Yoga Daddy!

I am almost certain there is a passage from the Torah, Bible, Koran or some other religious text that addresses elderly parents in the following manner: Thou shalt not now, nor ever heed the advice of thy adult children.
You know what I'm talkin' about!!!
So, it had to be a family member once removed...a much more reliable source of information  (never mind his drug and alcohol history!!!) that suggested my dad look into yoga. The relative gave dad an article from, where else, the New York Times written by non other than a JEWISH DOCTOR!!! The guy had spent time in India and as a result rx'd yoga as part of his patients wellness care. Armed with a tiny bit of info. from a virtual stranger, dad was good to go for his first chair yoga class. I wish you could have seen him...cute as all get out. Dressed in his daily uniform of khakis, leather belt, button down oxford shirt, swanky yellow lensed glasses and his going out sneakers he was ready for action. I could tell he was both nervous and curious about his first class. When we arrived I spoke briefly to the teacher then escorted dad inside. I stayed while he got settled in and told him I would return to pick him up when class was over. When I arrived to pick him up he was chatting away with the teacher who was giving him some fun and interesting yoga facts. His hair, normally plastered flat to his head was sticking up in little tufts, his demeanor was lighter and he had a slight bounce in his step. As we were driving home I asked him what he thought about the class and he responded with: "I probably should have started a long time ago." Overtly, I tried to appear cool and non-invested but inside I was jumping for joy. For so many reasons my dad needs this class and I was very relieved that he found it interesting enough to try it again.
The second time I took him he confidently walked in, got some blocks and parked himself in his same chair. Tears welled up in my eyes...partly from happiness/relief that he was doing something to take care of himself...and partly from how proud I felt of him. Here he was, an 88 yer old conservative, midwestern guy who was wiling to check out this foreign practice called yoga. At home later that morning I asked him about class. He did a reinactment of some of the postures making sure to tell me the correct times to be breathing in and out. He wondered aloud if the teacher could give him some hand outs so he could practice at home :) Then he said: "the teacher rang these little bells and we were supposed to quiet our minds...then we breathed in the good thoughts and breathed out the bad ones. I wished we'd done that part longer." In that moment I felt such pure love and appreciation for my dad.