Tales from the Yoga Studio Read Free Page A

and headbands and a few other practical items. She would handle everything for Lee, split the profits with the studio, and get a free monthly pass for classes. The problem is that every product, no matter how mundane and seemingly straightforward, creates a controversy.
    Tina is standing behind the counter when Lee walks into the lounge area, and she beckons Lee over.
    â€œI need to talk with you about something,” Tina says.
    â€œI’m a little pressed for time. . . .”
    â€œIt will only take a minute.”
    Here we go, Lee thinks. Tina is one of those young, super-fit yoginis with too much nervous energy and a tendency to get anxious if Lee asks the class to go into child’s pose or to modify a handstand or back off on one of the more extreme twists. She’s definitely competitive—mostly with herself. She was a platform diver in high school, and Lee is always reminding her that she’s not going to have her poses scored. “I’m not a judge,” she keeps telling her. “I want you to work on enjoying it.” So far, she’s seen lots of work and not much joy.
    â€œIt’s about the tea,” Tina says and maneuvers her body so that no one in the lounge can hear. “I ordered this new organic brand that everyone is raving about, and without thinking, I ordered five boxes of this along with the herbal.”
    She holds up a package of Earl Grey.
    â€œOkay,” Lee says, waiting to hear what kind of debate was inspired by a box of tea. Tina recently graduated from UCLA and is back living with her parents, so Lee suspects it’s a matter of too much time on her hands.
    â€œIt’s caffeinated,” she says. “Which I didn’t really think about at the time, but Isabella Carolina Paterlini—she was at Chloe’s seven a.m. class today—said she’s trying to get off coffee and that seeing a caffeinated tea on the shelf was a trigger for her. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I told her I’d ask you.”
    â€œGood thing you didn’t decide to go with Red Bull,” Lee says.
    Tina has a nervous, pinched face and, as far as Lee can tell, not much of a sense of humor. Although admittedly it wasn’t much of a joke. A lot of people seem to get self-righteous about things like diet and drinking when they get into a yoga studio, and Lee can’t tell if it’s coming from some genuine feeling or because they think it’s how they ought to behave. In the grand scheme of things, Lee is pretty abstemious, but she’s not above the occasional turkey burger and fries (and the very infrequent cigarette) and she thinks most people would be a whole lot happier and healthier if they relaxed around these issues instead of trying to adhere to a strict policy. What is “perfection” anyway?
    â€œHave you tried it?” Lee asks.
    â€œNo. But all their teas are amazing.”
    â€œI’ll tell you what,” Lee says. “I’ll buy the five boxes. I love Earl Grey, and I can always send my mother a box or two for her birthday.”
    â€œOh, Lee. That’s so great. I’ll put them in the office. Have you got time to talk about something else?”
    â€œI have to get to school to pick up the twins,” she says. “What is it?”
    â€œSomeone asked if we’d stock Kegel exercisers. I didn’t even know what they were, and then I looked it up online. I was wondering . . .”
    â€œLet’s put that one off until tomorrow.” If a box of tea is inspiring this much conversation, she can only guess what would come of this item. There are moments when she’d like to close down the retail section—too much trouble—but some of the students have expressed a real appreciation for it. Lee starts to walk to the office and then turns back. “You’re doing a great job, Tina,” she says.
    In most ways, she is, and it’s amazing to Lee how well people respond