Yoga

Posted on 10 Nov 2015 @ 10:59pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Jayla Kij

907 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: Rec Room 2
Timeline: MD 7

The morning after jumping to warp had done little to ease Harvey's tension. They still had three days before they'd be in range of the Gavara System, but just the thought of having to confront fellow officers had many on edge. Harvey had considered canceling on the good doctor, but the thought of returning to sickbay with yet another shoulder injury overrode that notion.

As he walked into the room reserved for the class, Harvey was pleased he'd worn the right garments for the occasion, though seeing officers and enlisted who'd rarely seen him outside of the red Starfleet uniform was a little daunting. Hopefully Doctor Kij would arrive shortly and make the situation a little less uncomfortable.

Jayla bounded in, cheerful as ever and was immediately greeted by at least half the class. She was a regular here and since she was so friendly, everyone knew her. She said hello to a few people, but as soon as she caught sight of the Captain, excused herself and went to set up her mat next to his. "Glad you could make it," she said with a huge grin. "It's easy, don't worry. Just watch what I'm doing. I'll show you how to adjust the poses if they're too hard."

"Poses?" Harvey asked, though he knew quite well what the doctor was referring to. He had read up on Yoga shortly before coming to the class and still wasn't sure this was something he wanted to go through with.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she said. "You'll catch on. Some of them are tricky, but I'll help you adjust them. Just keep an eye on me and you'll be fine."

Harvey smirked as he offered an uncomfortable nod. "Just promise that this isn't going to end with another sickbay visit."

She grinned at him as the instructor entered the room and order the computer to start the soft music for the class. "Just don't try to force your body to do anything that it doesn't want to and you'll be fine," she told him.

The class automatically followed the instructor- a tall, thin man by the name of Derrik- into a seated pose. Jayla showed the Captain how to tuck his feet together, one on top of the other, silently. "Sit up nice and straight," said Derrik in his calm, cool voice. "Align your head, chest and pelvis. Keep your shoulders back and your chin up. Very good."

Harvey had been foolish to think this was going to be awkward. It, in fact, was more than awkward, and this was a simple seated pose. He was able to conform to the simplicity, though he could feel his back straining to remain properly aligned. It was then that the Captain realized how much he slouched at his desk throughout an average day.

"Nice and straight," repeated Derrik softly. "And now roll your head all the way around, stretching as much as you can. First one way, and then the other. Nice and slow."

Jayla glanced at the Captain out of the corner of her eye and gave him a thumbs up.

Harvey gave a weak smile back to the doctor as he was rolling his head. His eyes kept looking to those around him to be sure his pace was on par with them. He was able to follow along during the next few simple poses, but he had a feeling this was about to get complicated.

And of course, it did, but Jayla paid attention and made sure to show him how to simplify the poses that seemed to give him problems. For the stork, she had him put his foot on his opposite ankle instead of the knee. There were a few others, too, that she helped him modify, but overall, she felt he did very well.

The best part of the class was the very last ten minutes when they just sort of laid there with soft music playing. Derrik walked among them, adjusting their arms of legs to maximize their relaxation. Some teachers gave them things to meditate on, but Derrik preferred to let them choose their own subjects or religious texts as there were so many different views on the ship.

By the time class had ended, Harvey could not recognize the feeling that now enveloped him. Was this what it meant to relax? In fact, as he stood now in the middle of the room as the crew members began to file out into the corridor, bound to resume their duties or prepare for the next shift, Harvey felt a degree of satisfaction. The last time he'd felt this was... Well, almost longer than he could remember. The feeling itself he recalled perfectly. Unlike today, the memory was coupled with companionship and purpose.

Today, only one of those remained. Glancing around, having never really entered the room during any of his inspection tours or errant wandering around the vessel, he spotted Doctor Kij who'd remained behind as well while the others continued to leave.

"Thank you for this," he told her, still standing in the center of the room.

"You're welcome," she replied, grinning at him. "It's incredibly relaxing, isn't it? Are you gonna come back?"

He smiled in return, her infectious expression easily rubbing off on him today. "I think I'd be remiss not too."

Jayla's grin widened, eyes sparkling. "Glad to hear it," she said. "We'll loosen up that shoulder, yet."

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