TAO PORCHON-LYNCH, 98, has been getting up at 5 a.m. to teach yoga for more than 75 years. Now, the world’s oldest yoga instructor, who was raised in India and lives in New York, has shared her advice and the mantras she swears by in life. As part of the “Power of She” movement for Athleta, Porchon-Lynch appeared in a video alongside Dr. Terri Kennedy, a “Master Life Coach” she teaches with. “Anything is possible, nothing is impossible,” Porchon-Lynch said. “When you wake up every morning say ‘this is going to be the best day of my life’ and it will be.” When Porchon-Lynch was just 8-years-old she was told yoga wasn’t “lady-like” when she expressed interest in it. But the determined yogi joined a bunch of young boys doing it and eventually convinced a yoga master to allow her to join his class. “I’ve been teaching now for 75 years,” she said. Dr. Kennedy said everything about Porchon-Lynch inspires her. “We met at a master-class workshop ... she shows us what almost a century of conscious mindful living looks like,” Dr. Kennedy said. “Tao and I travel the world inspiring people through yoga and we often get comments that we are more powerful together. Porchon-Lynch concluded the video by sharing a piece of advice. “Know that the joy of living is right inside of you,” she said. “Live it, believe in it.” Yoga isn’t the only craft Porchon-Lynch has mastered, however, with the spirited yogi also talented at ballroom dancing. She was also a fashion model in her youth and acted in movies including 1951’s “Show Boat” and 1954 film “The Last Time I saw Paris,” starring Elizabeth Taylor. Porchon-Lynch — whose husband of 20 years, Bill Lynch, died in 1982 — says that the ancient practice not only keeps her body young, but it improves her mind and soul as well. That’s not to say that time hasn’t taken an inevitable toll on her health; just a few years ago, she had to have a total hip replacement, and in 2011 she broke her wrist.(SD-Agencies) |