A Meeting In Central Park With The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher In The World. ~ Photographed by Robert Sturman
She’s a very cool lady.
Something so poignant occurred—she thanked me. This light filled 93-year-old, beautiful, intelligent, sharp, woman, thanked me (three times) for being patient with her while she got into her poses and we made art together.
Where do I have to be? What do I have to do? Who am I not to be patient?
Master Tao Porchon Lynch, a 93-year-old yoga master, ballroom dancer, oenophile (lover of wine) and former actress and model will be inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest living yoga teacher—this Sunday, May 13, Mother’s Day. Inspiration beyond comprehension.
93
…
…
Patience—the gift that gives so much back.
“And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth,
‘You owe me.’
Look what happens with love like that.
It lights up the sky.”
~ Hafiz
Have a sweet Mother’s Day.
~ You can learn a lot more about Master Tao here ~
~ Follow Sturman’s Art journey here ~
93 and lookin' good
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~
Editor: Kate Bartolotta
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An inspiration to us all! And especially grateful to Tao for the wonderful teachers that she has helped inspired!
Thank you.
Namaste
My initial reaction to these gorgeous photos was wowowowow!!! Then came my deeper response: Look! This is the result of a lifetime of practicing and living your yoga. Master Lynch is the goddess of peacock and side plank much the way that Vanda Scaravelli was the goddess of backbends almost until her passing in her late eighties. My own teacher, Betty Larsen, continues to be an inspiration at 70. Pranams. My prayer is that if I can do a fraction of what these yoginis do, when I hit 93 in thirty years, I will be deeply grateful. As the homily goes, it's not the years in your life but the life in your years.
Val. What a beautiful paragraph. I’m scheduling a shoot with you when you’re 93. I’ll be knocking on your door 30 years from today! Thank you for taking the time, for looking at the work and connecting to the deeper soulfulness of it.
please look at B.K.S. IYENGAR for age, pose and all the rest… and you'll find the difference between guiness book + central park and Yoga
She doesn’t think of herself as being 93, she thinks of herself as being her. So when her age slows her down, she apologizes, because she isn’t really that old
.
Gorgeous, gorgeous gorgeous.
I just got my 80 year old grandma her first yoga mat for her birthday, will have to show her these pictures for inspiration!!
Love it
[...] the oldest living yoga teacher [...]
Divina !
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And never too late to start!
My Father: Starting Yoga at 87.
Bob W. Associate Publisher
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BKS Iyengar is 93 too and is still teaching. Though not as nice looking in a red dress like this lady.
Great, how she the environment go together. opposing, yet synthesizing. like the threes, connecting earth with the heavens.
Beautiful, this rich, paasionate red!
These are SO beautiful and radiant. I love Robert Sturman's comment, "Who am I not to be patient?" This woman is awe-inspiring!
[...] 2011: My Mom Was… [...]
[...] A Meeting In Central Park With The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher In The World. ~ Photographed by Robert…. Share this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. 13/05/2012 by Frk Lilla Lykke [...]
How wonderfully inspiring,i am 62 and love my Yoga practice,this inspires me to keep going. Thanks for the article.
Your article is inaccurate as this man is the oldest at 108 years old http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=105711
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Master Tao is an amazing inspiration and attestation to what yoga can do for your mind and body. I think its amazing she is getting into the Guinness book of records and we should all be motivated by her. Yet, she is not the oldest yoga teacher in the world – perhaps only in the Western world. I have met and heard of several in India that are over 100s. I had a class with a 103 year old yogi myself in Rishikesh, India in November, 2011.
[...] A Meeting In Central Park With The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher In The World. ~ Photographed by Robert…. [...]
I have been a student of Tao's for over a decade and she never ceases to amaze me. I am also proud to be one of her 400 "children."
Tao’s accomplishments are many: practicing yoga for 84 years, teaching for 40 years, marching with Ghandi, hanging out with the Dalai Lama, becoming an accomplished model and actress, a champion ballroom dancer and a wine expert. When asked if she has any children, she always answers: “yes, 400 of them”, referring to the many yoga teachers (including me!) she has trained.
When I first met Tao, I was, as we all are, taken with her accomplishments. I wanted to figure out her secrets so I could apply the same principles to my life. Once I got to know Tao better, the person behind the accomplishments came into focus. She is a solidly rooted tree, a symbol of everything that is good in this world, teaches us to act with our whole hearts, and to never forget out inner child. She enchants everyone she meets, helps us to forget our pain and age, and to work beyond our perceived abilities. All of her teachers training graduates are proud to be branches on her tree.
