Magic on the Mat with Michelle

Once dubbed “the season of the soul” by Virginia Woolf, fall might just be my favorite season. I know, I know—groundbreaking, but beyond the taste of pumpkin spice everything and obsessive talk of sweater weather, autumn truly does bring about the possibility of magic. Whether your particular brand of magic involves watching the leaves change color in the park or planning the perfect party costume, it’s hard to deny that transformation is nigh.

As many of you know, I spend most of my time off the mat reading tarot. What you may not know is how inextricably linked my tarot and vinyasa practices have been. I started posting card readings online within less than a year of my first teaching job. Now, over a decade later, I use October as an excuse to bring these two passions even closer together—but they’re not as dissimilar as one might think.

Both practices use symbols, shapes, animals, and a connection to inner stillness to create balance, ease, and flow in our lives. On the mat, there’s a mythological story behind every pose. In the tarot, the hero’s journey is woven throughout the cards. Yoga has the chakras to help organize energies together in our bodies while tarot has the suits to arrange similar concepts from our lives.

In my Tuesday 6:15 pm classes throughout October, we’ll dive deeper into the meaning behind tarot’s four suits (pentacles, swords, wands, and cups) as they relate to the yoga practice. Every participant has the opportunity to draw a card before class so the practice also serves as a mini-personal reading. I hope to see you there!

Craving magic beyond the mat? I’m also hosting an Intro to Intuitive Tarot class outside of the studio, but in the area on October 24th from 12-4 pm. Find out more in my teacher bio on the website.