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AWARDS AND HONOURS

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 12/2/2020 1:00:36 PM

Tao Porchon-Lynch

Tao Porchon-Lynch (born on 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, andMaharishi 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 Masterwhich 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. In May 2012, Guinness World Records recognized Porchon- Lynch as the world's oldest yoga instructor at age 93; the previous record-holder was then-91-yearold Berniece Bates of Florida. Tao was also an activist, oenophile and competitive ballroom dancer. In 2015, she appeared on Season 10 of America's Got Talent. Over her 75-year professional life, she was a couture model, actress, film producer, international film distributor, television executive, publisher and a co-founder of the American Wine Society In a November 2015 ABC World News interview Porchon-Lynch was called the "Real-Life Forrest Gump" since she participated in so many historic events over almost a century. In her autobiography Dancing Light, she describes personal encounters with many notables including Mahatma Gandhi, General Charles de Gaulle, Ernest Hemingway,Marcel Marceau, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Wilding, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Burgess Meredith, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Lana Turner, Debbie Reynolds, Red Skelton,Vincent Price, Leslie Caron, Arlene Dahl, Richard Greene, Hugh O'Brian, David Sarnoff, Joan Crawford, Lucille Lortel,Duke Ellington, Katherine Dunham, Ilka Chase, Jean Dessès, Jeanne Lanvin, and Coco Chanel, among others Tao Porchon was born on August 13, 1918, on a ship in the middle of the English Channel, two months premature.