The everyWoman Blog: World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher Shows Us How Stretching Is Really Done

World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher Shows Us How Stretching Is Really Done

Oooh, we love a good yoga-inspirational story. Bernice Bates is not your typical great-grandmother. She practices yoga every day, she teaches once a week at her retirement home in Florida, and she was recently voted as the World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher by the Guinness Book of World Records. Oh, and this 91-year-old is probably more flexible than most of us. And we have the video to prove it.

Practicing and teaching yoga since 1960–long before it was the “in” thing to do, Bernice credits her longevity, health and slim 105-pound physique to the practice.

I have no problems. I go once a year for exams, for my eyes and for my body. That’s all. I’ve never had any problems in any other way.

In a previous interview, this self-taught yogi explained why this practice is better than any other exercise:

Your mind, your body and your spirit. They all work together and they’re all coordinated. Whereas when you’re on a treadmill, that’s all you’re doing, and you’re tired when you’re done. We build energy in our body, we don’t take it out.

There is certainly nothing old about this oldest yoga teacher. Now if we could just get our legs behind our head and touching the floor like she does.

Take a look as Bernice in full yogi-action as she shows us how it’s really done: