Page 19 of Serenity at Seagrove
"So we'll start just by breathing," she said. "Nothing fancy, nothing complicated—something that we all know how to do. Just notice how your breath moves through your body. In and out, in and out."
She guided them through general warm-ups, careful to offer modifications for those with different abilities. And when they reached the shoulder exercises, she saw Archer hesitate.
"Remember," she said to the group but met his eyes briefly. "We're not pushing hard today. We're listening. Your body knows exactly what it needs, and our job is to pay attention."
To her surprise, Archer just closed his eyes and followed her instructions. His movements were deliberate and careful. The morning sun caught a little fleck of gold in his hair, and for a moment, she could see past the injured athlete with the bad attitude to the person underneath, someone who was just trying to find his way back to himself.
As the class progressed, she guided them through a series of gentle stretches and movements, keeping her voice steady and calm. She noticed how Archer's breathing gradually deepened, how the tension in his face started to ease. And when they moved to a particularly challenging stretch for the shoulders, she approached him quietly.
"May I?" she asked softly, gesturing to his shoulder.
He nodded slightly, and she made a small adjustment to his position. "Try bringing your elbow down just a bit. Sometimes less movement creates more space."
She felt him jump and stiffen initially at her touch but then slowly relax as the adjustment relieved some pressure. Sarah, at the front of the class, let out a contented sigh as they moved to a gentler pose. The retired teacher, Margaret, smiled in agreement. Even Tom, the fisherman who'd been skeptical about "this kind of thing," seemed to be finding some peace in the movements. But Archer held Luna's attention. There was just something about the way he approached every movement—determined but careful, like he was discovering new parts of his body with every breath.
They moved into the final relaxation pose, and Luna spoke.
"Let your body settle," she instructed softly. "Feel the support of the mat beneath you, the warmth of the sun, the sound of the waves. Right now, there is nothing to fix, nothing to change, nothing to achieve. There's just this moment."
She watched as Archer's fists slowly unclenched, his breathing deepening, and for the first time since she'd met him, he looked at peace.
After class, as the other students gathered their things and chatted quietly, Luna noticed Archer lingering on his mat, his eyes still closed. She tidied up and gave him the space to process whatever he was feeling.
"That was wonderful, dear," Margaret said, touching Luna's arm as she passed. "My joints haven't felt this good in ages."
"Same time Thursday?" Sarah asked, her face more relaxed than when she'd arrived.
Luna nodded, walking them to the door.
Tom paused. "Didn't think this sort of thing would help, but my knee feels better. Who'd have thought?"
After they left, Luna returned to the yoga deck where Archer was finally sitting up, running a hand through his hair.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, keeping her distance.
"Different. I can't explain it, but different."
"Do you want some more tea?"
He nodded, and she moved to the kitchen to prepare it. They sat out on the deck chairs, looking at the ocean.
"My shoulder," he said as she handed him the tea. "It's not screaming at me for the first time in months."
"That's because we worked with it instead of against it. Sometimes healing starts with acceptance."
He took a sip of the tea. "You make it sound so simple."
"Simple doesn't always mean easy," she replied.
He held up the cup of tea. "I think I might be getting addicted to this."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, drinking tea and watching the waves. She could feel something had switched in him, but she knew better than to point it out.
“So, will you be at Sunday dinner?" he asked, suddenly surprising her.
"Oh, at SuAnn's? Yes. I'm a little bit worried about her attempts to cook Puerto Rican cuisine, though."
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Yeah, Dawson mentioned something about that. Said she'd been practicing all week."
