(Jun 20, 2025) Until a couple of years ago, Charlotte Chopin was simply known as the gentle, quietly commanding yoga teacher in the small French town of Léré. Someone who had spent decades guiding students through breath and movement without ever seeking the limelight. But everything changed when, at 99, she appeared on a popular reality TV show and captivated audiences with her poise and agility. Suddenly, a lifetime of quiet dedication was thrust into the public eye.
In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met her during his official visit to France, and not long after, she traveled to India for the very first time to receive the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. From a modest studio in provincial France to the global stage, the mother of four children who are into their senior years, grandmother and great-grandmother, Chopin became an unlikely yet powerful face of India’s ancient yogic tradition in France. The centenarian is respected for the quiet conviction of a life lived in alignment with breath, balance and grace.
A journey shaped by war, work, and wisdom
Born on December 11, 1922, in Germany and raised in Alsace, Charlotte Chopin’s early life was anything but peaceful. A gifted student, she received academic awards as a young girl, but her world shifted dramatically during World War II. Her family was evicted from their apartment, forcing them to relocate to the south of France, where Chopin worked with the French Red Cross.
After the war, she joined the German Affairs Commission under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later worked with private companies. The 1950s saw her relocating to Africa with her husband, working as an executive secretary at the Port of Douala in Cameroon. She continued in this role across continents, between Europe and Africa before eventually dedicating herself full-time to raising her four children in France.
It wasn’t until the age of 50, in 1972, that she encountered yoga for the first time, thanks to a friend’s recommendation. What began as a curiosity quickly became a calling. “I liked it right away,” she recalled. “It brought me peace.”
Charlotte Chopin | Photo Credit: Le Monde
Teacher, trailblazer, and torchbearer
A decade after discovering yoga, Chopin moved to Léré in 1982 with her retired husband. Though she didn’t know anyone in the area, she was determined not to let go of her practice. Encouraged by her teacher, she decided to begin teaching. A few formal classes in Paris, coupled with intensive training under Shri B.K.S. Iyengar in 1985 (Paris) and 1986 (Tours), gave her the foundation to begin her journey as a yoga teacher.
The local municipality offered her a modest room to hold sessions. From those humble beginnings, Chopin has now taught thousands of students over 41 years of teaching. Her yoga studio in Léré remains active, and she continues to guide students with the same precision and mindfulness she had when she first began.
Despite never traveling to India, Charlotte’s teachings were deeply rooted in Indian yogic philosophy. Her discipline, grace, and dedication made her a natural representative of yoga’s true spirit, even without the fanfare of celebrity gurus.
Charlotte Chopin received Padma Shri award in 2024 from President Droupadi Murmu
From local teacher to global figure
Charlotte Chopin’s story might have remained confined to her town, had it not been for a surge of public interest. In 2022, at the age of 99, she captivated French audiences with a performance on the TV show La France a un incroyable talent (France’s Got Talent), astonishing both judges and viewers with her flexibility and calm poise. Although she did not make it to thde next round, it hardly mattered to her, “I just wanted to surprise my family by taking part in a show I didn’t even know about,” she recalled in an interview.
Suddenly, media houses, podcasts, national radio stations, and internet platforms were lining up to feature her. Still, she remained grounded. “During the last three years, I did not seek or plan anything,” she said. “Media and honours came to me.”
Her 100th birthday in 2022 marked another high point. She received a personal letter from French President Emmanuel Macron, and the Town Hall made her an honourary citizen. The next day, she was filmed performing Sirsasana (headstand) for FR3 TV, earning what they called the “Golden Like.”
Her growing public presence culminated in July 2023, when she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to France. Recognizing her as a shining symbol of India’s yogic legacy abroad, Modi later mentioned her in his 103rd Mann Ki Baat address. “She is a yoga teacher and is over 100 years old. She has been practicing yoga for the past 40 years. She credits her health and long life to yoga,” he shared emphasizing that Chopin’s example was a message to all.
Charlotte Chopin has become a prominent face of India’s yogic science and its power in the world. Everyone should learn from her. We should not only embrace our heritage, but also present it to the world with a sense of responsibility.
Narendra Modi
Yoga: India’s enduring soft power
Charlotte Chopin’s influence cannot be seen in isolation. It is a reflection of yoga’s profound global reach. In the past century, yoga has emerged as India’s most enduring soft power, transcending borders, ideologies, and age. From spiritual retreats in Rishikesh to community halls in France, yoga represents a universal language of wellness.
Promoted by Indian spiritual leaders and modernized by practitioners like B.K.S. Iyengar, yoga today finds itself woven into the fabric of everyday life in the West. Governments, schools, hospitals, and corporations across the world have adopted it not just as exercise, but as a philosophy of balance.
India’s celebration of International Yoga Day and its cultural diplomacy around the practice have turned yoga into a bridge of goodwill, and Charlotte Chopin is one of its most graceful ambassadors.
Charlotte Chopin | Photo Credit: Le Monde
Defying time, embracing life
Even now, Charlotte continues to teach twice a week, guiding small groups of students with attention and empathy. Her movements may be slower, but her spirit is anything but slow. She adjusts postures gently, sometimes positioning herself near a wall for balance. But her voice remains strong, her presence unshakable.
For those who study under her, the experience is transformative, not just in body, but in mind and soul. Her journey teaches that age is not a barrier but a beginning. And her message is clear: discipline, mindfulness, and humility can carry us across any distance, even time.
As she completes yet another class, folding up her mat and exchanging smiles with her students, Charlotte Chopin embodies the timeless truth of yoga, that stillness can be strength, and that grace only deepens with age.
ALSO READ: Jonas Masetti: Italian-Brazilian spiritual guru bringing Vedanta to Brazil
