[Grappl] Air Yoga & Chill

[Dubski]

The Indian girl beamed happily at Ema as she got the pose down. She would then also close her eyes and prepare for her breathing. "You're doing really good..." remarked Aarna between breaths, letting out a soft hum. It felt good. It was one of the few ways that Mehta was able to find a way to relax, and she loved it.

But they were about to go through another basic stretch--the last in this set right now. "This one is easy. You just need to trust yourself...!" said Aarna, wrapping her arms in the hammock. "Just don't overthink it. All you need to do are adjust your arms with the hammock!" Mehta would then keep that hammock wrapped around her arms while still in the Squatting Frog before slowly tilting forward. And then, eventually, she was able to be upside-down again. She kept her arms locked in that hammock, almost hugging herself, while her legs remained in that diamond position. She was practically sitting upside-down now, executing the Inverted Badhakonasana! Humming contently, Aarna closed her eyes as she hung there and asked, "Do you have it, Ema?"

[PurpleMage]

Now that she knew that the next move was going to be a difficult one Ema couldn’t help but wonder which one would that be. It was a bad habit of her, overthinking stuff to the point it becomes a bother and a source of worries for her. Luckily Aarna was there to throw at her the two words she just needed: “Don’t overthink.”, and then after that she said two even more important words: “trust yourself.” Surely Aarna couldn’t know how deeply meaningful those words felt for Ema, but she would surely come to experience it from now on.

With this newfound confidence in herself that surfaced in part thanks to Aarna, Ema felt ready to face even the difficult to execute inverted Badhakonasana. It may be true that at first the movement could feel a little complex but in the end Ema trusted in her skills despite being a beginner to air yoga, so after some deep breaths she started getting upside-down once again. Her movements were a little unsteady at first but slowly she realized how her body was getting used to hanging from the hammock. Who knows, maybe she would even grow a liking of air yoga. “I think so, yes...”, she said letting all the tension in her body go.

[Dubski]

Aarna didn't bother to look over at Ema this time, trusting her to be able to make this latest inverted stretch happen. She simply smiled at the confirmation, keeping her eyes closed as she took deep breaths. "Good..." she answered, continuing to take easy breaths of air as she hung in the hammock.

And then after enough time, they were instructed to get back into the neutral position they started in, simply sitting in the hammock. Aarna Mehta did it with ease before righting herself, smiling over at Ema. And then, they were instructed to take a short break before picking it back up. Getting out of the hammock, Aarna sat down on her mat, getting her bottle of water and taking a sip from it. "Sooooo what do you think so far?" asked the Indian girl. She wiped the sweat from her brow with her forehead, taking the time to rest before they would get back to it.

[PurpleMage]

Ema had managed to remain focused and to overcome all the difficulties she faced executing the moves for a good chunk of the class. When they were told to just sit on the hammock she returned to a neutral position, feeling all the relaxation on her body but when the instructor gave them some minutes of rest she really noticed how she needed it. Ema was sweaty and her body was exerted after the intense workout so some rest would be much appreciated by her.

Stepping out of the hammock, Ema felt weird using her feet to support herself once again. After some unsteady steps she would get her bottle and sit on a mat close to Aarna who was already sitting and asking her about the experience. “I think this is great. I mean, it is difficult and challenging but not in an imposing way as I thought it would be. I can see myself growing to love this, actually. Thanks for bringing me here.”, she said with a soft, sincere smile on her face.

[Dubski]

With a cheery smile on her face, Aarna took another sip of her water after listening to Ema. "Thank you for coming!" said the Indian girl in a friendly manner. She was having a good time of the air yoga, but then she normally did. Any yoga was in her wheelhouse, but it was great to find someone who might also be interested in it.

"I love yoga a lot. It's one of the few times I can just... relax and get out of my head, you know? Calm my nerves... get away from everything I have to do. My entire agenda pauses during it," said Aarna, bobbing her head in thought for a few moments before adding, "...And it helps keep me looking good. And flexible. And... well, you know what I mean." Mehta waved a hand, gesturing to Ema that she should definitely understand what she means. "I'd be interested to see how you keep your body fit! Anything special on your end?" asked Aarna before sipping her water again.

