Finding Presence in Movement - A Spiritual Experience at SoulCycle
Finding Presence in Movement - A Spiritual Experience at SoulCycle
During the early 2010s, along with every other person in NYC, I was an avid SoulCycler. We’re talking the 6am class at the W 92nd St. studio 5x a week. During Yoga Teacher Training I went through a phase where I thought I couldn’t be into SoulCycle if I was really into yoga. The two things were somehow contradictory (another story, for another day). As I’ve owned my own multidimensionality, and learned that this absolutely is not the case, I’ve found myself happily back at the occasional SoulCycle class.
Last week, I walked into a Westchester the studio for an early morning ride, expecting the usual quiet room of 10 or 15 riders. Instead, the space was packed. Forty-five people filled the room—mostly women in their late 30s and 40s. The energy felt different. Reminiscent of those early days at 92nd St.
The instructor welcomed us and began by announcing the usual achievements and celebrations. Someone’s birthday, another woman’s 100th class—and then he announced something that shifted the entire room: a rider in the front row was celebrating her five-year anniversary of being cancer-free.The room erupted with cheers. Many of the women riding that day were there for her, because this was how she chose to honor such a powerful milestone.
We all clapped and as the music began, I was literally overwhelmed with emotion - to the point of crying. These were tears of gratitude. Not only for her healing, but also for the blessing that, in this season of my life, no one close to me is facing that battle. It was a wave of perspective, of deep appreciation for health, community, and resilience.
We rode through a few Coldplay remixes, and then the instructor played some old school Mase. This normally wouldn’t mean much, but to women in their 40s, ‘old school’ hip-hop from the late 1990’s just hits different. I caught a glimpse of a woman in the front row, moving with pure presence, completely in her body, completely alive. It was like the memories of nights out in NYC, moments of freedom, life before kids and responsibility just came flooding back. She was so present, in her own body, in this moment.
And it struck me: sometimes the most spiritual experiences don’t look like we expect them to. They don’t happen only in meditation or on yoga mats. They show up in the rhythm of a spin class, in the joy of a song, in a community that holds one another through milestones. We find presence in those moments where we’re moving our body through emotion.
So, a few things I’m taking from this Soul Cycle class -
Presence Isn’t Always Stillness. We often think presence means stillness—quiet meditation, deep breathwork, or slowing down. But sometimes, presence lives in motion. It’s found in the rhythm of a ride, in music that drops you out of your head and into your body. When you move with awareness—feeling your heartbeat and your breath —you connect to something sacred. Presence becomes less about pausing, and more about participating in the moment fully.
Gratitude Expands the Heart. That morning, gratitude filled the SoulCycle room—gratitude for healing, for health, for simply being there. Gratitude shifts our perspective from what’s missing to what’s miraculous. It reminds us that even ordinary moments—sweating together in a dark spin studio—can become sacred when seen through the lens of appreciation.
Movement is Medicine. We store emotion in our bodies—joy, grief, nostalgia, and everything in between. When we move, we give those emotions space to breathe and release. That’s why a song can bring tears, laughter, or a rush of energy you didn’t know you had. Movement clears stagnation and reconnects us to the flow of life itself.
These lessons remind us that spirituality doesn’t only happen in sacred spaces. Sometimes, it happens in a spin class. In sweat and rhythm. In a moment of shared joy. When we bring presence, gratitude, and movement together, we return to ourselves—awake, alive, and deeply connected to life.
And, shout out to Mike Press for creating a space that allows for presence.