of course, everyone can and does approach things their own way. But yoga offers something few other activities seem to these days - time with yourself. The 'meditative' side might just start with the experiencing of yourself as you go thru a 'practice'.This awareness has many benefits, a few of which include learning a lot about how your body feels/experiences the simple act of living/being. Add the strength, balance, breathing and movement of your practice experience and there's a whole new perspective of what your body is.
Then there's the learning to control your mind. The mind is an un-quiet thing, always needing interaction/distraction. And not surprisingly, if denied something to munch on, the mind will create its own 'attention'; often to our detriment. Yoga offers the opportunity to start controlling that loose cannon, the mind (if you want to and prefer to control yourself, rather than let the mind run amuck as it usually does).
Then there's 'now'. Yoga certainly is one of few ways for us to be fully present, here, now, living the precise moment and place you are. Not distracted by where you might be 10 secs away or 10 days out, or 1 hour past. Now. It's actually a difficult place to be consistently until it becomes more commonplace as you work/practice to being there.
Cycling can, in its most immediate form, be a great way to be here, now. If you (I was gonna say "let it", but thats not accurate - these days being here, now, is very hard with all the distractions we wrap ourselves in) work at it.
The days I am not 'strong' (determined) enough to have a Yoga practice, are poorer for not having it.