Recently I attended a spin class with a difference -
one in which fitness meets therapy.
Little did I know ‘soulcycle’ has been a
phenomenon for over a decade: in fact it was first launched
in New York in 2006 and its fan base includes Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and
Lady Gaga. The ethos of the class is for members to ‘cycle their way to
happiness’.
Tribe Cycle is the first soulcycle style class to
come to Edinburgh and has been running for over a year now. Having signed up
for a two week Class Pass trial I was lucky enough to be able to attend a few of
the upmarket Tribe classes for free so I decided to give Tribe Cycle a go.
I wasn’t sure what to expect and on arrival I realised
I was in for a few surprises. The class takes place in a dark room with muted
fluorescent lights giving it a nightclub vibe and is taught by an incredibly
attractive and physically fit woman wearing a headset. (I thought these fitness
teachers only featured in Sex and the City)
I was surrounded by a sea of tanned, blonde women
kitted out in their Lululemon gear. I quickly realised I was not part of the typical
Tribe Cycle clientele with my frizzy bun, transparent skin and non-rhythmic
movements.
The music was set, we were all saddled up, our gears adjusted and ready
to get spinning. With the combination of the dance anthem music, the fluorescent
lighting and the teacher occasionally shouting out things like ‘It’s Tuesday
night here at Tribe Cycle’, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in Ibiza.
This class is definitely for the physically able, your
legs literally do not stop moving for the entire 45 minutes and just when you think you’re
about to do a cool down, you’re being asked to speed up. The instructions are
almost delivered in a rap style with lots of rhythmic patterns to follow. Co-ordination is key!
Then came the positive affirmations. There is
something quite powerful about sweating out in a spin class and hearing
statements like; ‘You don’t need anyone to validate you’ or ‘You are perfect as
you are.’ The combination of the momentum of the pedalling with the positive
reinforcement simultaneously builds you up both physically and emotionally.
By the end of the class, my entire body was bright
red and covered in sweat. On my walk home my legs were in agony but I was on
such an emotional high and felt such a sense of achievement to have made it through
the class. I was definitely not the coolest or fittest person there but I definitely bought
into the ethos and will be back!
If you’re keen to join I warn you, you WILL sweat
and want to die halfway through but it is a trans-formative experience for the
body and soul.