[PurpleMage]

After the strain and exertion her body was feeling besides relaxation Ema could now fully let all her tension go as they were having a small rest and unwind with Aarna, having their first real, long conversation since their date started. The Indian woman talked passionately about her love for yoga, how it helped in both the mental and physical department, and Ema could feel how Aarna really cared about what she did there, how it was more than a hobby and got closer to a lifestyle, how yoga was her lifeboat. “You really look like a fish in a clear pond when stretching, not like I was peeking or anything!”, Ema tried a compliment but she blushed when she felt she was being awkward, just when she was thinking how it was pretty accurate Aarna’s remark on how yoga makes her look good, an understatement if Ema was asked about it.

“I practise some yoga now and then by myself, but I was never a true conoisseur, just an amateur. To keep in shape I go to the gym as much as I can, three to five days a week. I really like that feeling when you are really exhausted after a decent workout. But if you ask me I would say the most important thing to maintain your body is a healthy and balanced diet. I love diving into my kitchen and preparing healthy vegetarian dishes. I know what most people think of vegetarians and how they are boring or a hassle, but I make a double effort to make any dish I cook as good as any regular diet one.” Ema blushed a little before talking. “I- I wouldn’t mind showing you what I can cook, I mean, if you would like to try it...”

[Dubski]

Mehta's eyes widened when she heard Ema's compliment, before she thought on it. She'd never been called anything like that before--but she loved the uniqueness of the compliment and smiled warmly in response. "Thank you!" exclaimed Aarna in a sweet tone. "Better than being a fish out of water, I suppose!"

She took another sip of her water as she listened to Ema once more, pondering that idea. The first date and the girl was already offering to make her dinner? It couldn't get much sweeter than that. With a smile, Aarna nodded and said, "I think a dinner would be great. I had a vegetarian phase once--I couldn't keep it up, but I'd love to try whatever you can cook!" Mehta seemed legitimately excited about it--very curious about what she could make. She liked the confidence she had inviting her. "Were you thinking after this?" asked Aarna, knowing their break was going to be up soon.

[PurpleMage]

Ema felt relieved when she realized how her compliment was well received by Aarna. The purple-haired was a little self-conscious about her awkwardness when she was feeling nervous and even the simplest of compliments or comments became so hard to articulate into words for her, so she was happy to notice that no matter how weird her fish in water analogy could sound it was well received by Aarna. “W-what I meant is that you look in your element in here and fishes can be graceful...”, she tried to explain even if there was no need to.

Luckily for Ema the topic changed drastically when both women started talking about Ema’s offer for dinner. Seeing how her proposal was well accepted made the purple-haired excited as it was a recognition of Aarna having her fun and wanting to spend more time with her. “Of course!”, she said when she was asked about their dinner being that same night. “You will see, I can cook some vegetarian dishes people tend to forget they are even vegetarian.” This excitement coming from Ema was a strange sight, but in some way Aarna had captivated her with her demeanor so she wanted to pay her back.

[Dubski]

Aarna looked delighted when Ema agreed to meet tonight. She'd need to do a little cleaning up, but she was certainly still excited to be able to wind down after this much more intensive date. And hearing her boast her vegetarian dishes made her even more excited--Mehta always enjoyed a good, home cooked meal. "Oooooh... that sounds delicious! I can't wait!" said Aarna, clapping her hands together with a big, toothy grin.

And then the instructor would tell them it was time to get back to it, prompting the Indian girl to stand up, extending a hand to Ema to help her up as well. "Back to it!" she said in a chipper tone. She was even more motivated with the yoga workout now that she had something to look forward to after!

[PurpleMage]

Ema was feeling a little bit at unease when she invited Aarna over later that night. What if the woman just said no? What if her date thought that she was trying to show off and refuse? All those fears were a fruit of her overthinking mind as Aarna looked happy and delighted at the offer and quickly accepted. With a small sigh of relief, Ema returned to her usual self. “It is a date then! Or would that be a second date?”, she giggled. The instructor interrupted their conversation with an announcement for the class to resume. “Ok, let’s get back to it!”, said Ema confidently.

The rest of the class went smoothly now that Ema had managed to get rid of her feelings of unease and she had broken the ice. The remaining stretches were variable in difficulty but now that she was getting the feeling of the hammock the purple-haired thought of that as an exciting challenge and a relaxing experience at the same time. When the class was over she met again with Aarna where they had left their belongings. Getting her stuff while having a gulp of water, Ema shared her thoughts. “Well that was really something! I can see myself practising more air yoga in the future. It was quite a discovery, and sharing it with someone made it even better, so thank you.” Ema was feeling really happy about the whole experience. “So, tonight’s an encore? Prepare for some delicious veggie treats.”, she giggled at her remark. She wasn’t a proud one, but really liked her cooking.