Argentina Cristóbal lives near Feleches and goes walking – helped by a cane – to the small sports center in Lieres to receive one of her yoga sessions. When she places herself on the mat, that cane is completely forgotten and, at 90 years old, it bends her body with astonishing ease. “I’ve been practicing it for three decades,” she said with a broad smile. Yesterday she received a simple but heartfelt tribute from the mayor of Siero. “What a trap,” she told Ángel García, ‘Cepi’, who gave her an example “for whom age is not an impediment to practicing sports; You just have to see how she bends it.
The councilor, accompanied by Sports Councilor Jesús Abad, presented a gift to Argentina, a mat to continue the practice of yoga.
In the Lieres gym, there were about fifteen people who regularly come to practice this specialty. People of all ages highlighted that what happened in Argentina “is worth highlighting; it never fails”.
How did Argentina start doing yoga? «Oops! It was on the advice of a nurse. I fainted due to some of the tension and went to the health center. And it was there where they recommended it to me, that you cannot lead a sedentary life. He explains that she did not hesitate and signed up where it was practiced then; “I started in the Feleches schools until it was moved here to Lieres by the municipal board.” For her it is a more than important routine that helps her stay happy with herself. «You learn a lot and it is very good for everything, for the body, for the mind and for the spirit. I only recommend it, but they don’t pay much attention to me,” she said, laughing.
Municipal effort
Carlos Ibias is the yoga instructor and has been teaching classes for 21 years. «She is an example, she has more than me. And also because of the mentality that she has, she is a very open person. He highlighted that the practice of yoga is good for older people to maintain mobility and to practice relaxation techniques, which improves problems of lack of sleep, among others.
Cepi, for his part, said that with the example of Argentina it is also intended to promote the activities of the council’s Sports Board. “We reach places like Lieres with the cost that this entails,” he stated in reference to the municipal effort to have centers in many centers of the municipality, not only in large population centers. We encourage all people to practice sports, which is health and a way of life. “It’s not just competition.”