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{{Short description|American yoga instructor (1918–2020)}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_name = Täo Andrée Porchon
| name = Tao Porchon-Lynch
| image = Tao Porchon-Lynch with Padma Shree.jpg
| caption = Porchon-Lynch in 2019
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|08|13}}
| birth_place = The [[English Channel]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|2|21|1918|8|13}}
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| spouse = {{Marriage|Bill Lynch|1962|1982|end=his death}}
| occupation = Yogi and competitive dancer
| known_for = Oldest yoga teacher
}}

'''Tao Porchon-Lynch''' (born '''Täo Andrée Porchon'''; August 13, 1918 – February 21, 2020) was an American yoga master and award-winning author of French and Indian descent. She discovered yoga in 1926 when she was eight years old in India and studied with, among others, [[Sri Aurobindo]], [[B.K.S. Iyengar]], [[K. Pattabhi Jois]], [[Swami Prabhavananda]], and [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. At age 101, she taught a weekly class in New York, and led programs across the globe. She was the author of two books, including her autobiography, ''Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.powerlivingmedia.com/products/copy-of-dancing-light-the-spiritual-side-of-being-through-the-eyes-of-a-modern-yoga-master?variant=998704569|title=Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master|access-date=2016-06-09|archive-date=2020-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425111328/https://www.powerlivingmedia.com/products/copy-of-dancing-light-the-spiritual-side-of-being-through-the-eyes-of-a-modern-yoga-master?variant=998704569|url-status=dead}}</ref> which won a 2016 IPPY Award and three 2016 International Book Awards. In the front matter endorsement, [[Deepak Chopra]] said: "One of the most acclaimed yoga teachers of our century, Tao Porchon-Lynch... is a mentor to me who embodies the spirit of yoga and is an example of [[Ageless Body, Timeless Mind]]. Like yoga, she teaches us to let go and to have exquisite awareness in every moment."

She was the recipient of India's highly prestigious award [[Padma Shri]] in 2019 for her excellent work in the field of Yoga.<ref>{{cite web |title=2019 Padma Awardees List |url=https://padmaawards.gov.in/selectionguidelines.aspx |website=padmaawards.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Government announces Padma awards 2019: Gautam Gambhir, Prabhu Deva, Kader Khan among awardees |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/government-announces-padma-awards-2019-gautam-gambhir-prabhu-deva-kadir-khan-among-awardees/articleshow/67690881.cms |work=The Economic Times |date=16 March 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Pondicherry waterfront 1900.jpg|thumbnail|Pondicherry, where Tao first saw yoga being practised]]
Tao Porchon was born on August 13, 1918,<ref name="Columbia 1">{{cite news|title=At 95, Westchester woman holds title of world's oldest yoga instructor|url=http://m.columbiajournalist.org/www/473-at-95-westchester-woman-holds-title-of-worlds-oldest-yoga-instructor/story|newspaper=Columbia Journalist|first=Julia|last=Schwarz|date=September 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109092354/http://m.columbiajournalist.org/www/473-at-95-westchester-woman-holds-title-of-worlds-oldest-yoga-instructor/story|archive-date=November 9, 2013}}</ref> on a ship in the middle of the English Channel, two months premature.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> Her father was from France, while her mother was Indian ([[Manipur]]i).<ref name="Times of India 1"/> Her mother died when Tao was seven months old<ref name="Westchester 1"/> and she was raised by her aunt and uncle. Her uncle, who designed railroads, often brought her along for trips around Asia,<ref name="Times of India 1">{{cite news|title=Tao Porchon-Lynch: A dancing star at 94|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/Tao-Porchon-Lynch-A-dancing-star-at-94/etarticleshow/11587520.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109103833/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-22/people/30652712_1_ballroom-dancing-sandip-soparrkar-manipuri|url-status=live|archive-date=November 9, 2013|last=Saadia|first=Dhailey|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=January 22, 2012}}</ref> travelling as far as [[Singapore]]. The family owned vineyards in the wine region of the Rhône River Valley, located in Southern France.

At age eight, Tao witnessed a group of youthful yoga practitioners exercising on a beach in then French India, Pondicherry. This encounter got Porchon interested in yoga, who stated in an interview with ''Guinness World Records'', "I wanted to do the amazing things that they were doing with their bodies."<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> Going against the advice of her aunt, who remarked that yoga was meant predominantly for males, she started practising yoga, although she did not get involved in it professionally until much later in her life.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> In her youth, Porchon met the Indian nationalist [[Mahatma Gandhi]], who was her uncle's close acquaintance,<ref name="Westchester 1"/> even marching with him on two separate occasions.<ref name="Times of India 1"/> She also participated in demonstrations with General [[Charles de Gaulle]] and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref name="Columbia 1"/>

