Hiking and yoga – at first glance, the two don’t really have much in common. Hiking is about enjoying nature, fresh air, escaping the noisy everyday life in the city, you move and cover several kilometers. Yoga is usually offered in fitness clubs, practiced in a group on a mat maybe one square meter and serves to strengthen the body and as a form of meditation.

 

So fire and ice, yin and yang. But aren’t they also about relaxation, deep breathing and recreation? Is it about doing something good for yourself and your body, finding deceleration or even a little further to yourself? Exactly, that’s what hiking and yoga are all about; both are different, but complement each other and harmonize wonderfully with each other. So yin and yang after all.

 

The creators of the “Beijing Hikers” have recognized this and have been offering so-called “Yoga Hikes” since this year, in which both leisure activities are combined. Sabine Kloth, a German, is a trained yoga teacher and has lived in Beijing for almost four years. She is leading the yoga exercises during the excursion. She has been a member of the hiking club for a long time and tells how the idea came about:

 

“Huijie, the co-founder of Beijing Hikers, approached me when she found out that I was training to be a yoga teacher; I couldn’t imagine doing something together with them. I loved the idea, right away. Because for me it’s just a great addition to be outside in nature and do yoga there.”

 

The Yoga Hikes are held in the area around the Yinshan, the “Silver Mountain”, maybe 50 kilometers north of the city center. At its foot lies the “Pagoda Forest” (see: “Every Day is a Good Day” – Zen Inspiration in the Yinshan Talin), and the first yoga exercises take place right next to the pagodas. Sabine explains why this place was chosen for it:

„It’s a special place. The atmosphere is just perfect for yoga, very spiritual, very beautiful.” 

 

And she’s right. After a first short walk from the parking lot, where a driver has dropped off the small group of eight participants, the yoga mats are unrolled, directly at the northern end of the former Fahua Temple, less than ten meters from the pagodas. The first yoga unit lasts 45 minutes, in which Sabine demonstrates and explains various exercises of the Hatha style and also teaches inexperienced participants professionally and competently. The charisma of this spiritual place for many and the yoga exercises carried out with deep breaths let a pleasant feeling of relaxation flow through the body, the pulse beats calmly, the lungs deflate, the blood seems to flow more vigorously, the muscles become more supple.

So it can continue like this, up to the summit of the silver mountain, with June from the Beijing Hikers leading the group up the many stone steps as a hiking guide. Sabine, on the other hand, is at the end of the group, both women are connected to each other via radio and can thus ensure that no one of the hikers gets lost during the entire hike. The participants themselves are all female on this radiantly beautiful early summer day, which may be due to the connection with yoga. The women are between their mid-20s and almost 60, they come from Denmark, Canada, Colombia and the Netherlands, and on the way to the summit, acquaintances are quickly made and chatted. Hiking guide June always takes short breather breaks, explains the different types of trees along the way, shows the further way on a map or explains remains and relics of former pagodas or caves.

Gradually, the hikers reach the summit, the view of the surrounding mountain ranges rewards the sometimes arduous climb of the stairs, and the view of the nearby Great Wall compensates for any sore muscles anyway. Sabine ensures that this is as small as possible or even non-existent. She shows the group different stretching and relaxation exercises on the small platform at the summit, so the muscles are gently stretched and relaxed again.  The hike continues, descending a few steps from the summit and then turning right along a narrow path, past thujas and bushes. Small red ribbons with the symbol of the Beijing Hikers always point you in the right direction, difficult and somewhat strenuous passages are also specially marked with barrier tape. Like the other hikes in the organisation’s program, the Yoga Hike has also been explored and approved by so-called scouts in advance. The organizers also provide information on the level of difficulty on a website and provide a first impression of the various hikes with photos.  And the impressions of the participants prove that the concept and the idea of ​​the Yoga Hikes works. Two young tourists from Denmark are in Beijing for a few days, they read about this offer in their travel guide and spontaneously decided to try it out. 

“I really enjoyed the excursion. The trek is strenuous, but then comes yoga to relax and stretch the body so you can enjoy the beautiful nature.”

 

“I think it’s ideal. Really. For the same reasons my friend just said. And the best thing about this trip was really that the yoga exercises were done outdoors. (…) We’ve never done it before, in Denmark yoga is only available in studios. And here was beautiful weather today and also the scenery is lovely to do something like that.”

 

So the hike goes back down into the valley in a very relaxed manner, past an old temple, along a dirt road and finally through a small village, where the driver is waiting with the yoga mats we have collected beforehand. These are used again, after all, there is another yoga unit at the end. This time not at the pagodas, but at a nearby hotel, which is located directly on a small lake. The jetty there turns out to be the perfect place for the last 45 minutes of yoga, Sabine again leads professionally through the exercises and even some geese from the adjacent lake come onto the jetty and waddle through the participants with interest. So much exercise in the fresh air naturally makes you hungry, and so a delicious menu is finally uncovered in the hotel restaurant, a perfect end to a perfect day. Kay from Colombia agrees: 

 

“I love it! I’ve been on several hikes with the Beijing Hikers and today was my first time with yoga. And I love it because it’s not such a long hike that you end up exhausted at the end. It’s a combination of enjoying nature, exercise, breathing techniques, walking and relaxing, and the body rejoices. (…) Then of course here in this environment in the open air yoga – that’s a dream.”