Mistakes Can Be Miracles!
The other morning when I was teaching at Equinox, I made a mistake in my sequencing and completely skipped some postures on the left side that I had done on the right side earlier. I’m sure it was from being partially sleep deprived (Timothy still crawls in to bed with me most nights!) and also not staying 100% focused like I should be doing as a yoga teacher. Regardless, I remembered later as I was coming out of a different sequence and decided to add the poses in then.
I admitted to my class I had made the mistake; but also how it unexpectedly turned out almost perfectly as it made for a really nice transition in to the next set of postures. It made me think about how easy it is to turn a mistake in to a miracle. Unfortunately, mistakes can also be made into disasters. It really all depends on our outlook, attitude and creativity. I could have beat myself up for not staying present, for missing the poses, etc.; but I did jump back into being present, remembered them later and it all turned out OK.
One of my favorite teachers said recently in her class, “you can take a good situation and make it better, you can take a good situation and make it worse, you can take a bad situation and make it better or take a bad situation and make it worse.” It really all depends on what WE decide to do and how we want to live our lives. Sometimes you hear about the child who was a “mistake” when that child may not have been planned, but most likely added so much joy to his/her parents’ lives.
You also hear about the artist or inventor whose mistake actually turned out to be the next big masterpiece or invention. Next time you jump to the conclusion that you’ve done something wrong or made a mistake, turn it around and see how right your wrong may actually be or how that mistake may actually be a miracle. You never know how things will turn out. All you can do is stay positive, stay present, be open to everything in life and adjust your attitude to point towards a good outcome.
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!