==Career==

===Entertainment===
In her early career, Porchon worked in the fashion industry. She found success as a model and won several titles, including "Best Legs in Europe".<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> For a period of time she was signed under the [[Lever Brothers]].<ref name="Westchester 1"/> She travelled around the globe modeling in such cities as Paris. During the Second World War, Porchon moved to London and became a [[cabaret]] performer<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> under the mentorship of [[Noël Coward]]. Notable journalist [[Quentin Reynolds]] took note of Porchon, writing that she made a "dark London brighter".<ref name="Westchester 1">{{cite news|newspaper=Westchester Magazine|url=http://www.westchestermagazine.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=11996&url=%2FWestchester-Magazine%2FNovember-2011%2FProfile-93-Year-Old-Yoga-Master-Tao-Porchon-Lynch-a-Westchester-County-Resident%2F&mode=print|title=Profile: 93-Year-Old Yoga Master Tao Porchon Lynch, a Westchester County Resident|last=Kurtz|first=Andrea|accessdate=November 8, 2013|archive-date=April 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428120644/http://www.westchestermagazine.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=11996&url=%2FWestchester-Magazine%2FNovember-2011%2FProfile-93-Year-Old-Yoga-Master-Tao-Porchon-Lynch-a-Westchester-County-Resident%2F&mode=print|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After the war died down, she relocated to the United States, where she got a job as an actress under [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]],<ref name="Times of India 1"/> appearing in various Hollywood motion pictures, including ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YlqCNGKMw | title=99-Year-Old Dancer Shares Secret for Long Life | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thetaoexperience.com/theatrefilm/ | title=Theatre/Film }}</ref> ''[[Show Boat (1951 film)|Show Boat]]'' (1951), also featuring [[Kathryn Grayson]],{{Sfn|Gevinson|1997|p=920}} and ''[[The Last Time I Saw Paris]]'' (1954).<ref name="Huff May 2012">{{cite news|title=Tao Porchon-Lynch, Biography "Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master" Power Living Media; (2. Oktober 2015)}}</ref> During her career as an actress, she frequently gave free yoga sessions to her fellow actors and actresses.<ref name="Times of India 1"/> She was also featured in the documentary ''[[If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast]]'', a television film which premiered in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2017/04/if-youre-not-in-the-obit-eat-breakfast-a-celebration-of-vitality-after-age-90-hosted-by-carl-reiner-debuts-june-5-exclusively-on-hbo/ |title='If You're Not In the Obit, Eat Breakfast,' a Celebration of Vitality After Age 90 Hosted by Carl Reiner, Debuts June 5, Exclusively on HBO |publisher=TVWeek |accessdate=2017-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=39 forlife |url=https://www.39forlife.com/8493-2/ |title=Experts share advice on aging gracefully in new HBO documentary |publisher=39 for Life |date=2017-04-10 |accessdate=2017-06-26}}</ref>

===Professional yoga===
Later on, Porchon-Lynch, now a married woman, found herself becoming more serious in yoga. Having studied with yoga greats Sri Aurobindo and Indra Devi,<ref name="Bio 1"/> she abandoned her acting job in 1967, deciding to become a full-time yogi.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> [[Jack LaLanne]] was the first to hire her to teach yoga.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=A Good Age for Yoga |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/26/AR2005092601364_2.html|date=August 26, 2005}}</ref> In 1976, she became one of the founders of the Yoga Teachers Alliance, now known as the Yoga Teachers Association.<ref name="Westchester 1"/> She based her operations in New York and set up the Westchester Institute of Yoga in 1982, which now has students from all over the world.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> In 1995, with Indra Devi, she flew to Israel to attend the Yoga for Peace International Peace Conference.<ref name="Bio 1"/> Porchon-Lynch has also been one of [[B. K. S. Iyengar]]'s disciples in yoga and reportedly the first "foreign" student of his.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/all-that-matters/Iyengar-calling/articleshow/1249311.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109104449/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-10-01/all-that-matters/27865923_1_yoga-teachers-paramahamsa-yogananda-bks-iyengar|url-status=live|archive-date=November 9, 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|title=Iyengar calling|date=October 1, 2005}}</ref>

Porchon-Lynch has embraced her age and carried her yoga with her. She has mentioned, "I'm going to teach yoga until I can't breathe anymore."{{Sfn|Gilbert|2013|p=193}} She received the ''Guinness World Records'' title of world's oldest yoga teacher from Berniece Bates in May 2012. Porchon-Lynch was 93 when she broke the world record.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> In 2013, in collaboration with Tara Stiles, she released a DVD on yoga, titled ''Yoga with Tao Porchon-Lynch''.<ref name="Bio 1"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yogawithtao.com/|title=Yoga with Tao Porchon-Lynch|accessdate=November 6, 2013}}</ref> In addition, she published a book about meditation, titled ''Reflections: The Yogic Journey of Life''.<ref name="Bio 1">{{cite web|publisher=Tao Porch-Lyon|url=http://www.taoporchon-lynch.com/Bio.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402234755/http://www.taoporchon-lynch.com/Bio.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2010|title=Bio|accessdate=November 6, 2013}}</ref>

