There is no age requirement to hold a lotus pose or downward-facing dog. At 102 years old, Charlotte Chopin is living proof of that. Three times a week, this yoga instructor, as flexible as a reed, teaches her classes in Léré, a village in central France. Sessions take place in the former police station, which was converted into a community center. A worn carpet covers the main room, barely 20 square meters, and meditation benches are lined up in what used to be a cell. "Here, we suffer gently," grimaced Laurence Motje, president of the 25-member association that oversees the activity.

The modesty of the setting does not prevent great destinies. Charlotte Chopin's story is extraordinary, and no one outside the area would have known about it if this former bilingual secretary had not made a splash in November 2022 on the set of La France a un incroyable talent ("France's Got Talent") TV show. During these three minutes of fame, she performed a dozen poses and won over the audience. It was not enough to qualify for the next round, but that was not the point: "I just wanted to surprise my family by taking part in a show I didn't even know about," she recalled. The mother of four children already well into their senior years (aged 65 to 78), Chopin is also a grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of nine.

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