Being Present & the “One Day When —-” Game

One of my all-time favorite yoga teachers* is Marco Rojas. I’ve been taking his 90-minute class two to four times a week for a little over three years now.

Why do I practice with him so much? Because he gives us a spiritual warrior workout of pertinent wisdom and tough asanas. I literally leave his class with my brain and body buzzing with awakened energy. Seriously, he’s guru material!

Tony Robbins says, “You become who you spend the most time with.” Maybe I’m just hard-headed (coincidentally my last name in Japanese does mean “oak tree”) but it seems the stuff Marco has said over the years is really seeping into my daily life.

One of his classic lectures goes something like this, “You may think, Oh…one day when my blue prince shows up, life will be perfect. Or – oh I’m not wearing Donna Karen, or I’m not blonde enough, or skinny enough so I’ll practice this pose later. No! You want to practice it NOW!”

I’ve heard this speech dozens of times now and I’ve always thought, Pfffftttt….that’s not me. I don’t evaluate the worth of my life based on a dumb fairytale. And seriously? People make excuses not to try a pose depending on how they look? Ha! But, hey – at least I’m somewhat evolved!

Not so fast there oak tree….

Marco’s imprint recently crept into my awareness in another way as I was sitting in my apartment and noticed five bottles of nail polish on the coffee table, with no idea how long they’ve been there, and I thought, Oh – just leave them. One day when I’m living downtown and loving it, I’ll be more organized. This place is so small and no one is coming over so who cares? I’ll practice that habit later…

In fact, I’ve come to realize I play this “One Day When —-” game quite a bit. In the form of:

One day when my career is back on track, I’ll feel more satisfied with my life and I’ll eat healthier. But for now I’m going to stuff my face with these french fries, or a bag of chips because I need to taste something good.

One day when I’m going to important places I’ll dress up more often. I’m not going anywhere special, or seeing anyone important today, so why bother?

In all of this I’m saying I’ll practice a better life later and put it off, and put it off, and put it off.

Now I realize Marco’s speech is about much more than doing the postures in class. It’s about placing our hopes and desires on hold for an unknown date when we could be manifesting our best life in the now. 

How we judge our everyday lives as lacking, or not enough, then plants the unconscious seed for a sense of “not worthy” and that energy takes root and drags us down.

Do you know when I committed to living in the present like I’ve dreamed of in the future (i.e. I organized the loose ends around my apartment, made food choices as if I were that healthy, content professional, and dressed in the morning as if the day were going to be special), everything feels better. I find myself saying, “I feel amazing! This is the best!” and I’m filled with immense, positive, optimistic energy.

In another strange coincidence, as I was working on this post, this quote appeared in a Oprah newsletter:

“Are you waiting for someone to give you permission to live more fully and healthfully?” – O Magazine

{Enter Twilight Zone music}

What’s your “One Day When —-” game and how can you move what you want in the future into the present?

*Please know when I asked Marco about naming him as my “teacher” he clarified that he’s just the vessel. The teacher is really inside of us. I get what he’s saying in that it’s up to us to take the information and apply it to how, and where, we need it. Regardless of the title, Marco says smart shit! His Facebook Page can be found here.