I once took yoga because I saw a yoga student, from the back, walking into the studio and she had the posture of a ballerina and that gait of a healthy young cold. Neither of which I had and thought worthy aspirational goals. I went into to the studio and found out she was the teacher so signed up for classes. I found at the first class that she was in her 90s when she referred to a recent birthday.

All of us in her classes revered her great example of how a body can work and look in any age. She was the best teacher as she paid very close attention to the tiniest details. I've had yoga teachers who spent most of the time staring at themselves in the mirror, making class a free session for themselves but of no help to students.

Eunice Wellington, RIP, once had me move two fingers on my hand, while doing, I think, the downward dog, and I was surprised that I could feel difference in my shoulder. She had that attentive to all her students! It made a big difference and helped me start being vaguely able to 'listen' to my body at other times. When I look back on it, she had a lot of students dealing with cancer and they seemed to respond deeply to her healing perspective.