At 93, he is one of Santa Monica’s hottest yoga teachers

Salomon Delgado is one of Santa Monica’s hottest yoga teachers.

He is 93 years old.

What?

Let me say it again: In a city obsessed with youth and full of lithe fitness instructors wearing Lululemon clothing and wireless headphones, a 24-hour gym has a secret weapon in Delgado. The nonagenarian yogi has been teaching there for 28 years and his class – which takes place every morning except Sunday – is generally crowded.

Many of Delgado’s students will only do yoga with him; others have been taking his classes for decades. And we’re not talking about a niche studio here. This 24 Hour Fitness is a flagship location in the fitness club chain. Opened in 1996 at Ocean Park Boulevard and 31st Street, it is a central hub for Westside exercise enthusiasts, with approximately 15,000 members. And yoga is a key part of her programming.

“He has been teaching and perfecting his craft since the 1970s,” explains Bilal El-Amin, the club’s general director. “That made him very popular, almost like a yoga guru. You know you’re going to find a teacher who has experience and understands the dynamics of yoga. He brings a culture of yoga that no one off the street can bring.”

I stopped by Delgado’s course recently. Delgado, who goes by his yoga name, Raghavan Dad, was soft-spoken and unpretentious, a gentle but commanding presence. He didn’t demonstrate yoga moves, or even work with us, but instead wandered languorously around the studio in an oversized black sweatshirt, baggy black sweatpants, and black sneakers, hands clasped under his stomach and eyes scanning the floor, all the while giving verbal instructions.

Delgado monitors her yoga class, often reminding students to “pay attention” to the present moment, among other nuggets of wisdom.

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

“So good, feel this, you need it,” he cooed. “Right to the heart. »

The class, as Delgado describes it, is a mix of basic sun salutations (a sequence of yoga postures), gentle stretching, balance and coordination exercises, breathing, and elements of meditation. He often reminds participants to “keep it simple.” But even though the movements may seem basic, the structure of the class is strategically thought out, Delgado says, moving from the floor to a standing position, then back down to the floor and ending with a meditative “savasana,” or resting pose. It’s as difficult as the participants make it, depending on how deeply they bend or how long they hold their pose.

Delgado also studied kinesthesiology, physiology and anatomy and has certifications in teaching Pilates, aerobics and exercise to seniors. The day I attended, the class of around thirty students, of varying levels, was largely made up of women and most appeared to be of retirement age. But it was remarkably ethnically diverse. The atmosphere was relaxed and inclusive: physical education class with your favorite teacher who has been at school forever.

“He’s inspiring, he’s warm and he’s very helpful,” says Erika Fabian, 85, who has studied with Delgado for more than 25 years. “He’s a total expert in different moves. If you’re not good enough, he’ll come and help you. He cares.”

Be careful though. Rule #1 in Delgado’s class? “Be careful.”

I learned this the hard way by following my mat, occasionally bending over to scribble notes – at one point I caught the teacher’s eye. Delgado respectfully asked me to leave the room, as I was not giving the exercises my full attention. When I whispered to him that I was there as a journalist, he allowed me to stay. But the incident provided insight into Delgado’s yoga perspective — and his worldview.

“If you don’t pay attention to what you’re doing, you miss a lot; it’s like you were never there,” he told the class at the time.

A few days later, over coffee, Delgado told me that “being careful” was a fundamental principle in the way he lived his life.

Delgado’s longevity tips include being a pescatarian, meditating daily, hydrating properly, and making sure you move your body as much as possible every day.

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

“A person who is focused and attentive is a more relaxed person,” he said. “You’re less stressed. Stress destroys your nervous system and makes you sick.”

Conveying such wisdom during classes is key to Delgado’s vision as a yoga teacher.

“I tell them a little bit each time,” he says. “Whatever comes to mind about eating, about behavior. Whatever I understand, I give it to them.”

Delgado grew up in Ecuador in the city of Guayaquil, the oldest of 10 children. He immigrated to Los Angeles with his aunt in 1959 – he was 27 at the time.

About six years after arriving in Los Angeles, he married and had a son, but soon divorced. He worked for nearly a decade as a garde manger, a chef who prepares cold meals, among other places at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. He then studied graphic design at LA City College and Santa Monica College before landing a job as a graphic designer at MGM Studios for many years. Eventually, he and his second wife – the love of his life during a marriage of more than 50 years – opened a small health food store on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica called Healthy for You.

But Delgado’s guiding principle – the one that gave his life purpose – was yoga. He discovered exercise around his thirties.

“There was this girl I was really interested in and she loved yoga,” he says. “So I started studying at Larchmont, at Sivananda [Yoga Vedanta] Center.” (It is now located in West Adams). In 1972, he trained as a teacher outside of Montreal and obtained his yoga instructor certification. He then taught at a Sivananda center in Hollywood. Then he opened his own studio in Westwood.

“In order to get away from religious things, I called it ‘scientific yoga,’ your own mind and body brought together through your breathing,” he says. “I loved it. My intention was to help people. At the same time, I was helping myself.”

Delgado says yoga has been the guiding principle of his life. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

At first glance, Delgado, who has a network of deep smile lines emanating from his mouth and eyes, appears to be in his late 70s, maybe early 80s. It’s shocking to learn that he’s 90 years old. During our interview, he emerged from the Starbucks table several times to demonstrate his favorite stretches and demonstrate full-body squats.

Delgado says he is in very good health, but he suffers from “poor eyesight” and high blood pressure (he also has a pacemaker). (He recently took a short leave of absence due to illness, but says he’s doing well now.) He doesn’t suffer from chronic pain or stiffness, he says. He still does yoga every day, but not as vigorously or for as long as when he was younger – it’s usually 25 minutes of gentle stretching.

So, what are its longevity secrets? Delgado attributes his health to being a pescatarian for 45 years, with a penchant for salmon, avocados, quinoa and chickpeas, and prioritizing hydration. He also meditates daily and makes sure to get enough movement each day, in addition to yoga. Over the years he has swam and cycled recreationally and enjoys walking and dancing at parties.

“It’s very important: whatever your age, you have to move,” he says. “Or you will become totally disabled. Even the little bones in your hands and feet. Move.”

To that end, Delgado has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I will stop teaching when I am physically unable to do so,” he says. “I have to teach my class. Can you imagine if I lose contact with these people? What am I going to do? Stare over there all day and wait for the hearse to come pick me up?”

The joy and purpose he gets from teaching yoga are also key factors in healthy aging, he says.

“It’s very important to have something to do that you enjoy. I encourage my retired seniors to join an organization to help others. Because it gives them meaning in life.”

Delgado finishes her yoga class. He says he has no plans to retire and will teach yoga until he is physically unable to do so.

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

Before concluding our interview, Delgado gives one last piece of advice:

“Hug someone every day,” he says. “Hugs change your energy. It invigorates you.”

To illustrate, he wraps his arms around me in a “grandfather-to-grandchild” fashion and hugs me gently, beaming.

Then he throws his arms in the air, fingers spread and pointing toward the sky before bending his body downward, his fingers lightly brushing the ground.

“See?” he said. “I can still touch my toes!”