Nonagenarian, Mr Joe Gonsalves Shows the way to life through Yoga

Nonagenarian, Mr Joe Gonsalves Shows the way to life through Yoga

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 12, 2015: During this era when people are living longer, it was both heartening and inspiring to participate in a unique program lead by Mr. Joe Gonsalves, a nonagenarian himself.

 

 

The Fatima Retreat House was the venue for a program focused on basic fitness for the elderly.  Mr. Melville Pinto compered the event, Mr. Teddy Sequeira extended the welcome, Father Prashanth Madtha inaugurated the event, and Father Ronald Serao led the group in an opening prayer and thanked Mr. Gonsalves for leading the event. 
 
Mr. Gonsalves spoke to the group about the vital importance of basic fitness throughout life but especially as one enters older ages.  He alerted the group to the fact that he was offering suggestions and demonstrations not as an expert but as someone who follows these practices himself. 
 
Starting with some basic breathing techniques and poses, Mr. Gonsalves went on to demonstrate more specific poses and exercises that help to relieve common ailments such as back pain, neck pain, and vertigo.  
 
Having suffered from these ailments himself, Mr. Gonsalves told the group that he learned about these fitness exercises when he was researching practical approaches to treat these common ailments.
 
He is a living testimony to the fact that basic fitness exercises work.  At the age of 94 years, he walks without a stick, drives everywhere in India and in the U.S., keeps his mind active through his involvement in social media, and is active as a community advocate, particularly for those in need.
 
Mr. Gonsalves cautioned the group that his suggestions should be taken as just suggestions and practical guidelines  and not as a replacement for medical advice which may be necessary in certain cases.  Each person, he emphasized should make his/her own decisions about whether or not to have recourse to FITNESS EXERCISES.  He asserted that neither he nor anyone at Fatima Retreat House should be held responsible for any unlikely injuries or adverse effects one may experience.


He closed the session following a moment of silent reflection, adding that in our increasingly sedentary world, basic fitness should be a part of our daily routine.  This regular practice, he suggested, would help everyone to lead healthy and productive lives.


The audience was very impressed with THE PROGRAM and some of the persons requested Mr. Gonsalves to hold such meetings often to help people to live healthy lives particularity as they age.