Strengthen the foundation of your life and find balance even when things get shaky. We have created a philosophy at SYB that is meant to give you purpose and direction – we share it on every adventure, every day trip, every class we teach and, we share it here. 

1. PASSION IS FUEL.

What makes you tick? Take note of what inspires and drives you on a daily basis. You have to want change to make change: enthusiasm is more easily and naturally bred when you truly love something. Making a habit of eating chocolate takes less effort than making a habit of eating kale—the habit is created with enthusiasm and fun. Finding and tapping into your passion means you stay open and mindful of your experiences in life, especially as you try new things.

2. COMMUNICATE.

Relate and Identify—don't compare. To build a community we must break walls down, not put them up. Identify barriers and hurdles, and then think about how to remove them one at a time. Listen, introduce and open yourself up. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take! There are more people out there than you can ever meet—make it count with the ones you do.

3. LET GO.

Detach from the things you own. Let go of responsibilities (at least for the adventure you're on). Be fearless about letting go of judgement, image, anger. Be brave enough to look in the mirror, facing and admitting your own wrongdoings or shitty behavior. And then, be kind enough to yourself to accept the past as it was, forgive and move forward.

4. MAKE AMENDS.

Once you’ve forgiven yourself, ask for forgiveness from others. Is there anyone you have hurt recently? Saying “sorry” is one of the most difficult things to do, but it is also one of the most rewarding—reach from a place of sincerity, and just do it. Forgiveness frees.

5. FOCUS.

Believe that energy flows where attention goes. What do you want? Ask for it. Not just from your inner self, but in every way you can think of, up to the highest power you believe in. What you seek is seeking you—your desires are divinely inspired. The belief in something is what makes it real.

6. SHOW GRATITUDE.

Thinking a nice thought about someone and not telling them is like buying a gift and not giving it. Who has positively affected your life lately? Maybe it’s the stranger who smiled at you during your manic morning commute, the family member who sent you a thoughtful note just because, or the friend who lent you a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen when you needed it most. Create a list of people you can give more love to, and shine your light on them to show gratitude for their existence and their impact on your life. Making other people feel happy will make you happy. Good feelings given away will return to you in spades.

7. MAKE TIME.

Life moves by pretty quickly—if you don't stop and take a look around once in a while, you might just miss it. Pause whenever possible and take in the moment. Smell the flowers on the walk. Pet that fluffy dog. Say “hi” to the newspaper guy on the corner you normally jet past. Life is not the destination, but the journey. 

8. RIDE THE WAVE OF HABITS.

Life is on repeat. Continue finding the road of passion, overcoming obstacles, releasing dead weight, giving attention to what's important, shining your light and love on others, stopping to understand the journey is long and at the end is only with yourself—and most of all, introducing yourself to another living, breathing soul who might just be on your wave! Motivation is what gets you started; habit is what keeps you going. It’s one thing to catch a wave, it’s another thing to ride it.

Mantas Zvinas is the founding caveman of SYB and a senior SoulCycle instructor. He strictly believes in practicing what he preaches, as any good teacher should.