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Crossfit is my church: How fitness classes provide the meaning that religion once did.
Tara Isabella Burton, who studied the “religiously unaffiliated” in her 2020 book, “Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World,” has written that many people who have lost trust in institutions will put their faith in Instagram influencers specializing in self-care. A center devoted to self-improvement and community — expertly marketed and bu... See more
New York Times • SoulCycle Without the Bike: Here Comes Peoplehood
Keely Adler added
Sarah Drinkwater and added
Devotees say 'gym is church' and that customers will come flocking back, but analysts aren't so sure.
Mary Hanbury • THE FUTURE OF FITNESS: An inside look at the winners and losers as the industry faces upheaval
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Hold this in contrast to the gym, which is designed for only one thing: It’s where you go when you want to be with people who can help you get stronger, and who have the best tools to do it. It’s not incidental that being there means exposing yourself to the breath of others; that is, in fact, largely the point. The breath of language, the breath o... See more
The Atlantic • How Fitness Will Change Forever
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Companies like Crossfit and Soulcycle create a sense of consistent space and ritual that inculcate deep loyalty and community among their participants. Reimagine, an organization that describes itself as “the world’s leading end-of-life events platform,” hosts paid gatherings and festivals related to death and healing. Casper ter Kuille and Angie T
... See moreToby Shorin • Life After Lifestyle
The fitness industry’s maximalist ethos that throwing yourself wholeheartedly into a program—that working harder and faster, never quitting, and intensely believing in yourself—will give you flat abs and inner peace is uncannily reminiscent of the prosperity gospel.
Amanda Montell • Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
“What Elizabeth and I found at SoulCycle was that people came because they thought they wanted to get in better shape,” Ms. Rice said in an interview. “But, ultimately, what they found in those rooms was connection. We quickly learned the product we were selling was connection with other people.”
New York Times • SoulCycle Without the Bike: Here Comes Peoplehood
Keely Adler added