How this fun guy changed my perspective

I've always had a love/hate relationship with mushrooms; I'm not keen on their texture but I love that they are packed with good stuff. They're high in protein and a really good source of micronutrients such as B-vitamins, iron and potassium (shiitake mushrooms have more than bananas, who knew?!). A fun fact that I learned this month is that mushrooms produce vitamin D in exposure to sunlight, just like we do. I am also intending to produce some vitamin D during a forthcoming holiday, (please remember to check the class schedule or book online to make sure there is actually a yoga class going on!)

What really made me think was this little dude I found as I was preparing a meal recently; he is absolutely LOVING life and it made me really chuckle! Since finding this fun guy (sorry!), I've been noticing smiley face shapes in other places and on a gloomy day and I love to know there's always a bit of cheer to be found.

This brought to mind "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", a book I read many years ago, and one of the key things that have stayed with me to this day; sometimes it's not a situation that changes, sometimes it's the way we see the situation that changes. It is akin to the concept of tapas in yogic philosophy, which shapes our character. Life presents us with difficult situations, that's just life - sometimes we have to deal with horrible stuff. But as sure as eggs are eggs, we learn from every experience and come out the other side richer for the lesson.

Also, just thinking of the alignment of a yoga pose differently may also help you find more ease there. For example, thinking of opening the chest can actually help find more comfort in a pose that, at first glance, is a backbend. Try it, you may be surprised.

So maybe I'll try to eat the mushrooms anyway, seeing as I know how happy and smiley they can be for me.

"To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions." Stephen R Covey