sweat. If at any time either of you needs to open your eyes or go into child’s pose, I encourage you to listen to your body and let it lead your practice. However, when you hit that wall and you think you’ve had enough, I want you to take a deep breath and push yourself just a little further.”
The music picked up, mixing with her words as she continued pushing us through poses.
“Exhale. Lower. Inhale. Up dog.”
With my eyes closed, I could feel Erik’s presence next to me more than ever. I could hear his heavy breaths. I could sense him standing strong beside me, working through the poses in time with me. Kira led us through another flow and beads of sweat started rolling down my arms, sliding across my stomach and dropping onto my mat. I peeked my eyes open to see them starting to pool below me, proof of my body’s exertion.
“Good, step or hop to the front of your mat. Inhale. Halfway lift. Exhale.”
We made our way back to standing at the top of our mats and she continued talking, swiveling around us and adjusting our poses. Her hands were so sure on my body, confident of where to touch and where to guide.
“Too often, we rely on our sight to lead us through life. If we close our eyes and cut off that sense, we have an urge to reach our hands out and feel for our surroundings, but you two know where you are. Feel your body as it roots down through the ground for mountain pose. Lift your arms overhead, inhale, and then fold down again.”
We worked through a few more flows, moving in time with our breaths. I focused on Kira’s voice, lost in the way it mixed with the music. I was starting to sweat even more, heavy drops rolling across my neck and chest. I was breathing hard, holding each pose until I thought my muscles would give out. The heat was killing me, but it felt good. Invigorating.
“Good, hop or step back to the front of your mat. Root down. Inhale. Rise, and now, finally, open your eyes.”
I inhaled a breath and blinked my eyes open. My gaze immediately found Erik’s in the mirror. He stood at the top of his mat beside me. I watched a drop of sweat as it rolled over his pecs, down across his tight abs. He held my gaze as his chest rose and fell with his breaths. His eyes were narrowed, watching me as Kira told us to breathe and settle into our sight again. The only thing I cared to settle into was Erik. His dark hair was damp and a few strands stuck to his forehead. I wanted to brush them away and kiss the spot, taste the salty moisture coating his skin.
I wasn’t ready to look away by the time Kira told us to fold back over and hug our knees, but I followed her instructions anyway. We worked through the same sequence of poses we’d done with our eyes closed. She walked around us, adjusting as she saw fit: tilting our feet wider or twisting our arms into the correct positions, but with Erik, her hands always lingered a moment too long. She glided her hands down his back, using her palms to help twist his chest open more during warrior two.
“Good,” she soothed, pushing him another inch toward the mirror. Her hands looked so comfortable on his skin that my stomach started to twist as if someone was reaching in and wringing out my insides.
As we continued working through the rest of the practice, I tried to focus on my own movements, but the temperature in the room kept growing hotter and hotter. My yoga pants stuck to me like a second skin, my sports bra was drenched, and my breathing was heavy and loud.
Kira came to stand behind me as we finished our final pose. Her hands glided across my skin, stretching my arms out so I had to sink lower, my thighs shaking with effort.
“Good Brie,” she whispered. Her breath skimmed across the back of my neck, sending a shiver across my shoulders. Her hands tightened around my arms. I met her eyes in the mirror and she offered me a small, knowing smile. Did she know I hated her hands on Erik? Was she aware of the goose bumps her touch elicited?
“Do you feel how strong you are?” she asked, moving back to assess