“I think my hamstrings just shut down.”
Diane snorts.
The instructor flicks us a look before cueing the class into plank. I lower myself toward the floor, elbows trembling. I glance at Nora. “How do you make this look effortless?” I mutter.
“You’re doing great,” Nora whispers.
“Are you lying to make me feel better?”
“Yes. But also… kind of no.”
When downward dog arrives, I give it an honest try. Unfortunately, I look nothing like Nora, who’s forming a perfect V. My heels hover several inches off the mat, and my back curves into something closer to a question mark than a straight line.
The instructor passes by and murmurs, “Bend your knees if you need to.”
I nod. “I need to.”
Between the constant position changes and my muscles giving up, I lose my balance. My foot slips, and I tumble directly toward Nora.
She grabs my arm on instinct. “Whoa. I’ve got you.”
I freeze—look at her hand, then up at her. “Thank you.”
Warrior pose nearly takes me out, and tree pose is a full-blown catastrophe. I wobble, arms windmilling as I do my best not to draw attention to myself.
Diane laughs. “You’re doing fine, sweetheart.”
“I appreciate the encouragement,” I say, immediately wobbling harder.
By the time we reach seated stretches, I’m sweaty and sore, but proud of myself. “I don’t understand how people look peaceful doing that,” I mutter. “My stress level was at a ten.”
“You survived.” Nora smiles at me.
Diane leans back on her hands. “I’m proud of both of you.”
I glance between them. “So is this a regular thing?”
“Yoga?” Nora asks.
“Being gently humbled in public.”
She laughs. “Only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
At the end, we lie back in Savasana. The lights dim further and the music softens. Diane sighs contentedly beside us. I lie perfectly still. Too still.
Nora peeks over. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “I’m just… aggressively relaxing.”
She bites her lip again, and it’s sexy. I’m really going to enjoy yoga if she keeps giving me that look.
When class ends, I sit up slowly. “I think parts of me have unlocked that were previously inaccessible.”
Diane pats my shoulder. “That’s growth.”
As we roll up our mats, I turn to Nora. “Thanks for inviting me. I liked doing something… normal. With you.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