==Other endeavors==
Outside of yoga, Porchon-Lynch continued to involve herself in competitive dancing, particularly in [[Tango (ballroom)|ballroom tango]].{{Sfn|James|2013|p=33}} She had several hundred first-place titles in competitive dancing. Her youngest dance partners were Hayk Balasanyan, Vard Margaryan and Anton Bilozorov.<ref name="Times of India 1"/>

In 1967, Porchon-Lynch assisted in the establishment of the American Wine Society (AWS) with her spouse. When it split into different branches across the United States, she was selected in 1970 to be the Vice-President of the AWS in Southern New York. She also frequently appeared as part of the judging panel in various wine competitions.<ref name="Westchester 1"/> She later became the publisher and editor-in-chief of the wine appreciation magazine, ''The Beverage Communicator'', distributed by the AWS.{{Sfn|AWS|1987|p=13}} With her fellow yoga practitioners, Porchon-Lynch organized annual wine appreciation trips to France.<ref name="Columbia 1"/>

In 2016, Tao Porchon-Lynch received the [[Women's Entrepreneurship Day]] Pioneer Award<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womenseday.org/team_member/tao-porchon-lynch-sports-pioneer-award/|title=Tao Porchon-Lynch (Sports Pioneer Award)|website=Women's Entrepreneurship Day|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref> at the [[United Nations]] in recognition of her achievements in the sports world.

==Personal life==
Porchon-Lynch grew up speaking French and [[Meitei language|Meiteilon]]. Thus, when she moved to North America, she experienced a language barrier, being unable to grasp the English language well, although she overcame the problem with sufficient practice.<ref name="Times of India 1"/> She was a close acquaintance of Hindi film actor [[Dev Anand]]. The duo were introduced to each other by [[Kamini Kaushal]], who was also a friend of Porchon-Lynch. Porchon-Lynch married Bill Lynch around 1962 but became widowed after her husband died in 1982. The couple had no children.<ref name="Westchester 1"/> In her spare time, Porchon-Lynch enjoyed meditating.<ref name="Huff May 2012"/> She was a [[Pescetarianism|pescatarian]].<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tao-porchon-lynch_n_3209187 "Tao Porchon-Lynch, 94-Year-Old Yogi, Shares Secrets To Health & Longevity"]. Huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2021.</ref><ref>[http://www.thefruitdoctor.com/tao-porchon-lynch-95-year-old-yoga-instructor-prepare-to-be-inspired/ "Tao Porchon-Lynch–95 year old yoga instructor–Prepare to be inspired"]. Thefruitdoctor.com. Retrieved 6 November 2021.</ref> In August 2014, she still drove her Smart car.<ref name="Columbia 1"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|title=American Wine Society News|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ngJJAAAAYAAJ|year=1987|publisher=American Wine Society|ref={{SfnRef|AWS|1987}}}}
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Gevinson|1997}}|author=Alan Gevinson|title=Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911–1960|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsoUXGZSxZcC|year=1997|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-20964-0}}
* {{cite book|author=Genie James|title=The Fountain of Truth: Outsmart Hype, False Hope, and Heredity to Recalibrate How You Age|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fmpCamisrQIC|year=2013|publisher=HCI Books|isbn=978-0-7573-1715-6|ref={{SfnRef|James|2013}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Sara Gilbert|title=The Imperfect Environmentalist: A Practical Guide to Clearing Your Body, Detoxing Your Home, and Saving the Earth (Without Losing Your Mind)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jQODkXk--4C|year=2013|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-345-53759-1|ref={{SfnRef|Gilbert|2013}}}}
* {{cite book|last1=Porchon-Lynch|first1=Tao|last2=Kennedy|first2=Janie Sykes|last3=Kennedy|first3=Teresa Kay-Aba|title=Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master|publisher=Power Living Media|year=2015|location=New York|isbn=978-1-942-51000-0}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.taoporchonlynch.net/}}
* {{IMDb name|1015445|Tao Porchon}}
* https://www.instagram.com/taoporchonlynch100/

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porchon-Lynch, Tao}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:American yoga teachers]]
[[Category:America's Got Talent contestants]]
[[Category:American people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:People of Meitei descent]]
[[Category:French emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:French women centenarians]]
[[Category:People born at sea]]
[[Category:People from Pondicherry]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in other fields]]
[[Category:American women centenarians]]
[[Category:World record holders]]

Tao Porchon-Lynch - Revision history

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