By Carrie Gress

We have just collaborated with SoulCore to create an amazing candle for their store. The candle vessel is beautiful and simple, while the scent is subtle, invigorating, and a bit mysterious -- all of which came together to make a final product really reflect SoulCore's essential values. 

I caught up with co-founder of SoulCore, Deanne Miller to talk about the inspiration for the candle as well as the important work she and Colleen Scariano are doing build up both bodies and souls. 

Gress: We were so thrilled to be able to work with SoulCore to come up with a great candle, but we would love to hear more about what made you pick the scent as well as even the vessel that we ended up using.

Miller: We are so excited about this. Candlelight and scent have been an element of SoulCore since its inception and we have been testing and searching for a signature SoulCore scent for the past several years.

We wanted it to be delicate, light, almost imperceptible, and evoke calm, peace, and joy. TOH nailed it! Since smell is the sense most strongly linked to emotion, learning, and memory, our hope is when you light the candle at home, it evokes the same feelings experienced in SoulCore. We tend to lean toward the simple, so we were immediately drawn to the vessel’s simple, clean design and generous size for extra hours of burning. Plus, white signifies purity which we love! It’s much more than just a candle to us.

Gress: Ideally, a candle seems a perfect element to add to the SoulCore experience, but for those who don't know what SoulCore is, maybe you could tell us about your mission.

Miller: Yes, thank you for asking. We love to share about our mission! SoulCore combines the prayers of the rosary with core strengthening, stretching and functional movements. It’s an invitation to nourish body & soul and encourage deeper reflection on the Mysteries and virtues of the rosary; a gentle path to cultivate interior peace and growth in virtue.

Prayer is the primary focus and all movements are invitational, so there is no fitness level required as every movement can be modified to accommodate every ability and your needs on any given day. There are built in times of rest, following a rhythm of effort and surrender, and all the senses are engaged through scripture, sacred art, music, movement, candlelight, and now a SoulCore signature scent, thanks to our collaboration with TOH. Very often participants will say it feels like they’ve been on a “mini-retreat” after a SoulCore class.

Gress: Now more than ever it seems that we need to buttress both our spiritual life and physical health. What do you think are the advantages of doing both together?

Miller: There are multiple advantages! When you’re praying and moving your body simultaneously, you’re less distracted to other things. You experience deeper connection to the prayer and at the same time become physically stronger. There’s an interior strengthening that is taking place both spiritually and physically.

Another advantage is the 2-for-1, which is beneficial for people with time constraints and find it difficult to fit in prayer and movement each day. In SoulCore we like to say you’re actually getting a 10-for-1. You receive the benefit of prayer, rest, movement, strength, stretch, peace, virtue, silence, connection, and community all in one.

And probably the most important is that it pleases God when we are good stewards of our whole person, uniting body & soul in prayer like we do during the Mass. Our bodies are actively participating through standing, kneeling, sitting.

Scripture tells us God’s Word is “health to one’s whole body” (Proverbs 4:22) and to “Glorify God with our bodies” (1 Cor 6:20). Praying with our bodies fosters good health AND honors God.

Gress: You have seen remarkable growth over the years. What's next for SoulCore?

Miller: Yes, we are in awe of all the beautiful souls Our Lady has brought to this apostolate. What began from a little “yes” to an inspiration of the Holy Spirit has grown into 200+ Certified SoulCore Leaders and thousands of people praying SoulCore.

Our mission is to continue spreading the beauty and transforming power of the rosary around the globe by offering more experiences of SoulCore through in-person classes, digital offerings, collaborations with organizations, as launching our SoulCore School Curriculum currently in development.

We simply pray we are led by the Holy Spirit to be magnanimous stewards of this apostolate, to glorify God in everything we do, bring honor to Our Lady, and aid in the salvation of souls. We will continue to give our little YES in whatever way God wants to use us in drawing more souls closer to Him.