At 100 years old, legendary yoga instructor Tao Porchon-Lynch has no plans to slow down. She is still teaching multiple times a week in Hartsdale, a northern suburb of New York City, and she dances in the local Fred Astaire society.
Since she first encountered yoga at age seven in her native India, Porchon-Lynch has trained with some of the greatest, and went on to mentor, among others, Deepak Chopra. In recent years she has appeared on America's Got Talent as a ballroom dancer, and authored two books. Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded her the prestigious Padma Shri Award for exceptional achievement. But with her 101st birthday round the corner - on August 13 - Porchon-Lynch insists she feels as spritely as ever. 'When I wake up in the morning, I look at the sun and I say, "This is going to be the best day of my life" and it will be. It always is.'
Porchon-Lynch lives alone in her suburban apartment, but when needed, she has a circle of care that includes current and former students and friends dropping by, plus members of a wine society she's in. She told the Associated Press she first discovered yoga while strolling along a beach, transfixed by a group of boys doing yoga poses. Her aunt told her the movements were 'not ladylike,' and she responded, 'If boys can do it, I can do it.'
By the time Porchon-Lynch was a teenager, already teaching yoga, she was able to explain how to breathe in a healthy way - especially to people in awkward sitting positions.
