What is Tarot and how can it enhance my sankalpa (intention) for yoga

Tarot cards depict a story and explain patterns we find in both the microcosm of ourselves and the macrocosm of the universe. within the cards, 21 major arcana cards depict a story of a young journeyer that evolves through overcoming first an earthly challenge followed by a spiritual challenge. like a deck of cards, 56 minor arcana cards are divided into four major suites (wands, swords, cups and pentacles, or disks) depict different types of challenges we overcome during different periods of our lives. Wands represent the nature of fire within and depict a story of overcoming challenges of the action and creation realm. cups represent the nature of water within us and depict a story of overcoming challenges of the emotional and spiritual realm. swords represent the nature of air within us and depict a story of overcoming challenges of the mind. pentacles, or disks, represent the nature of earth within us and depict a story of overcoming challenges of the material realm. certain card layouts can tell a specific story to answer a specific question, where each card represents a specific piece of the puzzle. You don’t have to be trained to read tarot cards, they are based on intuition. Where it is good to know the story of the major and minor arcana cards as well as the different suites and what they represent, it is not necessary. Having the foundational knowledge of the cards and their meaning can only enhance your readings, allowing one to extract even more meaning from them.

Reading cards, whether pulling a layout to answer a specific or general question or pulling a single card can help create a sankalpa (focus or intention) for each class. at the very least, pulling one card, meditating on the message in the card and allowing that message to be the focus of your class can help redirect your karma (actions) towards a more intentional purpose-fulfilling direction.