* Originally posted on Elephant Journal (another great site to check out)

Sunday was Mother’s Day, a perfect day for one amazing mother to be honored with the official title of The Oldest Living Yoga Teacher by the Guinness Book of World Records.

I had the honor not long ago to photograph the very lovely and extremely inspirational Master Tao Porchon Lynch, a ninety-three-year-old yoga master, ballroom dancer, oenophile (lover of wine), and former actress and model.

See what I mean? Beautiful. And it’s worth restating here: NINETY-THREE! (93!) Seven years short of an entire century! And she’s getting into poses that I can’t even touch—and I consider myself quite the yogi.

During the course of our interaction, this light-filled, beautiful, intelligent, sharp, NINETY-THREE-YEAR-OLD woman, thanked me—three times—for being patient with her while she got into her poses as we made art together.

I thought, where do I have to be? What do I have to do? Who am I not to be patient?

It was an epiphanic experience for me. To be in the presence of this beautiful soul really drove home what an incredible gift patience is—one that gives so much back.

 “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Visit Master Tao’s website to learn more about this gem of a human being.

Ninety-three and lookin' good.

The powerful images of mixed-media artist Robert Sturman have a vivid presence that is both other-worldly and deeply rooted in the earthly wonders he has explored so adventurously in his global travels. A spiritual journeyer as well, Sturman is an intuitive creator whose works resonate with an inner vision as much as they reach out to embrace the viewer with tactile, richly hued physicality. The official visual artist of 2005’s 47th Annual GRAMMY® Awards, Sturman has formal training as a painter and photographer, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz. For more on Robert and his art please visit him on Facebook or his website.