Indoor Cycling for a better Life: Samuel Lurie

Samuel Lurie is not your ordinary spinning instructor. And the Indoor Cycling class he teaches at All Wellness is not your ordinary spinning class. Sure there’s sweat, calorie burning, and resistance, but these classes are more like island retreats. Students can bask in the comfort of spinning for 45 minutes. It is like a vacation from you life.

According to Samuel, “People have incredible breakthroughs in their lives” during his indoor cycling classes. As a coach, he guides and cares for students, so they don’t have to worry and can let go of stress. “It’s different than running on a treadmill in front of the TV,” he says, “You really are able to zone out.”

Visualization is a huge part of spinning with Samuel. It’s not just about visualizing hill climbs and beautiful natural vistas as you pedal, it’s more about visualizing a better future for yourself, whether that means a better figure or a better approach to your own well-being. And Samuel knows visualization! He is a licensed hypnotherapist.

“Spinning actually guided me to be open to hypnotherapy,” he says. “I was looking for a tool that worked quickly and deeply, I found hypnotherapy.” In his hypnotherapy practice, he specializes in anxiety. “Fear of chair lifts is something I see fairly often this time of year…one or two sessions of hypnotherapy can make a real difference.” Hypnotherapy is a directed therapy that helps people connect to their subconscious minds. “It [the subconscious] is present all the time, we just don’t connect with it often…meditation, prayer and spinning are all ways to connect with it.”

Another tool Samuel uses in his spinning classes is music. “Music is a big way to tap into the subconscious…it can really open things up.” He uses tunes ranging from Queen Latifah to Sylvester to William Orbit to Professor Trance and the Energizers. He describes his musical tastes as eclectic “world beat with soul and gospel and some instrumental grooves mixed in. I like to use remixes that people may never have heard of.”

The combination of uplifting music and an experienced guide gives spinners in the Indoor Cycling class at All Wellness the chance to mindfully connect with the unconscious mind. Where according to Samuel “big changes can happen.” About his Indoor Cycling class, he adds “Sometimes it’s just exercise, too.”