A rising number of individuals around the UK are getting involved in yoga and these people may take inspiration from a woman in the US who is showing that age is no barrier to enjoying the ancient discipline.
Those who attend yoga in Hampstead and Pilates in Hampstead may be among those to cheer Tao Porchon-Lynch, who at the age of 93 has been added to the Guinness World Records as the oldest yoga instructor in the world.
Meanwhile, the nimble pensioner, who has taught yoga for 61 years and made this her sole career focus at the age of 73, revealed she has no intention of giving up her classes. This is despite the fact that she has had a hip replacement.
About this, she commented: “My doctor when he did the hip replacement said you won’t be able to do this, you won’t be able to do that. I said I don’t want to know what I won’t be able to do because I don’t believe it.
“So I sent him a photograph in lotus lifting off the ground and he called me the miracle woman. I said it’s no miracle, a miracle means only to see that which is inside of you. If it’s inside, I can do it.â€
She also noted that she will teach yoga until she “can’t breathe anymoreâ€, adding: “I just, I love yoga, it brightens my day and makes everybody smile.â€
Ms Porchon-Lynch runs her classes 25 miles outside of New York City and she pushes her students to find their deepest range in asanas.
Many of those who attend yoga in Hampstead and Pilates in Hampstead may wish to remain fit and supple enough to carry on engaging in the exercises as they get older. There are certainly plenty of different classes for them to make the most of.