Page 15 of For the Win

“You two know each other?”Gary looks back and forth between us.

“I told you I’ve been to yoga classes,” I say.“Arya’s a fantastic teacher.”

Her eyebrows shoot up skeptically.“You’ve been to two classes.And you disrupted both of them.”

I grimace.“Yeah, about that...I apologize again.”

Gary closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath.“No disruptions,” he snaps.“The team has hired Arya and you need to pay attention and do the class.”

“Of course.”I put on a serious expression.“No fu—” I stop.“No joking around.”

“You play for the Condors,” Arya says, still wearing a bemused expression.

She didn’t know who I am.

“Yeah.”I grin.I don’t assume everyone knows who I am.California is a big state and a lot of people here aren’t into hockey.I guess she’s one of them.

I step over and pick up a mat, then walk over and lay it on the floor between Bellsy and Scotty.

“What a coincidence,” Bellsy says in a low voice.“Of all the yoga instructors, in all the yoga studios...”

“Yep.”

“She thinks we’re idiots,” he adds.

Dammit.

When I asked her out, it was only partly to try to make up for what I’d done.The very first class of hers I went to, when Everly dragged me there so JP wouldn’t be the only guy, I was attracted to her.She didn’t pay much attention to me, despite my attempts to show off.The second time, I knockedherin the water, but after her initial shock, it seemed like she found it funny.When I asked her out, I definitely felt a vibe like she wanted to say yes, like she was struggling.I just don’t get why.

I scrunch up my face in frustration.I need to pay attention and focus on yoga, not the hot instructor.

Soon we’re all there, sitting on the floor of the weight room.Arya and Gary move in front of us.

“This is Arya Ross,” Gary says.“She has seven years of experience teaching yoga.”He looks at a paper in his hand and reads haltingly.“She earned her RYT 200 Yoga Alliance certification five years ago, specializing in hatha and vinyasa.She’s studied with some world-renowned instructors to further her education.She teaches at Prana Yoga in Venice and has her own stand-up paddleboard classes at Makara Yoga in Marina del Rey.She creates a safe, noncompetitive space for her students to find deeper meaning and inspiration.Her classes emphasize the importance of proper alignment, pranayama breathing techniques, and mindfulness.”He looks up.“Welcome, Arya.”

“Thank you, Mr.Jones.”Arya smiles at him, then at all of us.“I’m honored to be here today.I know firsthand how much yoga can restore balance, awareness, health, and happiness—yoga was and still is a healing force in my life.I love bringing that to others.I have to be honest and tell you that I have never taught a class like this, to professional athletes.I know all of you are in top physical condition, but I believe that yoga can help fine-tune your bodies by optimizing any structural inefficiencies, improving your stability and range of motion.So, let’s get started.”

Music begins to play.The kickass sound system in the weight room usually blasts a lot of hard rock and rap music for us to work out to.I cringe, waiting for the tranquil sounds of some kind of new age music, but that’s not it.The first song is slow, yeah, but it has a country music sound.

“Lie down on your mats,” Arya instructs us.“Legs apart, palms facing the ceiling.”

She teaches us how to breathe as we each lie there with a hand on our abdomen, feeling it rise and fall as we breathe deeply.“Breathe in new energy,” she says.“Exhale and feel the relaxation.”

Then she has us do a wide-legged Child’s Pose, our foreheads to the mats.We did this one on the paddleboard.

“Take those same deep breaths,” she says.“Right into your belly.Drop your hips down to your heels.”

We stay like that for a while, the music playing, nobody talking.This is weird.

I know flexibility is important, and I force myself to stretch, but I’ve never really liked it.It’s too...static.I like to be moving.

Eventually we move onto our hands and knees.This is good.Now I can see her.Today she’s wearing cropped leggings and a modest tank top.She has us rolling our spines, arching our back then letting it curl down.I watch the way she moves, sinuous and graceful.And sexy.

I follow along.The music changes, becoming a little peppier, a guitar opening joined by a harmonica.This is cool.Soon she has us in a pose that’s like a side plank, one arm in the air.

“Float your right leg up off the matt,” she says.

Whoa.Okay.

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