a retreat for mothers, hosted by St. Mary Parish in Fairfield. “We had a really good turnout,” she said.
She is not hosting consistent classes locally at the moment, but hopes for the opportunity to do so. “I think there could be a lot of interest for live classes in the Iowa City area,” she said, noting that parish halls could be an ideal place to host regular classes.
For more information about SoulCore in Iowa City, contact Hamilton via the SoulCore website at https://tinyurl.com/JHSoulCore.
