It’s been a while since we’ve chatted about tarot, and I don’t know about you, but I have missed it! Stick around to the end to see how you can use them for yoga inspiration!
The rich tapestry of tarot cards has been a source of mystery, guidance, and spiritual insight for centuries. At the heart of any traditional tarot deck, we find two distinct groups: the Major and Minor Arcana. Each has its unique language and lessons, and both can be powerful tools for enhancing day-to-day intuition as well as inspiring themes for yoga classes.
Major Arcana: The Soul's Journey
The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards, starting with The Fool (0) and ending with The World (21). These cards are seen as the pillars of the tarot, representing major life events, spiritual lessons, and core archetypes.
Benefits & Uses:
Life's Major Lessons: These cards can offer guidance on our life's journey, signaling significant shifts, challenges, and transformations
Yoga Themes: Drawing a Major Arcana card before a yoga class can inspire powerful themes. For example, drawing The Sun might inspire a class focused on joy, vitality, and openness, incorporating sun salutations and heart-opening poses
Deepening Intuition: Reflecting on a Major Arcana card daily can foster a deeper connection to one's spiritual path and personal growth.
Minor Arcana: Daily Ebb and Flow
The Minor Arcana is made up of 56 cards, divided into four suits: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit relates to a different element and sphere of life. They offer insight into the day-to-day happenings, emotions, and decisions we face.
Benefits & Uses:
Practical Insights: While the Major Arcana speaks to overarching themes, the Minor Arcana offers guidance on daily matters—emotional states, challenges, or opportunities.
Intuitive Development: Using these cards daily can help sharpen intuition, helping one attune to the subtle energies and changes in one's environment.
Yoga Intents: The suits can be used to focus on specific intentions in a yoga class. For instance, Cups (related to emotions and water) could inspire a fluid, restorative class, while Wands (associated with creativity and fire) might inspire a dynamic, fiery flow.
Interweaving Tarot into Daily Life & Yoga
Here's how you can integrate tarot insights into your daily routine and yoga practice:
Daily Card Pull: Start your day by drawing a card. Reflect on its message, allowing it to inform your actions, choices, and interactions.
Meditation Focus: Before meditation, draw a card. Let its imagery and message guide your focus, offering clarity or presenting questions.
Yoga Intention Setting: At the beginning of your yoga practice, draw a card. Allow it to shape the intention for your practice, whether it's finding balance, harnessing inner strength, or cultivating gratitude.
The tarot, with its Major and Minor Arcana, offers a holistic language of wisdom, guidance, and intuition. When interwoven into daily practices like intuition development and yoga, it can provide a wellspring of inspiration, grounding, and connection.
If you haven't yet, pick up a traditional tarot deck (you can check out our favorites here) and start integrating it into your daily routines. Allow the ancient wisdom of the cards to guide and inspire you, revealing paths of insight in both your intuitive practices and your journey on the yoga mat.