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Grandmother praises yoga for supple life at 90 years young
Lizzie Murphy WHILE pensioners of her age are normally putting their feet up, yoga inspiration Jean Dawson is happiest bending herself into positions many people half her age only dream of.
She can still touch her toes and perform headstands and shoulder stands as well as the many other exercises practised in her Iyengar yoga class.
And in spite of her 90th birthday this month, Mrs Dawson, from Cottingley, near Bradford, shows no signs of slowing down.
"I can still do headstands when I'm in the mood and I can touch my toes. I like it because it strengthens you and keeps you mobile. I think it's fun and youth-
preserving."
She started practising yoga at the age of 67 after she was diagnosed with arthritis of the spine and says she carried on because she liked the results.
Although the grandmother-of-five, who lives in Cottingley, near Bradford, admits she cannot do all the moves in her class, she is still more flexible than many and she says it has the added benefit of helping to stimulate her brain for games of Scrabble
Mrs Dawson, who is originally from London and used to work in a factory sewing on buttons, has always been an active person, playing netball and swimming when she was younger.
But she puts her enjoyment of yoga down to class teacher Christine Tyson.
"She is a good teacher. Sometimes, before the class, you don't feel like doing it but I feel so much better afterwards," she said.
Mrs Tyson, who teaches the class at Shipley College, said: "Jean has been coming to me for 15 years – she's a marvel. She is a good advert for yoga – an inspiration to a lot of people. She puts a lot of effort into the class and gets a lot out of it."
Yoga is a generic word and means union. It is often interpreted as the union of mind, body and soul, and experts say it can provide harmony and balance.
Although Hatha yoga is the most widely taught in the West, the Iyengar method, focuses on precision, alignment and safety in each posture. It is said to build strength, flexibility, stamina and balance and many believe it can can help overcome and prevent stresses, strains,and aches and pains.
And the secret of being so active at 90? Mrs Dawson puts it down to one simple saying: "willpower is my boyfriend".
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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