ZLATA Goddess of flexibility

Jenny's Yoga Jenny was nervous. It was her first yoga competition, and she had been training for months. She first picked up yoga after seeing a video of Zlata on youtube. There were no places nearby that offered gymnastics or contortion, so Jenny decided to try yoga. Her parents always said she was very flexible, and she worked hard to copy Zlata's positions, bending, twisting, and squeezing her body. Now she stood next to the stage, watching a young indian girl, maybe a year younger than her doing her routine. The girl was wearing a tight, bright pink, legless catsuit, and had her hair tied in a long braid down her back. She looked serious, and frowned and grimaced as she raised one leg, and flicked it neatly behind her head, then without using her hands, she winced, and her leg slid slowly but surely down her back and came to a stop, right under her shoulders. She then sat down and put her palms together and bowed. Then, with some struggle, easign her leg up and out from behind her back, she shifted her bare feet apart and slid into a neat side split. She bowed again, and brought her legs backward, and bent her back into a cobra position, her braid almost touching her bum, and her face rimmed with sweat. Seeing as she could bend no further, she stood back up, bowed, and left the stage. It was now Jenny's turn. She was only wearing an old red t-shirt, and tight spandex shorts. Her feet were also bare, and she shifted her toes nervously, in the sand around the edge of the stage. Her dirty-blonde hair was pulled back into a hastily-done ponytail, and her body felt loose after hours of stretching. As she stepped on the stage, she remembered to bow, and the bell sounded. The room fell quiet, and only the sound of her nervous breathing could be heard. Jenny's mind froze. She couldn't remember a single bit of her routine! She stood still, mid-bow for about 3 seconds, and she remembered something. It was her first contortion video she had every watched. A Zlata video. She pictured the world's greatest contortionist, guiding her movements. She smiled, spread her feet about shoulder-width apart, and took a deep breath. She raised her arms above her head, and used them to guide her upper-torso, as she bent backwards. She felt her hands press against the stage floor, as she slowly walked herself into a tight bridge. She felt her fingertips brush the back of her ankles, and she grabbed her legs. She could now feel her bum squeezing against her lower-back. It was the first time she felt anything like it. Her smile broadened into a wide grin, as she pulled tighter, folding herself in half like a book. She could hear shocked gasps from the audience, as this seemingly novice yogini unfolded herself. Jenny repeated the move, except this time, she lowered her chest to the floor. She struggled not to laugh, as she could now see the audience through between her legs. Their faces were frozen in fear, astonishment, excitement, and disgust. Jenny, eased herself onto her stomach, so that she held the same tight bend, but her chest was now off the ground, and perfectly upright. She grabbed her legs, reaching up, just above her knees, and pulled. She could feel parts of her body touching other parts that thy shouldnt. She was euphoric beyond belief. She let herself feel fully immersed in the pose, flexing and pointing her feet, spreading and closing her toes, breathing in and out quickly and slowly. She felt just like Zlata. after about 20 second in the pose, she let go, and allowed her body to un-fold itself. The head yogi approached her and said. "That was incredible young lady, but that is just not yoga." "I know." Said Jenny. "I wanted to be a contortionist anyways."