We’re sure everyone in this world wants to end up working at their dream job. No matter what course we take during college years, we just want to end up somewhere that will be able to pay all our bills while leaving us enough money to treat ourselves and be happy. For Tao Porchon-Lynch, this dream became true. She kept doing the same job for 75 years.
The Hardworking 99-Year-Old
Tao Porchon-Lynch was born in 1918 and continues to stay strong at 99 years old. She is known for her work as a yoga instructor and has been doing this job for a total of 75 years — making her the oldest yoga instructor in the world.
Her daily routine consists of getting up at five in the morning just to teach. That is a very strict daily routine and she deserves a lot of credit for actually gathering the right mindset and discipline to maintain such routine for several decades.
She grew up living in India then later transferred to the concrete jungle, New York City. She had the chance to be featured in the Power of She campaign by Athleta, after being known as a woman of great influence and impact. Her life quote: “Anything is possible, nothing is impossible”.
At only eight years of age, she already had a glimpse of the world of yoga. She was strolling down the beach when she first saw a group of young practitioners. Tao Porchon-Lynch later told herself that she wanted to do what the people she saw were doing.
Even if her aunt said that yoga was mostly for males, she still pursued it. She had quite the encounters during her youth for she met notable people like Mahatma Gandhi, General Charles de Gaulle, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Tao, 99
However, before pursuing a professional career path in yoga, Tao started elsewhere. She was doing some work as a model and was even able to be dubbed as the woman with the “best legs in Europe”. She was able to travel the world thanks to modeling. During the World War II, Tao transferred to London where she decided to ditch modeling to work as a cabaret performer.
After the war, she went to the United States to work as an actress. Some of the films she is known for include Show Boat and The Last Time I Saw Paris. Even if she was focused on acting, she was still intact with her yoga life through giving her co-actors in the industry free yoga sessions.
Tao when she was a Model/Actress
Despite the fact she did many modeling and acting stints, she knew how much yoga meant to her and wanted to become a yogi. Tao was able to become mentored by yoga greats, Sri Aurobindo and Indra Devi. Her first ever stint as a yoga instructor was made possible by Jack Lallane who trusted her and hired her. She co-founded the Yoga Teachers Alliance aka the Yoga Teachers Association, in 1976.
In 1995, Tao continued to grow her Yoga skills by attending the Yoga for Peace International Peace Conference that was held in Israel. It is said that she is the first ever foreigner who was fortunate enough to become a student of B. K. S. Iyengar who founded the yoga style, Iyengar Yoga. Ever since then, she told herself that she will be teaching yoga until her last breath.
B. K. S. Iyengar, founder of Iyengar Yoga
Life Outside Being A Yogi
Despite her first, true and biggest love, Lynch didn’t limit her world to just yoga. She also ventured out in doing work as an author and released a book entitled Reflections: The Yogic Journey of Life. She also danced the Tango and competed in different ballroom dancing competitions wherein she won numerous medals. Another fun fact about her is that she doesn’t drink water for she loves wine too much. She is the Vice President of the American Wine Society and the publisher/editor-in-chief of The Beverage Communicator.
Tao showcasing her talent as a ballroom dancer on the show, America’s Got Talent
The fittest 99-year old woman
Even though she is 99 years old, her health was put on numerous risks already. First was when she had to get a hip replacement then the next was when she broke her wrist. Her secret to a longer and healthier life is a vegetarian diet that has occasional intakes of chocolate pieces and a good glass of wine.
