September 18, 2021- When it comes to my yoga practice, I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard someone say they cannot do yoga because they’re not flexible. Given the yoga pictures of people twisted like a pretzel, I can understand the reasoning behind that sentiment; however, this is a major misperception about yoga. When we purely go by images, it may appear as though flexibility is a necessity to doing yoga. This belief couldn’t be farther from the truth.
If you can breathe, you can do yoga. There are all forms of yoga that are gentle or done in a chair, just to name two, that do not require great flexibility. When these gentle forms of yoga are practiced, many people tend to notice their flexibility increasing, so flexibility can be a byproduct of yoga, and is not a prerequisite.
When it comes to law, and in particular estate planning, I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard someone say that they do not need to do estate planning because they’re not rich. Given the images we often see in the media, most people typically imagine a very wealthy person directing which family members should receive which mansion, and which charities should receive funding for the next 50 years. These pictures are not representative of most situations.
Estate planning isn’t just directing who should receive your assets upon death, it’s also making certain directions while you’re still alive. For example, a living will directs your wishes concerning being artificially maintained, a durable power of attorney directs who can handle your affairs if you develop dementia, and a designation of health care surrogate states who can speak and make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. As for asset distribution after death, by and large it’s been my experience that the value placed on items left to loved ones does not come from their monetary value, but rather from the fact that it once belonged to the deceased. Therefore, if you can breathe and have mental capacity, you can declare certain actions for your life.
So don’t let appearances fool you. If you can breathe you can do yoga. Further, you can even use yoga to help create clarity of mind, especially when dealing with certain issues, like estate planning.