Yoga enthusiast takes craft all over globe

Irv Plosker’s obsession for yoga rivals his passion for traveling, and the youthful senior combines these pursuits whole-heartedly.

“I love to travel,” says the 76-year-old retired businessman, “and wherever I go, I practice yoga, because it is such a part of my daily routine. It is the best of both worlds.”

Plosker, who has a self-professed unquenchable thirst for adventure, has traveled all over the world, practicing yoga in some truly unique locations, such as Antarctica with the adelie and emperor penguins, with giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands, and on African safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. He has participated in three yoga retreats in Mexico and practiced the discipline on a number of cruises – the Alaskan fjords, the Greek islands, and the French, Caribbean, and Mexican rivieras.

Plosker recently returned from a yoga vacation in the rainforests of Ecuador, and trips to China, Nepal, and Tibet are confirmed destinations for 2007.

“I’m really looking forward to doing yoga in those countries,” says Plosker, grinning with eager anticipation. “I mean, yoga in Tibet? It doesn’t get any better.”

Wherever he goes, Plosker’s unwavering enthusiasm for yoga attracts curiosity and interest from others. Although he does not formally promote his exercises, fellow travelers, becoming aware of his daily practices, often join him.

“Most people cannot believe a guy my age can do what I do or have the strength I have,” boasts the effervescent senior. “I admit, it’s a bit of an ego boost.”

Plosker says people who join him either try yoga for the first time or have done it for a while, but many have learned bad habits.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to share with them the correct way to do the discipline,” says Plosker, who attracts and leads informal groups as large as 12 on his trips.

The Lindenwoods resident, who has been practicing yoga for 17 years, is in remarkable shape. He started the exercise as a health benefit for his arthritis while living in Kenora and has never looked back.

“I wanted to improve my flexibility, so I signed up,” says Plosker, adding his first instructor, Sherry Berrcowitz, had a brilliant teaching style that inspired him to continue. “I became completely hooked. The benefits of yoga extended far beyond my physical ailments. It is the complete package, benefiting me physically, mentally, and spiritually.”

In 1999, Plosker and his wife Grace moved to Winnipeg – the opportunity for Irv to actively train under high-calibre instructors at the Yoga Centre of Winnipeg beckoning them to relocate.

Founded in 1986, the Yoga Centre offers a variety of professional classes in different styles and levels to more than 150 students each year. The school also provides instructor training and certification. Plosker’s participation at the centre inspires other students and staff.

“For someone in his early 70s, it is unbelievable,” says Candace Propp, an instructor at the centre. “You’d never know his age by looking at him. He has the strength and energy of men three times younger than him.”

A certified instructor, Plosker has taught yoga for more than 10 years. He teaches classes of seniors in the continuing education division of the Louis Riel School Division and with Age and Opportunity – a non-profit social service agency offering life-enhancing programs and services that support and enhance the lives of older persons and actively promotes their participation in all aspects of community life.

Plosker directs 10-week sessions in the Relax Deeply style of yoga, which emphasizes the use of props to develop correct asanas – physical poses or series of postures creating body alignment – and pranayama or breathing exercises. He says it is particularly effective with seniors with physical limitations preventing the use of mats on the floor. Plosker is impressed by the obvious benefits the classes have on his students.

“My students make significant gains in their confidence and strength in a relatively short period of time,” says Plosker, who practices Ashtanga yoga and spiritual meditation on a daily basis. “There is such a marked difference in students between the first and 10th week of classes.”

Marguerite Fisher, who has not missed one of Plosker’s classes in the nearly three years she has attended, is impressed by her instructor’s style and says she is reaping the benefits of her participation.

“Irv is such a great teacher,” says Fisher, who celebrates her 99th birthday this month. “He makes the classes very relaxing, and the exercise and stretching is good for my total well-being.”

Fisher, who attends class with her 67-year old daughter, says she would love to go more than once a week.

“I was always interested, and I’m sorry I didn’t start sooner” she says.

Plosker says he is amazed by the physical condition and spiritual energy Fisher and her daughter possess, citing the benefits of yoga as significant reasons for their health and commitment to the program.

“She is truly an inspiration – I mean, she’s nearly 99! If she can do this, anyone can,” Plosker says. “Most people start taking yoga to improve their physical health – and it does – but soon, they realize there are additional enormous benefits that improve one’s entire being.”

Yoga is an ancient Hindu discipline referring to the union with the divine consciousness in order to attain enlightenment. The discipline, which takes a number of forms, emphasizes a holistic approach, working the mind, body and spirit.

“The amazing thing about yoga is one’s practice is always evolving and changing, so it never gets boring,” Plosker says. “I’m always learning. Although poses themselves do not change, my relationship with them does.”