What do you think?
Rate this book
Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master
What is the secret to boundless energy, vitality and a fearless spirit? Millions across the globe have been inspired by 97-year-old Tao Porchon-Lynch--WWII French Resistance fighter, model, actress, film producer, wine connoisseur, competitive ballroom dancer, and yoga master. In 2012, she was named “Oldest Yoga Teacher” by Guinness World Records. The twinkle in her eyes and the brightness of her spirit capture you. Her YouTube videos have garnered over two million views. In June 2015, she wowed judges on America’s Got Talent dancing with her 26-year-old partner to Pitbull’s “Fireball.” With Peter Pan-like endless youth, she says, “In my head I’m still in my 20’s, and I have no intention of ever growing up.” How did she get this way and how can we exude such light?
Dancing The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master is an inspirational autobiography that shows us what is possible--that we each can live to our Highest Potential by inhaling life, exhaling strife and dancing to our own rhythm. Through Tao’s reflections, we are given the gift of insights from almost a century of wisdom that can be applied to our modern-day challenges. We learn her “secrets” to vitality while taking a soulful odyssey of love and loss, hope and joy. From the moment Tao was born on a ship in the middle of the English Channel, her life has been fantastical, an incredible odyssey through 20th century history with a first-hand experience of events and people most of us only read about. At age 22, she had already marched with Mahatma Gandhi twice and helped Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. She was performing nightly in cabarets during the bombing Blitz in London and was soon to marry a handsome French Spitfire pilot, a member of the No. 340 Ile-de-France Squadron. After the war, she became a famous couture model for designers such as Jean Dessès and Coco Chanel, and then an actress under contract with MGM. That was just the beginning--simply the backdrop for a very human search for the spiritual side of being.
Tao’s journey has had peaks of delight and valleys of disappointments, ultimately being a story of resilience and the triumph of Spirit. In the midst of war she found happiness. In the frenetic activity of Hollywood, she felt alone. As the seasons in her life changed, she evolved. When things didn’t turn out the way she wanted, instead of being bitter she “closed the book” as her friend Marlene Dietrich advised—and she pressed on. Yoga teacher Rodney Yee said, she has “weathered so much in her life and has come out the other side still completely pure of Love, Laughter and Light.”
In Dancing Light, we gain wisdom from Tao’s many teachers–-from her uncle Vital Porchon to spiritual figures including Sri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, and The Maharishi. We learn from Swami Prabhavananda of the Vedanta Society, Indra Devi, Dr. Roman Ostoja, and masters, B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. We see how Tao assimilates all of these layers of study to form her own philosophy of Oneness and techniques to harness Eternal Energy. Dr. 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.”
The Dance of Life is inherently a spiritual dance in which we’re all invited to participate by the very nature of being given breath. It is our responsibility to show up with passion. Dancing Light is a manifesto for a new generation of Light Seekers—a living example of mindfulness in action. It takes you on a search for peace, the Oneness behind everything and your exceptional profound Self. Be fascinated by Tao’s story, witness fearlessness in action and grow from her wisdom... knowing you too can craft a full and fulfilled “Tao-like” life! Go to www.powerlivingmedia.com to buy Hardcover book.
Dancing The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master is an inspirational autobiography that shows us what is possible--that we each can live to our Highest Potential by inhaling life, exhaling strife and dancing to our own rhythm. Through Tao’s reflections, we are given the gift of insights from almost a century of wisdom that can be applied to our modern-day challenges. We learn her “secrets” to vitality while taking a soulful odyssey of love and loss, hope and joy. From the moment Tao was born on a ship in the middle of the English Channel, her life has been fantastical, an incredible odyssey through 20th century history with a first-hand experience of events and people most of us only read about. At age 22, she had already marched with Mahatma Gandhi twice and helped Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. She was performing nightly in cabarets during the bombing Blitz in London and was soon to marry a handsome French Spitfire pilot, a member of the No. 340 Ile-de-France Squadron. After the war, she became a famous couture model for designers such as Jean Dessès and Coco Chanel, and then an actress under contract with MGM. That was just the beginning--simply the backdrop for a very human search for the spiritual side of being.
Tao’s journey has had peaks of delight and valleys of disappointments, ultimately being a story of resilience and the triumph of Spirit. In the midst of war she found happiness. In the frenetic activity of Hollywood, she felt alone. As the seasons in her life changed, she evolved. When things didn’t turn out the way she wanted, instead of being bitter she “closed the book” as her friend Marlene Dietrich advised—and she pressed on. Yoga teacher Rodney Yee said, she has “weathered so much in her life and has come out the other side still completely pure of Love, Laughter and Light.”
