Celibacy and Yoga is the Key to Long Life

While most of us struggle to complete a 30-minuite yoga session, this Indian monk practices for hours each day.

Look, I know. That’s not really a fact worthy of a news article.

But what if I told you the man claims to be 120 years old.

According to his passport, Swami Sivananda was born August 8, 1896, and is now applying to the Guinness world records to verify his claim to fame. At present, the oldest man to have ever lived was from Japan at 116 years and 54 days.

Sivananda claims his longevity boils down to his simple life, no sex, discipline, and lots of yoga.

He eats only boiled food, such as rice and lentil stew, and includes no additional oils or spices. He says, “I avoid taking milk or fruits because I think these are fancy foods. In my childhood, I slept many days on an empty stomach.”

He is currently living alone, sleeping on a mat on the floor and a pillow made from a wooden slab, something which would be difficult for many people half his age to do.

Sivananda was born into a simple life, where electricity, cars, and phones did not exist. Of the vast technological changes he has experienced in his 120 years, he says “Earlier people were happy with fewer things. Nowadays people are unhappy, unhealthy and have become dishonest, which pains me a lot.”

He is still practicing yoga daily and living without any medical complications.