92 years old and still teaching yoga

92 years old and still teaching yoga

Age is no barrier for this 92-year-old yoga teacher. Vivien Vieritz has been practicing yoga for 60 years and teaching it for 50.

In her years of practicing yoga, she has perfected the poses and impressed world renown yoga guru Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar with her head stands.

"It's quite an honor to be a teacher; to help people to help themselves with posture and I really believe that everyone should do yoga for strength as they get older.

"I am so strong I cannot believe it myself. Two weeks ago I square danced all afternoon for three hours and my partner was a young man of 26. I was the envy of all the ladies in the club," says Vivien with a laugh.

"And then that night I did ballroom dancing for four hours with another 26 year-old. He's about six-foot and I'm about four-foot and nothing.

"I just have so much fun and I just think I'm so lucky and I'm so pleased that years ago I got into yoga."

A Caboolture resident, Vivien says she was the second yoga teacher on the Sunshine Coast - the first being a German lady who moved to Australia during World War II.

"I'm an Iyengar yoga instructor, so it's not easy yoga, I teach a lot of the Iyengar postures and I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

"I encourage the people to do the postures correctly and I really enjoy teaching.

"I like people to work to their full capacity and always feel like they're going a bit further than their comfort zone because that's when you really experience yoga."

Vivien says yoga has kept her strong and flexible.

"I can still do cartwheels and splits and head stands and hand stands. When I tell people that they nearly fall over, they really don't believe me. They think I'm telling fibs.

"I love doing the headstand, I'm just so comfortable, I feel like what Mr. Iyengar looks," says Vivien cheekily.

"Getting a compliment from Mr. Iyengar ...well that's the most unusual thing I have ever experienced.

"After rousing at 14 other people on the stage in Sydney, Mr. Iyengar complimented my headstand... he said 'well, at last, we have a decent headstand'. And I couldn't believe it," recounts Vivien.

"His assistant said it was the first time he has ever complimented anyone, because he never compliments anyone, no matter how good they are."

Vivien shares her motto for life

For a healthy mind and body, Vivien recommends a weekly dose of yoga.

"I actually feel the same way as I did in my fifties and sixties. I just do what I want to do, whatever it is, nothing is impossible, only to those who believe it is.

"That is my motto, and it's a good motto for everybody.

"If you think you can do something, try it, have a go, my magic word is attitude. If you have the right attitude, whatever happens to you in life, if you have the right attitude you will cope," says Vivien.

Donating every dollar she collects from her classes to give to charities, Vivien says she will teach yoga until she's called away.

"I don't think about stopping, it hasn't entered my head, so I think I'll be teaching right up until the last, whenever that is... and it could be a little while yet I hope.
"Please get into yoga and keep it up for the rest of your life," says Vivien enthusiastically.

Om Namah Shivay