She heard Dadiji’s voice
in her head. Patience.and she wanted to stop. Then she
remembered her grandmother’s words.
She took a deep breath and held the
pose longer.
Sahana practiced a new pose every
day. But first, she went through the
poses she had practiced the days
before. She started to feel stronger.
Her arms and legs stopped wiggling.
Thedayof theyogacontestarrived.
On the bus, Sahana’s stomach whirled
like a summer monsoon. What if I can’t
hold any poses?
When the bus stopped at school, she
ran to the gym. Her heart thumped.
Families arrived. But Dadiji wasn’t
in the audience. Dadiji has to see what
I’ve learned, Sahana thought.
“It is time to begin,” said their
teacher. “Your first pose will be Eagle.”
Sahana curled her left leg around her
right leg. She bent her arms, winding
one around the other. Focus.
“Triangle pose.”
Sahana stood with her legs apart andarms at her sides. She slowly bent to
the right. She heard Dadiji’s voice in
her head. Patience.
Camel pose. Bridge pose. Bow pose.
“Your last pose is the Wheel,” saidtheir teacher.
Sahana lay on her back with her
knees bent. She took a deep breath and
placed her hands on the f loor behind
her. She pushed as hard as she could to
raise her stomach toward the ceiling.
A few more seconds. But her arms felt
soft and wiggly. Sahana sank to her
mat. She would not win the contest.
I messed up, Sahana thought. Dadiji
would be disappointed. Maybe she’s not
here. She glanced at the audience.
Dadiji stood near the doorway, and
she was smiling. Sahana immediately
felt better.
“Thank you, children,” said their
teacher. It was the end of the program.
The audience cheered wildly.
“I didn’t know you could do all
those poses,” Dadiji said when Sahana
walked over to her. “I’m proud of you.”
“I worked on being patient, like you
taught me.” Sahana balanced on one
foot and put her other foot on her thigh.
With hands together, she lifted her
arms into the air. Tree pose. “I will
grow stronger every day.”What if I can’t hold any poses?