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5 secrets for staying positive from world's oldest yoga teacher, 96

Tao Porchon-Lynch is the Guinness-certified world’s oldest yoga teacher, but she's far too busy to rest on her laurels. At 96, she still teaches yoga everywhere from the New York City suburb where she lives to the island of Jamaica and the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts. That's in between winning ballroom dancing competitions, holding wine tastings, and working with the Dalai Lama on issues of

Tao Porchon-Lynch is the Guinness-certified world’s oldest yoga teacher, but she's far too busy to rest on her laurels. At 96, she still teaches yoga everywhere from the New York City suburb where she lives to the island of Jamaica and the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts. That's in between winning ballroom dancing competitions, holding wine tastings, and working with the Dalai Lama on issues of peace and spirituality.

Here are words of wisdom on living long and living well from a woman who marched with Gandhi in the 1930s, fought in the French Resistance in the '40s, hobnobbed in Hollywood in the '50s, took up competitive ballroom dancing at the age of 87 — and still hasn't slowed down today (her memoir is coming out shortly):

1. Start the day right: “When I get up in the morning, I don’t think about all the things that are going to happen, whether it’s good or bad. I say to myself, ‘This is going to be the best day of my life.’ "

2. Age is just a number: “I don’t believe in age. When people ask me about age, I tell them to look at all the trees around them. They’re hundreds of years old. They may look as if they’re dying at the moment, but they’re not; they’re recycling themselves. And in a couple of months, they’re going to be reborn again.”

Tao Porchon-Lynch
Tao Porchon-Lynch in an elevated lotus position at the Taj Mahal.Today

3. Dance like nobody's watching: "Dancing makes you well again. You know, I fell and I’ve slipped. I’ve had everything, but I don’t let it take the better of me."

TTao Porchon-Lynch dancing with Vard Margaryn.
Tao Porchon-Lynch dancing with Vard Margaryn.Albert Parker / Today

4. Accentuate the positive: “Whatever you put in your mind materializes. So if you put negative thoughts, you draw toward you negative things. So be positive. Just look for good."

5. Don't procrastinate: "There’s nothing you can’t do, and you can just get up and enjoy life and see how wonderful it is. There’s so much to do, so little time to do it.”

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