pgyoga

Shiitake Mushrooms

 The Good, The Bad, and The Balance

At 12 pm my lunch looked and smelled delicious. From a plain white plate, it was staring at me with its 2 yolks of eyes. A little bit of kale together with some onion and broccoli made a perfect canvas to showcase the earthiness of a handful of mushrooms gathered to the center and the southernmost part of the plate. And the best part, it was all lightly steamed: just how I like it!

12:20 pm was when I noticed that something was wrong. It seemed that my esophagus and the stomach were on fire but in a very different way than, say, when you overdid it on spicy foods. It felt like I have swallowed some broken glass. At the same time, I started feeling an eerie weakness and dizziness, and had to lie down, just in case. At that point, having been mostly healthy and relatively young, I felt like panicking… a little. On the other hand, I had almost no doubt that what I was experiencing was somehow related to what I just ate. I started listing the ingredients of my lunch in my head: kale, eggs, broccoli, a teaspoon of olive oil, some salt, onion, mushrooms…

Mushrooms have always been a regular part in my diet. And how could they not! By now, all of us probably heard of the benefits of adding mushrooms to our diet: they’re rich in vitamin D, high in fiber and low in calories, among other things. Recently, studies have also showed that at least one kind of mushrooms, named shiitake, might have a unique inhibiting effect on cancerous tumors. According to the research, the effect may be caused by the unique ability of the mushrooms to selectively damage the blood vessels leading to the cancerous tissue.

Although all of the ingredients sounded pretty harmless, if not actually good for me, it was the handful of shiitake mushrooms that led me to researching my lunch online. Starting with a not-so-scientific way to find similar symptoms others experienced after consuming shiitake mushrooms, and progressing to more reputable sources on nutrition, it turned out that RAW shiitake mushrooms contained chemicals named hydrazines that were actually shown to cause tumors in animal studies. Yikes! Furthermore, eating this type of mushroom almost raw, which was exactly how I did it, was known for causing digestive distress in some people, as well as dizziness and weakness similar to what I experienced.

But, wait, didn’t I say that mushrooms have been a regular part of my diet? That was my reasoning too, as I tried to identify what was different about the way my lunch went today. And then it hit me: usually I pair mushrooms with meat for dinner, which means they spend plenty of time in a hot pan with a lid tightly closed. With the breakfast-y vibe to my lunch today, however, I doubt that the contents of my frying pan were exposed to medium heat for longer than 4-5 minutes, which according to the mushroom experts I discovered, meant that I had them virtually raw.

The takeaway message of this adventure: cook your mushrooms thoroughly and be well!

As a yoga instructor, I’ve heard many a stories from my fellow yoga teachers of how they discovered yoga in the first place. Some of them were exposed to yoga from a very early age and have memories of doing yoga with their parents and learning the basics of the yogic philosophy in a very effortless, organic way that only children can do.

Then there are those who started their yoga journey after suffering an injury or having certain limitations imposed on their regular fitness regimen by illness. Their paths then tend to flow into one of the two directions, with some embracing yoga as a holistic way to exercise in their daily life, and some moving in the direction of yoga therapy, often focusing on helping those with the particular type of issue that led them to yoga.

Finally, a third group of yoga teachers, myself included, have wandered into yoga. Some did it by accident, some due to their curiosity and openness to new experience. One yoga teacher I met started her yoga journey some 15 years when her group aerobics class was cancelled and replaced with a yoga class, prompting her to take it just so she didn’t waste the time it took her to drive to the gym. She described the feeling she experienced as “falling in love” with yoga when the hour-long class was over.

My yoga journey does not have a love story or an abrupt start to it. I thought that maybe it’s because I am not a “natural yogi.” At least, not in the stereotypical way that some think about a yoga practitioner and teacher: always happy and relaxed, never rushing or self-conscious herbal tea drinking vegan. I, on the other hand, find myself acutely aware of the scarcity of time, drink caffeinated beverages, and crave extreme adventures such as sky-diving or running marathons. I also spend a considerable amount of time self-doubting, questioning my life choices and over-thinking. Finally, I work hard every day to keep my life clutter-free both literally and figuratively.

Truth be told, the first several yoga classes I took, some of them at the gym and some at different yoga studios didn’t have me come back for more. I now think that that was the actual beginning of my yoga journey, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. And then, while travelling to see my family in Ukraine, I decided to take advantage of having a yoga studio located within a walking distance of my apartment. The first class left me feeling weightlessness in my limbs and the act of breathing felt almost intoxicating in its freedom. The sensation lingered for several hours after I finished the class. I also felt just as light and joyful in my mind. I kept coming back 3 times a week for the whole duration of my  one and a half month vacation, feeling stronger and more stable in my practice every time. Some four years later, having studied with different yoga teachers and schools in the U.S., and maintained my personal daily yoga practice, I made a decision to enroll in a 200-hour yoga teaching program with the idea of eventually sharing the joy of yoga with others.

Yoga to me is a way to self-improve one step at a time, every day. It’s a way to check in with myself, and a soothing ritual that is always there for me, regardless of my other experiences, good or bad, on a given day. The ability of yoga to prime both the body and mind with asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breathing exercises) to become more alert and relaxed at the same time is a very healthy and efficient way to replenish both short- and long-term. Finally, a regular yoga practice often starts to shed light on some other patterns in one’s life, be it with regard to diet or relationships, that, when attended to, have a potential to gently align one’s current and ideal self for a more balanced life experience.

This website was envisioned as a source of relevant information for my existing yoga students who can’t get enough of yoga, and for me to be able to share a little more than a group class setting allows. I also hoped to have you use the web site as a positive motivational tool to keep current yogis persist in their practice, and draw aspiring yoga students to take the first step of their yoga journey.

Namaste!

I acknowledge that I am a passionate student of yoga and all things wellness, and a fitness and nutrition enthusiast; however, I don’t intend any part of the website or its content to diagnose or treat any medical problem or issue, or provide any medical advice. I also suggest that you always check with your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise routine.