Why did you start taking Spinning® classes?

It seemed to be fun and I was looking for a cross training option for my daily running. And I was unhappy with the indoor cycling classes taught in Romania.My first revelation was an Endurance Energy Zone™ ride DVD purchased from Spinning.com. The second was when my husband told me, “Hey, let’s do a serious Instructor training, a Master Instructor is coming to Romania.” The third was when Peter Pastijn brought tears to me by telling me to focus on the person I loved the most when I was searching desperately for some extra energy. My first real ride felt from another world, it was so about me and also not about me.

What inspired you to become a Certified Spinning® Instructor and then a Master Instructor?

Beyond the tremendous knowledge, beyond the technicality, beyond the sparkle, beyond the humble attitude, the MI’s I’ve met taught me about inspiration. They inspire us to do better things, to dream for greater and to achieve more. How grateful I am to look up to people that never cease to teach while never cease to learn, that facilitates my journey to be the best version of me.

What do you love about teaching Spinning® classes?

With every class I teach, I share this ideal, to enable the participants a sense of freedom, a sense of achievement, a sense of being better in their own choices. A Spinning® class will be, after years, like the memory of a great book you’ve read as a child. You’ll not remember the music, the facts, you will just remember how it made you feel. This feeling lingers to the point that becomes a part of you, just as you are the sum of things you repeatedly do, day by day.

What are your top three favorite songs to play during your Spinning® classes and why?

Music is the frame for the Spinning picture, it gives it shape and projection within yourself. The 15 min long “Bolero” of Maurice Ravel drives resistance loading technique to the next level, “Beethoven 5 secrets” of Piano Guys as a fabulous opening for an aspirational ride and my epic side enjoys the energy and power of Mark Petrie's “Kara Kul.”

What makes Spinning® such a great workout?

Spinning is such an extraordinary philosophy, I find it every day in a different way, like a diamond that has a different glamour depending on which side you look at it.

Share a memory from your experience as a teacher/coach/presenter that embodies the value of being a Certified Spinning® Instructor or Spinning Master Instructor.

The world sometimes melts in an expression on someone’s face. I was teaching an event in December 2014 in the Netherlands, feeling excited and at the same time overwhelmed by skyrocketing emotions. Two ladies from the audience joined me on stage for the ride. We were pedaling and the music and the energy surrounded us like magic from every corner of that space. And at some point we looked at each other and they both smiled in such genuine way, I felt blessed for being given this opportunity. When I teach Spinning, I just feel blessed day by day.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about becoming a Certified Spinning® Instructor?

Consider yourself as more than an instructor, think about yourself as a coach, a person determined to continue to study, to learn, to grow and to share the best of yourself and the best of your knowledge to the people that will join your classes. Their growth will be your mission.

What’s one of your favorite motivational quotes?

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo-- OvidiusTranslated from Latin it means: The droplet carves out the stone not through strength, but through repeatedly falling.

Do you have a hero in the Spinning® community, someone who deserves recognition for their leadership?

Luciana Marcial Vincion, she is the heart beating in the chest of the Spinning Program.

Is there anything about you that would surprise people?

I would love to have some time to waste.Oana joined the Spinning® Master Instructor Team in June 2014, following her passion for sports and for constant development. A strong believer in the incredible capacity of learning and reinventing ourselves, Oana is also a marathon runner. She has a degree in International Economic Relations and a Masters Degree in Commercial Business Administration. She has been working for more than 14 years in the IT&C Industry for software, devices and cloud services.