If there one was award for making the world a better place on a mental, physical and spiritual level, helping people shed all negative thoughts about aging and ability, it would be Tao's. But until then, she will keep adding to her collection. The Guinness award honors Tao for her gift of keeping us all young and vibrant regardless of how many years pass. Thank you for sharing yourself with the world Tao! -karenyoungyoga.com
Her energy is so so beautiful.
Tao Porchon Lynch – What poise and grace shinning with such beauty.
oh, how very beautiful. thank you.
i celebrated a very different mother's day but mother's day nonethless. would be honored if you read…
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/05/happy-dead…
here on elephant.
xx
What an inspiration she is – blessings her way.
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[...] sursa Tweet Adaugat in sanatatea familiei, yoga/fitness Etichetat inspiratie, Master Tao Porchon Lynch Bookmark permalink « Penguin Cam: live video of the “Penguin Encounter” at SeaWorld® San Diego. [...]
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Здорово это итоги работы над своим возрастом и комплексами, доказать что человек даже в этом возрасте сможет удивить мир!
thank you for sharing these wonderful photographs,these are so inspiring..yoga at this age with so grace in never seen before,thanks .God bless you
[...] Mr. Sturman’s stunning photos of Tao Porchon Lynch, a 93-year-old yoga master pictured in a red flowing gown, have been making the rounds on Facebook [...]
Sweet Mother's Day concept, Robert, and more "outside the box," aesthetically, which I also really like. You're decoupling "youth" from "beauty" and restoring grace, elegance, wisdom and longevity to their proper place in our understanding. I would go so far as to say that it's possible to be too young to be "beautiful." Sexy, comely, even hot, yes, but beautiful, you got to have mileage – and life experience. The "Lady in Red" – what a riff!
[...] A Meeting In Central Park With The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher In The World. ~ Photographed by Robert… [...]
I will be 93 in July and and still do simple yoga asanas. I stopped teaching yoga at 90 as I was swamped with my committments. My daughter has been a yoga teacher and dance teacher (still teaches dance and yoga at 2 different colleges) for many years. I used to teach ballet and tap. " The oldest teacher" is a winner. May you both enjoy the peace and love you emit.
So gorgeous!
HOw magnificent…this lights up the world…thank you Robert, for this gift!
Lovely photos and great inspiration. However, in sheer numbers of years practicing & teaching yoga, BKS Iyengar and Sri Patabi Jois outnumber the years as yogi teachers and practitioners.
It is wonderful to see how a lifelong practice of yoga can make for longevity. As a geriatric physician I am impressed.
I've been to an older yoga teacher in India. The title is inaccurate and needs to be changed.
This is so inspirational! Thank you for this article. It has re-energised my day and gives us all something wonderful to aspire to.
[...] World’s Oldest Living Yoga Teacher http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/05/a-meeting-in-central-park-with-the-oldest-living-yoga-teacher… [...]
[...] In presenting the two opposite experiences – I think this story for me, is a story of hope. I was so sad for my mom and so unhappy with the medical system she was beholden to at the end of her life. I will always think of this 98 year old Reiki practitioner in Iceland who takes care of herself in the most gentle, holistic, non-invasive, nourishing manner every day. I feel the same about this 93 year old master yogi ~ Tao Porchon Lynch. [...]
There is no doubt she is an inspiration. However, as a few have already mentioned, BKS Iyengar is first in line of going into Guinness Book. Not only he’s still teaching, he continues to evolve modern yoga. Namaste.
That dress!!!
Meet San Antonio's phenomenal Esther Vexler: http://bit.ly/NPOeFw
Wouldn't it be sweet to see the two of them meet?! Beautiful ladies! Thank you.
Nice images… but I would be careful when you use marketing to misrepresent your pictures. There are certainly OLDER YOGIS in India and probably other places. If you want to say a 93 year old yogi that is fine but there are Yogis that are over a hundred and some even older than that in seclusion.
[...] has taught me the meaning of living an inspired full life. She is the ultimate yogini at [...]
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[...] made time for the practice became long and lean. Or, how the yogis I came into contact with had a peacefulness about [...]
She is magnificent. Thank you for sharing her beauty with us.