[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Happiness can be simple. Yoga gave me the answer that happiness is about whether you are in a balanced and optimistic state. When you are in society, that state may be affected unconsciously. But yoga can help you to remain positive."

It also stirred her creativity and she wrote a Chinese book Song of India in the same year about the trip that changed her life.

In August 2003, Yin and Bhandari co-founded Yogi Yoga in Beijing, a few months after she invited him to the city to teach her and her friends yoga. While Yin is in charge of management and operations at their outfit, Bhandari is responsible for teaching.

"Yin has great vision, and she wants to give the benefit of yoga to society and initiated the event in universities," says Bhandari.

According to Yin, yoga helps people to have an optimistic attitude to life. Yoga is a series of studies, not just about postures.

She says it is better to practice yoga under the guidance of professionals to find what suits you best. For example, for those who have lumbar disc protrusion, some postures are good while others are not.