Anna Pesce thought her hunched back was with her to stay. The 85-year old native of Orangeburg, New York, found herself — after years suffering with a herniated disc, scoliosis, and osteoporosis — devoid of hope that the constant pain would ever be gone for good. Little did she know an answer was on the way.

Pesce’s prospects brightened the day her granddaughter introduced to her grandmother a friend and fellow yoga instructor, Rachel Jesien. Jesien began working with Pesce in her home once a week, teaching her poses and stretches designed to increase bone density and strengthen back muscles.

In one month, Pesce was walking again. In two months, she could do the stretches whenever she felt pain. By month four, she was doing headstands.

Though yoga may seem like an exercise fad inaccessible to seniors, it actually has an ancient history going back millennia. Practiced by people of all ages throughout the world, yoga can be a form of meditation as well as an efficient means to attain a healthy lifestyle.

Pesce was initially a timid student of the art. Often, her pain made it difficult to practice certain poses. But with gentle guidance from Jesien, Pesce was able to overcome her physical limitations in her quest for the good life.

Pesce is proof that with a little help and a lot of courage, people can radically transform their lives for the better.

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By Jenny Brown

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Jenny Brown is a senior writer at Shareably. She is based in San Francisco and can be reached at [email protected].