Sixty-year-old grandmother Yazemeenah Rossi is known around the world for redefining the age limit for being a ‘sex symbol’.

The French-born beauty, who is a grandma of two, started going grey as a teenager, but didn’t let that stop her launching a career as an international model at the age of 45.

Since then, Rossi has attracted plenty of labels, from ‘hot grandma’ to ‘senior sex symbol’ – some of them harder to stomach than others.

“They used to p*** me off,” Rossi tells The New Daily of her many titles, laughing. “But now I understand something. The title of my book obviously needs to have the word ‘sex’ in it

“People are very excited about this ‘sex’ thing.”

In recent years Rossi has featured in ad campaigns for Marks and Spencer, JD Williams and New York-based lingerie designers Land of Women.

After an article about her appeared in British newspaper The Observer in September, Rossi’s Instagram following went from 14,000 to 60,000.

Google her and you’ll find a plethora of stories about an avoidance of plastic surgery, regular yoga practise and oil consumption.

So how does the eccentric Rossi maintain her health and looks and continue to ‘age gracefully’?

Here’s some of the wisdom she had to share.

Giving information, not advice

“I never give ‘advice’. ‘Ad-vice.’ Who wants to ‘add’ ‘vice’ to anything?

Even without makeup, Yazemeenah Rossi looks half her age. Photo: Instagram

Nobody can be in your skin and say you have to do this, or this. We can get information and then decide what we feel and what we want to do.

“Advice has a negative connotation. It says that you know better than someone else. Who can say who knows better? Nobody can live in your place.

“I was very intolerant when I was young. I learnt how to moderate and use different words that are more loving and respect the path of others.”

Find timelessness within

“People always ask me about my ‘secrets’ to longevity. To be connected with yourself – with your heart, with higher guidance – means that there is no time and space.

“When you are connected with that dimension it keeps you in a place that you feel timeless. People want to know about my diet and what I put on my skin… But it’s not about that. Whether my skin is dry or not, the energy of my spirit is the same.”

Keep discovering

“Youthfulness is about how you work with your mind. How you work with your spirit. How you see the world. How open you are to the unknown. How excited you are about discovering… It’s that that keeps you young.”

Rossi regularly goes outside to appreciate nature and soak up some fresh air. Photo: Instagram

Let your body do its job

“Sure, I take care of myself, but longevity is not just about what you eat. I never think about what I do or about food as ‘stopping ageing’ in some way. And my body works perfectly.

“The last time I took ibuprofen was in 1981! The body is a wonder. The body is malleable. I’ve found that recognising it as a wonder and something that is sacred is a fantastic attitude to have.”

Rossi’s Instagram feed documents her travels around the world. Photo: Instagram

Re-think sex

“I have spoken about sex, but not in the way the journalists put it at all. We are all here because of sex. If sex didn’t exist, we wouldn’t exist. Still, there are a lot of things that need to be demystified. Like, how can we turn making love into something beautiful?

“People need to go back to the meaning of sacred sexuality and bringing divine expression into it. Ok, sure, start throwing around the word ‘tantra’ and I say, yes. ‘Tantra’ is something I even do with my vegetables. Not just with sex.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF3_09DH3Bs/?taken-by=yazemeenah&hl=en

Enjoy the simple things

“Every day I am in admiration. How is it possible that this tomato comes from the soil and the sun and the water? People collected it, I selected it, and here it is. It’s a wonder.

Spirituality doesn’t just exist in an ashram. It’s in every tiny little thing that you do – it’s about being present to it. Daily life is sacred. I wash my dishes and think about how it’s such a nice feeling to be able to wash and have water.

“People may think I’m completely spaced out, but this is my reality. This is what I live everyday.”

It’s all about how young you feel, according to Rossi. Photo: Instagram