The Beginning of a Beautiful SoulCycle Relationship

Dressed in Lululemon head to toe, I was ready to go to my first SoulCycle class. While I only have a few Lululemon workout items in my closet, I knew I had to wear all of them out to fit in with the SoulCycle crowd. Preferring to use my free on campus gym membership, I often steer away from paying for exercise classes filled with upper-class millennial girls who are more in shape than I’ll ever be. But, after hearing all of my friends rant about how much they love SoulCycle, I decided to give it a try and see what the hype was really all about

I walked in and was immediately intimidated by girls wearing SoulCycle merchandise as if they attend classes everyday. Even though I was dressed in “luxury” workout clothing, I felt like a fraud. I looked the part of an everyday SoulCycle member, but I still didn’t feel welcomed in the spinning class.

I stepped into the dark room and immediately looked like a new rider. I didn’t know how to adjust my bike or put the cycle shoes on. All around me, girls dressed in expensive workout outfits were already peddling away while I was struggling.  I felt like a pair of knock off workout pants from Old Navy in a room full of $100 Lululemon leggings.

But then, the instructor walked in. She was exactly what you would picture a SoulCycle instructor to look like— tall, blonde and fit. Even though she looked intimidatingly perfect, she was warm and welcoming, trying to make everyone in the class feel included and wanted. The class began, and being as out of shape as I am, I was already in pain after the first five minutes. I knew I wasn’t as experienced as the other riders, but it didn’t seem to matter in the dark room. The instructor kept telling us not to look at how others were doing and to do what was best for us.

I powered through, and I stopped looking around me to see how fast everyone else was going. It didn’t matter that I lowered my resistance when everyone else turned theirs to the right. The class became solely about me and how far I could push myself. I was beginning to understand why people felt such a cult connection to SoulCycle. It wasn’t just a spinning class but a journey of personal growth and evaluation. The instructor kept telling us to think about our goals, to forget about the people who hurt us in the past and to focus on our own personal journey rather than everyone else’s. Usually I would see this advice as generic and sappy, but in the room of empowering women working to better themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually, I took her words of wisdom to heart.

Even though SoulCycle’s image is associated with perfectly tone girls wearing upscale workout gear, I think there is far more to the class than that. SoulCycle helped me realize why I value exercise in the first place— to find happiness and self-confidence. Because Northwestern is so competitive, it can be hard to feel like you stand out or have something unique to offer. But just like in SoulCycle, life is about focusing on pushing yourself while ignoring how fast everyone else is going. So in a world of Lululemon, don’t be afraid to be a pair of Old Navy workout leggings. If everyone is turning their resistance to the right, don’t be afraid to turn yours to the left if life is getting too hard. And if you need to sit on the bike rather than pedal, no one will even notice.