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

Salomon Delgado is one of Santa Monica's most popular yoga instructors.

He is 93 years old.

What?

Let me repeat: in a city obsessed with youth and full of flexible fitness instructors in… Lululemon-clothing and wireless headsets, 24/7 Fitness The gym has a secret weapon in Delgado. The nine-year-old yogi has been teaching there for 28 years and his classes, which take place every morning except Sunday, are usually packed.

Many of Delgado's students will only practice yoga with him; others have attended his classes for decades. And we're not talking about a niche studio here. This 24-hour fitness center is the flagship location of the health 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 key to his program.

“He has been teaching and perfecting his craft since the 70s,” says Bilal El-Amin, the club’s general manager. “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 on the street can bring.”

I recently stopped by Delgado's class. Delgado, who goes by the yogic name Raghavan Dass, spoke softly and unpretentiously, possessing a gentle but commanding presence. He didn't demonstrate yoga moves or even train with us, but instead lazily wandered around the studio in an oversized black sweatshirt, loose black sweatpants and black sneakers, hands folded under his stomach and scanning the floor while giving verbal instructions.

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

The class, as Delgado describes it, is a mixture of basic sun salutations (a sequence of yoga poses), gentle stretchbalance and coordination exercises, breathing work and elements meditation. He often reminds participants to “keep it simple.” But while the moves may seem simple, the class is structured strategically, Delgado says, moving from the floor to standing positions, then back to the floor and ending with a meditative “shavasana,” or resting pose. This is as difficult as participants make it, depending on how deeply they bend or how long they hold the pose.

Delgado also studied kinesthesiology, physiology and anatomy and has certifications in teaching Pilates, aerobics and exercise science for seniors. On the day I attended the class, there were about 30 students of varying levels, mostly female, and most of them appeared to be of retirement age. But it was noticeably ethnically diverse. The atmosphere was relaxed and inclusive: a gym class with a favorite teacher who was always at school.

“He's inspiring, he's warm and he's very helpful,” said Erica Fabian, 85, who has studied with Delgado for more than 25 years. “He's a real expert in different movements. If you're not good enough, he'll come and help you. He cares.”

However, be careful. Rule #1 in Delgado's class? “Pay attention.”

I learned this the hard way as I followed the mat, occasionally bending over to write notes – at one point I caught the teacher's eye. Delgado respectfully asked me to leave the room, since I was not paying full attention to the exercises. When I whispered to him that I was there as a reporter, he let me stay. But this incident provided insight into Delgado's views on yoga and his worldview.

“If you don't pay attention to what you're doing, you're missing out; It’s like you were never here,” he told the class at the time.

A few days later, over coffee, Delgado told me that “mindfulness” is a core principle of his life.

“A focused, alert person is a more relaxed person,” he said. “You have less stress. Stress destroys your nervous system and makes you sick.”

Passing on such wisdom during class is key to Delgado's vision as a yoga teacher.

“I tell them a little bit every time,” he says. “Everything that comes to my mind regarding diet, behavior. Whatever I understand, I give them.”

Delgado grew up in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the eldest of 10 children. He immigrated to Los Angeles with his aunt in 1959 when he was 27 years old.

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 security guard, a cold-plate chef at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and other places. He went on to study graphic design at Los Angeles City College and Santa Monica College and then took a job as a graphic designer at MGM Studios for many years. Eventually, he and his second wife—the love of his life for more than 50 years of marriage—opened a small health food store on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica called Healthy for You.

But the through line for Delgado that defined his life's purpose was yoga. He discovered this exercise when he was about 30 years old.

“There was this girl I was really interested in, and she was into yoga,” he says. “So I started school in Larchmont, in Sivananda [Yoga Vedanta] Center.(It is now located in West Adams). In 1972, he completed a teacher training course outside of Montreal and became certified as a yoga instructor. After this he taught at the Sivananda Center in Hollywood. He then opened his own studio in Westwood.

“To get away from religion, I called it ‘scientific yoga,’ where your own mind and body connect through the breath,” he says. “I loved it. My intention was to help people. At the same time, I was helping myself.”

At first glance, Delgado, who has a web of deep smile lines emanating from his mouth and eyes, appears to be in his 70s, perhaps in his 80s. It's shocking to learn that he's over 90. During our interview, he repeatedly popped up from behind the Starbucks table to demonstrate his favorite stretches and full-body squats.

Delgado says he is in very good health, but has “poor vision” and high blood pressure (he also wears a pacemaker). (He recently took some time off work due to illness, but says he's fine now.) He doesn't suffer from chronic pain or stiffness, he says. He still does yoga every day, although not as vigorously or for as long as when he was younger—usually 25 minutes of gentle stretching.

So what are his secrets to longevity? Delgado attributes his health to the fact that he was pescatarian for 45 years, with a penchant for salmon, avocado, quinoa and garbanzo beans, and that he prioritizes hydration. He also meditates daily and makes sure he gets enough movement each day in addition to yoga. For many years he swam and cycled recreationally and enjoyed walking and dancing at parties.

“This is very important: no matter how old you are, you need to move,” he says. “Or you will become a complete invalid. Even the small bones in your arms and legs. Move.”

As such, Delgado has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I will stop teaching when I physically can’t do it,” he says. “I have to teach my class. Can you imagine if I lose touch with these people? What would I do? Stare there all day and wait for the hearse to come and pick me up?”

joy and purpose The yoga training he receives is also key to healthy aging, he says.

“It's important to have a business that you enjoy. I encourage my retirees to join an organization to help others. Because it gives them meaning in life.”

Before we wrap up our interview, Delgado offers one last piece of advice:

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

To illustrate this, he hugs me like a “grandfather to his grandson” and squeezes me tenderly, beaming.

Then he raises his hands up, spreading his fingers and pointing them towards the sky, and then bends down, lightly touching the ground with his fingers.

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