EBENSBURG – SoulCore goes the rosary path to physical exercise and mental fitness.
In the gym of the Holy Name School, women of different ages and body shapes complete 45-minute workouts.
SoulCore combines core strengthening, stretching and functional movements with the prayers of the rosary – combined with music, scriptures and reflections – to encourage deeper meditation on the mysteries and virtues of the rosary.
Participants train up to their level of ability on yoga mats and sitting chairs. Certified Instructor Jill Zimmerman reminds them to “honor their bodies”.
She said, “SoulCore is not yoga and not just for women. It’s a praying experience. “
Zimmerman said she was diligently praying the rosary but lost her way when “motherhood arrived.”
“I became a very busy mother,” said the native of Ebensburg. “I stopped praying the rosary for 20 years.
“I found ‘Many Hail Marys’ all at once on Instagram.” They pray the rosary every day at 7:45 a.m. If I hadn’t found that, I wouldn’t have attended a SoulCore course. “
‘Pleasant’ exercises
Zimmerman writes to her pastor, Br. Brian L. Warchola of Holy Name Catholic Church, for help with certification.
Warchola has included two parishes in this program.
“I found SoulCore in a catalog,” he said. “I liked the idea of integrating prayer and fitness.”
Just like Valerie Orris from Johnstown. Orris describes himself as a young 79-year-old and said the exercises were “enjoyable without being intrusive”.
Orris says she likes to stay active. But Orris couldn’t imagine SoulCore.
“You don’t normally associate the rosary with push-ups,” she said. “I wanted to see how it worked.”
A “time to reflect”
Warchola had the same mindset. After researching the program, he reached out to a SoulCore teacher in Pittsburgh.
“In my former parish (St. Michael) there were 30 people in first grade,” he said.
Warchola, hopes curiosity will lead people to watch SoulCore.
“Try something new,” he said. “If you can pray, it’s always good.”
Sarah Zearing, who is from Ebensburg, said she attended the course to have fellowship and pray.
“SoulCore gives me time to think,” she said, “to take a break from life.”
Orris said at her age it was a blessing to drive to Ebensburg and hold a plank position yourself.
“Sometimes it’s hard,” she said. “But I’ll hold this plank for God.”
