At the feel of her fingers on his skin he almost groaned. If this was her way of getting him to relax she was off to a poor start. Her touch had the opposite effect. If the sudden tightening in his groin was anything to go by he had a long way to go before he could be described as relaxed.
“Your tension and stress are reflected in your aggressiveness,” she was saying. “And that’s why it's so important to address the problem now rather than later. These things can lead to physical manifestations such as heart attacks.”
He sat up straight, paying attention now. “Hold on. What aggressiveness are you talking about? I’m not aggressive.”
Asia smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay, Rico. Denial is typical. And that’s why I’m here. As a professional I can point out these shortcomings and help you overcome them.”
“But I’m not aggressive. I’m just an assertive person who speaks his mind.” He shook his head. “ Merde,” he said under his breath, “I wish more people would be like that.”
“And that swearing,” she said with the lift of an eyebrow, “we’ll work on that as well.” She stepped back. “Now I want you to relax the tension in your shoulders. Just roll them forward and let them slouch.”
Rico gave a deep sigh then he did as he was told.
“Take off your jacket. That way you’ll be less restricted.” Asia waited patiently as he shrugged off the piece of clothing then slumped forward again. “Now say after me, ‘my right arm is heavy’.”
Rico almost laughed out loud. What the hell was this? A joke? But a glance at her face told him Asia was quite serious. And she was waiting.
“My right arm is heavy,” he muttered, glad nobody from his staff could see him right then. They’d think the boss had gone batty.
“My left arm is heavy.”
“My left arm is heavy,” he repeated.
“My legs are heavy.”
“My legs are heavy.”
“My body is warm.”
“My body is warm.” To his surprise, as he chanted the words his body had begun to act on each of the suggestions. He was feeling slow, heavy and unrushed. And he was warm, a cozy kind of warm.
“My face is cool.” Asia’s voice was low and soothing and almost seemed to come from a faraway place.
“My face is cool,” he repeated.
“I am filled with peace.”
“I am filled with peace.” By the time he’d got to that line Rico was almost falling asleep.
“Now breathe.” It was that quiet voice again, Asia’s voice, that was prompting him. “Breathe deeply.”
He breathed in and out, long, deep breaths that seemed to cleanse him from the inside out. With each breath that he exhaled he could feel the tension flow from his body and the stresses slip from his mind. A few more breaths and his mind went blank.
“Now listen to me, Rico,” said the faraway voice. “Follow my instructions. Arms firm.”
It felt like new life was flowing to that part of his body.
“Legs firm.”
His legs came back to life.
“Body firm and just right,” Asia said, and her voice was closer now, stronger. “I remain at peace.”
Rico’s head flopped back against the chair and he looked up at Asia as she stood watching him. He’d never felt so relaxed in his life. And so free. “What did you just do to me?” he asked as he stared up at her. But he was smiling because whatever she’d done had felt good.
“I was getting you balanced,” she said simply. “Releasing the anger, relieving the tension, creating a foundation on which you can build strong techniques.” She gave his shoulder a light tap. “Sit up and get your jacket on. Now you’re ready to face the day.” As he slipped his arms into the sleeves she continued. “Once you practice the techniques outlined in your folder you’ll be able to de-stress on a daily basis. In fact, I recommend that you start with a balance exercise before you begin each work day.”
“If it will make me feel as good as this one just did, no problem.” He rolled his shoulders back then looked at Asia. “Is this what you do each day?”
Asia smiled. “I do it often, especially when I feel I need that extra boost.”
“And is that why you’re always so calm?” he asked, genuinely curious now. “Hardly anything seems to throw you off balance.” Then he chuckled. “Except my kiss, of course.”
He was a bit surprised when she laughed at that one. He’d half expected her to get defensive, maybe even peeved. But no, she hadn’t been offended at the reminder. Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she laughed and her pink-painted lips curved up in a sweet smile that made him want to kiss her again. Right here. Right now.
He leaned toward her. “I want to see you again, Asia.” He was watching her face, gauging her reaction to his request.
Her smile slipped away but she nodded. “You will. Two weeks from today I’ll do a follow up session with you.”
“You know what I mean, Asia. I don’t need to spell it out.” He leaned back in the chair. “But I know your principles and that’s why I agree to stay away from you until this coaching contract is completed. After that I’ll no longer be your client so there’s nothing that should get in the way of my asking you out.” Then he thought of something and asked, “Is there?” He gave her a pointed stare.
“No,” she said quietly, “there isn’t.”
“Good. I’m glad that’s settled.”
“Thanks for being such a good student today,” she said as she buckled her bag.
“I actually enjoyed it,” he said and reached for the folder. “I’m looking forward to trying out some of these exercises of yours.”
She looked like she was ready to go but he stopped her. “One last question,” he said. “Once I do these two weeks of exercises I'm done with the training, right?”