In Dancing Light, we gain wisdom from Tao’s many teachers–-from her uncle Vital Porchon to spiritual figures including Sri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, and The Maharishi. We learn from Swami Prabhavananda of the Vedanta Society, Indra Devi, Dr. Roman Ostoja, and masters, B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. We see how Tao assimilates all of these layers of study to form her own philosophy of Oneness and techniques to harness Eternal Energy. Dr. 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.”
The Dance of Life is inherently a spiritual dance in which we’re all invited to participate by the very nature of being given breath. It is our responsibility to show up with passion. Dancing Light is a manifesto for a new generation of Light Seekers—a living example of mindfulness in action. It takes you on a search for peace, the Oneness behind everything and your exceptional profound Self. Be fascinated by Tao’s story, witness fearlessness in action and grow from her wisdom... knowing you too can craft a full and fulfilled “Tao-like” life! Go to www.powerlivingmedia.com to buy Hardcover book.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
628 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2015
33 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Tao Porchon-Lynch
4 books5 followersTao Porchon-Lynch was an American yoga master and award-winning author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 20, 2015
A Fascinating Life
This woman has led a fascinating life. Being a devotee of Yoga I enjoyed this book immensely and her thoughts on life and spirituality. It's amazing how her age has never slowed her down . She has a zest of life that not many have. I hope to follow her path. You are never too old to learn.
This woman has led a fascinating life. Being a devotee of Yoga I enjoyed this book immensely and her thoughts on life and spirituality. It's amazing how her age has never slowed her down . She has a zest of life that not many have. I hope to follow her path. You are never too old to learn.
December 1, 2016
Täo Porchon-Lynch has lived 100 lives, all of them meaningful. She's walked with Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. She's studied yoga under Iyengar and other divine masters. She's lived all over the world, most of the time with little to no money. I'm in awe of her spirit and fearlessness.
February 27, 2023
A page turner! What this woman lived is truly worth sharing! By the end I felt i knew her deeply! Her perspective on life is highly admirable and her multiple experiences are just WAW. What a life and what a way to live it!!!!
March 2, 2016
Tao is a wonderful storyteller, but not a wonderful writer. Still, her life story is incredible if you can get past the not-so-great writing.
March 20, 2019
I ordered this book after a friend sent me an email about a 100 year old yoga teacher because most of my students have come to yoga in their 30’s or later. Tao Porchon Lynch has led a varied and fascinating life. Tao was born in 1918 to a French Canadian father and Indian mother in the English Channel. Her mother died in childbirth, leaving Tao to be raised by her father’s brother and his wife in Pondicherry, India. Her uncle, VItal Porchon, took little Andree Tao with him on most of his travels, introducing her to many influential people on the Indian peninsula along the way. She marched with Gandhi in 1930 and with Dr. King in 1963. She served the French Resistance in World War II, and married a French pilot. To make ends meet, Tao worked as a dancer, a model, an actress, a producer, and a yoga teacher. She has always been a champion of equality and civil rights, in keeping with her belief that we are all part of the One. Before you pigeonhole her as a do-gooder, Tao is also a founding member of the American Wine Society and former Vice President of that group. Best of all, she organized yoga and wine retreats for many years.
Did I forget to mention that Tao first learned yoga as a child in India, brought it with her to Europe and then to the United States? Tao studied with Sri Aurobindo, BKS Iyengar, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Krishnamacharya, started an American Yoga Teacher’s Alliance which morphed into the Yoga Teacher’s Association in 1979. Ironically, she was almost refused credentials by Yoga Alliance twenty years later because she did not go through training at a recognized YA school despite having 35,000 hours of yoga teaching experience. Tao lives what she teaches, eating no meat, staying physically active, recognizing herself as part of Nature, and focusing on positive outcomes. The book? It reads like fiction at times and like philosophy at other times. It should be taken in small doses with time to savor and reflect.
Did I forget to mention that Tao first learned yoga as a child in India, brought it with her to Europe and then to the United States? Tao studied with Sri Aurobindo, BKS Iyengar, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Krishnamacharya, started an American Yoga Teacher’s Alliance which morphed into the Yoga Teacher’s Association in 1979. Ironically, she was almost refused credentials by Yoga Alliance twenty years later because she did not go through training at a recognized YA school despite having 35,000 hours of yoga teaching experience. Tao lives what she teaches, eating no meat, staying physically active, recognizing herself as part of Nature, and focusing on positive outcomes. The book? It reads like fiction at times and like philosophy at other times. It should be taken in small doses with time to savor and reflect.
January 14, 2020
Loved her memoirs from the golden age of Hollywood. Remarkable woman and life.
March 14, 2020
Tao lead a fascinating life and shared a wonderful wisdom. I wish the book had been better written. The style is poor throughout, and several names are misspelled.
January 4, 2023
I loved learning about the authors life and her experiences. So many great things to take away from this book.
July 14, 2016
So Inspiring!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews