I Liked Peloton’s Mindful Reflection Rides More Than I Thought
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not a woo-woo or mindfulness fanatic, but I do enjoy the meditation classes that Peloton offers through its amazingly versatile app . That said, I’m more of an energetic, hands-on person, so I really enjoy challenging workouts, especially cycling ones. I recently discovered an offering from an at-home fitness company that combines meditation and cycling. Reflection Rides are a more gentle, focused cardio workout, and Peloton is now making them available.
What is Reflection Ride?
Reflection Rides are taught by Christine D’Ercole, a track cyclist who also runs several group spinning classes on the platform. In her words, “Reflection Rides are a series of mindful rides where we tune out external metrics to focus on ourselves and our internal dialogue.”
So these rides aren’t so much about ranking, watts, or calories burned, but rather about developing mental strength, which can often help an athlete become physically stronger. (This approach is reminiscent of Peloton’s Hyrox series of workouts , which combine cardio, strength training, and meditation to strengthen all parts of a rider’s approach to racing.)
The classes do, however, incorporate traditional cycling techniques. For example, there are hills and flat sections, so you get your cardio in while maintaining mindfulness and practicing “giving yourself what you need,” as D’Ercole says in one class. She encourages you to work out at your own pace, though there are traditional guidelines and suggestions for tempo and resistance.
D’Ercole encourages participants to reflect on what motivates them, what scares them, and what challenges they face during the trip, and suggests repeating mantras like, “I will make a decision. I will speak my truth.” Instead of powerful pop or rock music, the sessions feature softer, more earthy music.
Reflection Rides are 20 to 30 minutes long and can be found by simply searching for “reflection” in the app, both on the bike screen and on your mobile device. Personally, I always prefer to pre-select classes on my phone and then create a Stack (Peloton’s word for playlist) of the classes I want before I get on the bike . It makes it easier to find what I’m looking for, and I find the best classes when I take the time to search for classes on my phone rather than on the bike screen.
You can also find all of your Reflection Rides workouts in a special Peloton Collection. At the bottom of the app’s main screen, tap Browse All Workouts , then tap Collections at the top. You’ll see the Hyrox workout series, Reflection Rides workouts, and other workouts grouped into convenient categories. You can also find Collections on the bike screen by tapping Classes in the bottom menu, then Collections in the top left.
Why I like these classes
Nine times out of ten, I want to sweat, run fast, and push myself, but I also enjoy the benefits that come from not doing it sometimes. I can be really hard on myself, especially when it comes to my fitness goals, so it’s nice to take the time to just move, reflect on how it feels , and enjoy the sense of accomplishment.
Being encouraged to think deeply about how I talk to myself—again, especially around my body goals—and to recognize how good it feels to be able to move helps me refocus my thinking a bit. Instead of viewing exercise as something I simply must do to achieve and maintain the body I want, I can view it as something I’m lucky to do, and something I should do for fun.
Like I said, I’m not really into woo-woo, so I can’t say I do that kind of thing often or even as often as I should, but having access to something that grounds me and helps me get my cardio in at the same time is pretty cool.