92-year-old yoga student from Colwall is 'an inspiration'

Robin Goswell, from Colwall, attends two yoga classes in Malvern a week and does 15 minutes of exercises at home each day.

The nonagenerian took up yoga 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

Robin said: “I’d seen yoga on the television, particularly when I was in the US, a long time ago and it had always been in the back of my mind.

Robin taking part in one of his weekly yoga classes (Image: NQ)

“One day, a yoga instructor came to our street. I decided to try it and thought ‘this is rather fun’.”

Yoga instructor Allison Maxwell said: “He’s an inspiration to a lot of people. He started yoga with me at 82, after not doing any exercise for 60 years after he left the army.

“Since then he has done at least two one hour physical yoga classes with me each week.

'It's never too late'

“In lockdown he was doing five yoga classes a week and in my classes he is incredible - he’s at least 20 years older than anyone else in the class but he’s doing shoulder stands and all sorts.

“The class has a 40-year age span. It is not a class that’s just for retired people.

“A lot of people ask me if it’s too late in life for them to start yoga but it’s never too late. Robin proves you can be 90 and still get going.

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Robin celebrated his birthday this week at home with family and by going for coffee with his yoga friends after one of his weekly classes.

He said yoga leaves him feeling “generally well” and has helped him lose weight. “It’s also nice to have all these lovely people around,” he said.

Last week we told the story of Tina Hobin, an 82-year-old belly dancer who says she will keep shimmying until she can do it no longer.

Tina, who teaches belly dancing in Worcester, started taking classes in her 30s and has been hooked ever since.

She is also helping pregnant women use the dance moves to help them have safe and happy pregnancies.