by Baxter Rock and Reflection by Joan Webster One of the most essential skills for yoga asana practitioners to develop is something I like to call “post-asana assessment.” And although I wish it were a skill that beginners came downloaded with, my personal experience and what I have observed with my students over the years has shown me that it is a skill you only learn with encouragement and practice. So what, you may be asking, is this PAA? Quite simply, it is the deliberate pause in your asana practice directly after completing a particular pose, the purpose of which is to assess the effects, positive, negative or neutral, of your practice. This may seem pretty straight forward, yet unless post asana assessment is actively encouraged, it is often overlooked or simply not considered as part of practice.  Especially for the new student or even the student whose asana practice is of the faster flow variety, the time and space for such reflection is often not given in formal classes....