If you do not have a SoulCycle near you, then you might not be aware of what exactly SoulCycle is. So what is SoulCycle? What is this weird place where people go to ride bikes that don’t go anywhere and come out all happy and sweaty? Why is SoulCycle such a success?
Throughout my personal fitness journey, I would certainly consider my discovery of SoulCycle to be a big milestone in my life. While I was home for the summer after my first year of college, my mom roped me into a spin class at her local studio. It was not SoulCycle, but I was hooked on the high cardio workout that was accompanied by loud music and encouraging instructors. The people who ran this studio got to know me, and I became part of the cute mother-daughter duo that attended regular classes. When I left Orange County to return to school, I knew I needed to find a spin studio. I was already starting to show an affinity for the workout, and I was not going to let the unfamiliarity of a new studio stop me. Fortunately for my case, there are plenty of spin studios in Los Angeles, and after doing my research, I decided to call SoulCycle my home.
SoulCycle is one of the biggest chains when it comes to spin classes, and only one class is enough to see why. SoulCycle is not just a place to go and work out. It is both a mind and body experience. In a candlelit room with around fifty bikes, the instructor for the class leads the room from a podium through an epic playlist blasting through the speakers, accompanied by various sequences of choreography. It only takes a song or two before the entire class is one sweaty mess dancing on their bikes through every climb and every sprint, with your instructor there to keep you going every step of the way.
SoulCycle has definitely had a physical impact on my life. I have lost a good amount of weight, my body is more toned, and my cardio and strength have significantly improved. However, the part of SoulCycle that has had the biggest impact on my life has been the mental part. I consider SoulCycle to be both my trainer and therapist! Somehow, each instructor is full of motivational wisdom that will hit at least one person in that class. Many times, I have heard some of these instructors say something that my mom had said to me only a day or two before (and we all know that moms have the best advice).
To say that I have made my studio my second home would be an understatement. Like most college students, my living situation is constantly changing. This is particularly difficult for me because I do not love impermanence. However, my SoulCycle studio has been my rock and feels like my home away from home. I know that I can be my most genuine self there and that my life changes just a little bit each time I ride the bike.
Each person’s fitness journey is unique, and I’m glad that I get to call SoulCycle a part of mine. So, after 100 rides and one year of Soul, is it safe to say I’ve joined the cult? Yes.
Can you say I’m obsessed? Absolutely.
Am I ever going to let this not be a part of my life? Never
xx
Emily
