I’m turning this post into a twofer & hoping it doesn’t put me the naughtykarma list (I feel like in addition to goodyoga, there can be badyoga, naughtyyoga, happycrackyoga,, etc.  Yinz should trademark it all!).  It’s mostly because I didn’t practice at all on Wednesday was a bit pressed to write an entire post about not doing yoga.  02/01 was the one-year anniversary of my friend’s passing & while I should have shown up for Mysore & dedicated my practice to him, I opted for weepily going through his Facebook photos & having a group Skype chat with his friends & family.  It’s all good though—I dedicated Thursday’s practice to him.  TMI?

Yesterday was my second time back to Mysore.  This time I added in the Standing Poses & a few of the seated ones as well (up to Purvottanasana).  I completely forgot the beginning of the seated poses.  & I mean completely.  Amy queued me with the Sanskrit names & I’m pretty sure I gave her a deer-caught-in-headlights stare.  Mama got her grove back eventually.  Plus, I didn’t do any of my standard reviewing (“cheating”) before class.  I have a Primary Series Sequence “cheat-sheet” that I will look over either the night before or before I leave my house in the morning.  Typically I’ll skim over this visual reference on my computer from Ashtanga Yoga Canada, but I also spend a lot of time on ashtangayoga.info after I get a new asana.  Unlike other sites, it seems Arjuna (Dr. Ronald Steiner) & his team systematically breakdown both asana & vinyasa overview with accompanying Sanskrit & photos.  They even include drishti!  It’s no Amy, but it still makes for a good source.  I only look at asanas that I’m personally practicing though.  I’d rather my first exposure to the pose be from Amy herself.  As Guruji says himself in Yoga Mala, “Yoga should never be learned from reading books or looking at pictures.  It should only be learned under the guidance of a Guru who knows the yogic science and is experienced in its practice.”  Truth.