(Image source from: Hong Kong Tatler)

The 100-year-old American yoga instructor and author Tao Porchon-Lynch received Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award for her extraordinary work in promoting yoga from Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty on Monday.

Since Porchon-Lynch was unable to travel to India for the investiture ceremony, she was awarded medal and citation at a special ceremonial occasion at the Indian consulate in New York.

Porchon-Lynch was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as world’s oldest yoga teacher when she was 93.

After handing over the citation, Chakravorty tweeted: “At 100 Tao Porchon Lynch is a bundle of serenity, energy & joy. It was an honour to meet her & hand over the Padma Shri medal & citation to her. She started practicing Yoga in1926 & has twice marched with Gandhiji. She agreed to attend the International Day of Yoga celebrations.”

At 100 Tao Porchon Lynch is a bundle of serenity, energy & joy. It was an honour to meet her & hand over the Padma Shri medal & citation to her. She started practicing Yoga in1926 & has twice marched with Gandhiji. She agreed to attend the International Day of Yoga celebrations. pic.twitter.com/fsHg3WVW8N

— Sandeep Chakravorty (@CHAKRAVIEW1971) April 23, 2019

The consulate also tweeted: “We are honoured to hand over the Padma Shri citation & medal to Ms. Tao Porchon-Lynch. Awarded Padma Shri for her contribution to Yoga, 100 years old Tao Porchon-Lynch was unable to travel to India for the investiture ceremony.”

We are honoured to hand over the Padma Shri citation & medal to Ms. Tao Porchon-Lynch. Awarded Padma Shri for her contribution to Yoga, 100 years old Tao Porchon-Lynch was unable to travel to India for the investiture ceremony.#Yoga #yogaeveryday #Padmashri #Honor pic.twitter.com/6xk6n5ohaN

— India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) April 23, 2019

Practicing yoga since she was eight-years-old, Porchon-Lynch has studied with some of the masters of yoga, including Sri Aurobindo, BKS Iyengar, and Maharishi Mahesh Joshi.

She continues to take yoga classes in New York City and conducts yoga events across the globe. An extremely versatile personality has also authored two books - her autobiography. Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master, won an IPPY award. An agile dancer, she also participated in the reality show America’s Got Talent.

Porchon-Lynch was born to an Indian mother and French father, who hailed from Manipur. She has also been a fashion model, actor, producer, publisher, and a wine aficionado.

During her younger days, Porchon-Lynch was also inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and took part in marches with him. She had also been a part of Martin Luther King’s civil rights marches.

She took to Yoga full time during the late 1960s. She founded the Yoga Teachers Alliance. Later in the ‘80s set up Westchester Institute of Yoga in New York, where she continues to live and work.

By Sowmya Sangam