When yoga meets cycling, what kind of sparks will fly? She is a yoga instructor who loves cycling. She has been in the yoga industry for five years and just started cycling a year ago.
Though her time as a cyclist is relatively short, her passion burns like a wildfire, flowing like a river, growing stronger with each passing day, and surging farther with each ride.
After taking up cycling, her life is no longer confined to the yoga studio and home.
She fell in love with the sensation of pedaling on her bicycle, chasing the freedom of the wind.
In the deep autumn, the maple-lined roads are adorned with deep red and light yellow leaves. Maple leaves cover the branches densely, with golden threads, creating a colorful carpet on the ground.
She rides her bicycle over the golden fallen leaves, and in the tranquil forest, she can hear the crisp sound of leaves breaking.
The warm winter sunlight pierces through the layers of clouds and trees, illuminating her as she pedals through the wind, chasing the sunrise.
Mist blankets the surface of the lake on Science Island, and the bridge is shrouded in cold mist. She rides her bike against the cold wind, with birds flying past her side, one after another.
In the landscapes she has passed through, there are the chilly winds of winter, the scorching sun of midsummer, the faint light of dawn, the golden melting sunsets, and the red leaves of Shushan, wheat fields, pink grass in Xiaolingnan, tea gardens in Liuan, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus in Hangzhou in October.
"I've gotten used to waking up naturally at 5:30 AM, heading out to ride my bike at around 6 AM, and enjoying the morning breeze. I've also gotten used to the feeling of racing against the setting sun."
And so, she never stops pedaling.
"From the moment I started cycling, I felt like I was being myself."
The second half of 2022 was a significant period for her. In June, she quit her well-paying stable job and started working at a new yoga studio.
Changing studios meant starting from scratch and building up her client base all over again.
She said, "When you have everything, you'll find that you've reached a plateau, and you'll lose your sense of purpose."
While stability is the pursuit of most people in the world, the exhilarating feeling of challenging one's limits and breaking through oneself is even more satisfying.
She said she didn't want to follow the conventional path of finding a stable job where every day is the same.
She wanted to explore a broader world, even if it meant facing significant pressure, overcoming challenges, and having no regrets.
In October, she discovered a sport that perfectly suited her personality—cycling.
She said, "From the moment I started cycling, I felt like I was being myself."
So, from October 2022 to October 2023, she spent the entire year on the road, braving all kinds of weather.
"Life is not a track; it's a wilderness."
How should I describe her?
I enjoy watching her videos. Whether she's doing yoga or cycling, they bring me peace and healing.
I once thought of her as a natural spirit dancing gracefully on a bicycle, shimmering with light, leaping and dancing in the light, priceless.
But as I approached this source of light, I saw my own shallowness, trapped in conventional thinking, like someone confined to a well, unable to see the vast sky.
How could I compare her, someone who loves sports and enjoys the thrill of chasing, to a fragile spirit?
She is a girl who loves sports, and her words, her arms, and her footsteps are filled with boundless strength, a powerful life force that breaks through adversity and grows upward.
She said, "Why do I ride a bicycle? I just want to keep moving forward, finding one peak after another."
She said, "I've always wanted to recapture the feeling of doing gymnastics at 16, and luckily, I found it in cycling."
I once came across a quote about cycling that said, "Life is not a track; it's a wilderness."
The more I talked to her, the more I realized that this phrase perfectly describes her.
In high school, she had a dream of becoming a teacher and started gymnastics from scratch at the age of 16.
She studied computer science in college and began working in yoga after graduation. In addition to yoga, dance, and cycling in her daily life, she also persisted in learning boxing.
Each of these phases may seem unrelated, but they are her personal experiences.
She has proven with her actions that "life is not a track; it's a wilderness."
She told me, "Don't think that what you've learned in the past is useless; it will come in handy someday in the future."
When she started gymnastics from scratch at the age of 16, the daily rigorous training and the hardships she endured cannot be fully described in words.
Later, she courageously quit her stable job, faced the pressure of working in a new environment, and continuously surpassed herself while cycling. I believe this unyielding courage largely comes from her determination during those gymnastics training sessions at the age of 16.
She is the featured guest on this episode of "One Step to the Sky" – sweet, a yoga-loving girl who enjoys cycling and life.
I admire her courage and resilience and hope that as you read this, you can also feel this beauty.
Her story is definitely worth hearing.
