And DeMatha’s yoga program was born. “I’m pretty sure we’re the only team in the [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference] doing yoga,” Stein said.

“There was a lot of giggling going on the first day,” said Stein, who himself had never done yoga before purchasing the DVD for the team.

The yoga session is led by Kent Katich, who trains with professional athletes, including multiple NBA players. “I don’t think they’d buy into it with more of a granola type,” Stein said.

Katich mixes in basketball during the video, talking about how certain poses will strengthen the shooting arm or help with a jump shot.

The stillness in the room disappears as the players, laying on their back, grab their toes in the air and transition into a “Happy Baby” pose. “That’s part of why it’s different and fun,” Stein said. “I don’t want this to be a complete joke session, but it’s nice to let them come up here and giggle a little bit.”

“We’ve made it a point to try and be a little more relaxed for the last month,” said Mike Jones, DeMatha’s head coach. “I like to think that this helps with that. It is a game and we want to make sure the guys are still having fun. With the high pressure that comes from playing at DeMatha, sometimes that gets lost, and we try to remind ourselves every chance we get that this is a game.”

Instead of lifting weights twice a week, the Stags now lift only once. For 30 minutes before practice every Monday, the players have a yoga session before heading down to the court.

“When we go down for practice we’ll be pretty loose,” senior Marcellous Bell, right, said. “Usually after we lift, we’ll be all tight and it takes a few minutes to get going.”

Bell, who had never tried yoga before Stein introduced it, has found himself replicating poses on the court. “A couple of stretches are good when you’re getting tight,” Bell said. “These stretches definitely help.”

Added Jones: “I think it’s very effective. It helps with the soreness and the normal wear and tear on their bodies, and even if it’s almost like a placebo effect of, ‘We’re doing something different so this will help.’ Who knows if it does, really. But I do believe that they believe it helps them.

“It’s fun and they can kind of tease each other a little bit,” Jones added. “It keeps them a little light hearted. These are teenagers and they should be enjoying themselves.”