Meet the 96-Year-Old World's Oldest Yoga Teacher (Photos)

Tao Porchon-Lynch begins every morning at 5am to teach her students how to bend, stretch and master the most difficult yoga poses - despite being nearly a century old.

The 96-year-old, who was raised in India and currently lives in Westchester County, New York, has been practicing yoga for more than 70 years, and she shows no signs of slowing down.

In fact, she has recently added ballroom dancing to her repertoire, and she dances circles around her dance partner Vard Margaryn, who, at 26, is a whopping 70 years her junior.

While she has only been dancing competitively since the Eighties, the nonagenarian has won an estimated 500 first place awards, mostly in her favorite category - ballroom tango.

'Yoga is the dance of the spirit,' she told the Huffington Post in 2013. 'Ballroom dancing is the physical awareness that comes from the joy within us.'

Mrs Porchon-Lynch, who was born to a French father and an Indian mother, was signed as a fashion model in her youth. She also acted in movies including 1951's Show Boat and 1954 film The Last Time I Saw Paris, starring Elizabeth Taylor.

She began pursuing yoga at age eight, and when she hit adulthood she decided to turn it into a full-time profession.

Cutting her teeth: Mrs Porchon-Lynch (pictured in 1975), began pursuing yoga at age eight, and when she hit adulthood she decided to turn it into a full-time profession

Now that she is in her nineties, the spirited yogi - whose husband of 20 years, Bill Lynch, died in 1982 - says that the ancient practice not only keeps her body young, but it improves her mind and soul as well.

'Yoga is the joining of our mind, body and spirit,' she explains.

'It is like nature, everything is always recycled and brought full circle.

'I find that I can heal myself if I do what nature does. It's taken away stress and has helped me through crises.'

That's not to say that time hasn't taken an inevitable toll on her health; just a few years ago, she had to have a total hip replacement, and in 2011 she broke her wrist.

Flashback: Born to a French father and an Indian mother, she was a model in her youth and also acted in movies including Show Boat and The Last Time I Saw Paris, starring Elizabeth Taylor. (Pictured in 1950)

Neverending energy: She has also recently added ballroom dancing to her repertoire

But rather than let these injuries slow her down, Mrs Porchon-Lynch perseveres and feels younger and stronger every day.

One of her secrets is a vegetarian diet of small portions, with the occasional glass of wine and piece of chocolate.

'I don't eat for the sake of eating,' said the petite 5ft 5in yogi, who maintains her weight at around 102lbs.

Unlikely pair: The lively nonogenarian dances circles around her dance partner Vard Margaryn (pictured), who is a whopping 70 years her junior at 26

'No one should eat huge quantities of food. Be in touch with nature and the fruits of life. That will keep us healthy.'

Not only does she keep a busy schedule with yoga classes, but Mrs Porchon-Lynch also embarks on numerous other endeavors - from publishing a book about meditation in 2011 to releasing a yoga DVD in 2013.

A description of her book on Amazon reads: 'Tao is a living advertisement for how to tap into our human potential. She is unique in her ability to overcome the effects of aging to control her body and mind in harmony with Yoga’s principles. 

Balance: One of her secrets is a vegetarian diet of small portions, with the occasional glass of wine and piece of chocolate. At 5ft 5in, she maintains her weight at around 102lbs and 'doesn't eat for the sake of it'

'Tao's philosophy is: "There is nothing we cannot do if we harness the power within us."'

She also helped establish the American Wine Society in 1967, and she frequently appears on the panel to judge various wine competitions. 

In 2012, she was officially entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living yoga instructor.