Hi I’m Chris.
I decided to start Asana Oracle a few years ago when, wanting to add a little variety to my daily practice, I couldn’t find a good set of yoga cards. I was looking for cards so I could pick several poses randomly and add them to my typical sequence. What I found were decks that either didn’t have enough poses, or included too many of the types that wouldn’t work well together. I was also hoping to find some kind of categorization system to help arrange the cards in a sequence (ie: alternating yin-yang or expansion-contraction). Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I decided to make my own.
As I began to build the deck, I realized that the process of picking random poses could be used as a type of Oracle – an avenue for the universe communicate with us directly. People use decks like the Tarot, Animal cards and Angel cards to gain insights into what’s happening in their life, and if nothing else, to gain a better understanding of their own thoughts and feelings. I thought – why couldn’t Yoga cards be used for the same purpose? Each Yoga pose, or Asana, deals with Prana (life force energy) in a specific way, works on specific parts of the body and mind and arranges the body into sacred geometric shapes. In other words each pose is an archetype of sorts. Good idea right?
However I had a problem: I am not a yoga teacher, nor am I qualified to assign a specific meaning to each Yoga card. I can only look at what is happening in my life when I draw certain cards, check in with my feelings, and draw conclusions from there. So I decided to create a forum where others could do the same thing. Each card, as it is displayed on this website, has a comments section where people are invited to share their insights about what the pose depicted on the card means to them, what is happening in their life when they draw certain cards, and anything else they would like to share about their experience.
I leave it up to you, lovely seekers of truth, to grow our collective knowledge by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below each card. I look forward to learning with you and watching as this Asana Oracle develops into a flowing source of wisdom for us all.
How to use the Oracle
This website is not intended to teach Yoga. It is intended to be used by experienced Yoga practitioners only. If you are not familiar with one of the poses depicted on the cards I Strongly Advise You to seek out a certified Yoga instructor to show you how to do the pose properly, including transitions into and out of the pose from other poses.
You may use the Asana Oracle in any way you wish: I encourage you to explore and use your intuition to find what method best suits your practice and/or your approach to spirituality. What follows is the way that I use the Oracle and is simply one example of how to do it.
Choosing Cards
First, arrange your space in a way that it is comfortable and free of distractions. This may include using incense or essential oils and playing some soft music. Sit down on your mat, placing the cards or your phone or computer within easy reach. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself. At this point you could even do a short meditation of your choice to “arrive” in the present with full awareness.
If you have the physical deck of cards
First, if you are planning to use the cards in a Vinyasa Flow sequence, remove the cards with pink borders from the deck. These are the poses that make up a Vinyasa – or short sequence that you will be doing as a transition between poses. If you are doing a traditional series where you just do one pose after another, leave the pink-bordered cards in the deck.
Some people just shuffle the cards and pick at random. Others use a variety of methods – just one of which is described here: First, spread the cards out, in an arc, in front of you so that they are evenly spaced. Move your hand slowly over the arc until you notice a feeling – it could be anything: a tingle in your palm, a pull or a push, a warm feeling, electricity or something else entirely. Move your hand around near where you first felt the feeling and see if it gets stronger. Pick your card where the feeling is strongest.
If you are using the oracle on the website or on your phone
Go to the Oracle page. Once there, choose how many cards you would like in your set. Choose either Flow or Traditional mode. Press Generate. Once your set has been generated, you may drag to re-order the cards, click the “X” to remove a card from the set and click the “+” to add a card. If you create an account, you may save your sequences and share them with friends or come back to them later. You may also choose a playlist from any online platform (like soundcloud or spotify) that goes with your set.
Arranging your set
Pick 3-10 cards in this way. The number of cards you choose will depend on the intensity you are looking for in your practice, whether you choose “Flow” or “Traditional” mode and how much time you have. Most of the poses are directional (you do them once on both the left and right side) so assume you will be running through the set twice – one for each side.
Look at the colored borders on the cards. The colors represent different types of poses that compliment each other when arranged in a sequence. Arrange your cards in any order, but I recommend alternating cards with Expansion (yellow) and Contraction (blue). Try to space the twist (green) cards evenly through the set. If you have a relaxation pose (white) you’ll wan to place that at the end, and if you get two, place one in the middle.
Reading the Cards
To reiterate, This website is not intended to teach Yoga. I am not a certified Yoga instructor and I have not included any information on this website about the practice of Yoga. In the description of each pose, I have included links to websites ( websites that feature actual certified yoga instructors ) that can guide you in a safe, correct and proper practice of Yoga.
If you have the physical cards, you can search this website for the pose depicted on the card and read the information we have here about it. If you are using your computer or your phone to access the oracle, simply click on the “i” symbol on the cards to bring up a window with the card info.
The information for each card includes the pose’s name, links to articles ( again, by actual certified yoga instructors ) describing the pose, and possibly variations of the pose that could be used instead or in addition to it in your sequence. The info for each card also has a comments section where practitioners (that’s you!) share their insights about what the pose(s) on the card mean to them and what has come up for them in their lives when they have pulled this particular card. The comments are moderated so no negative, rude or off-topic content will be published.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the Asana Oracle and I welcome all constructive feedback aimed at improving the experience of using it. You may reach out to me directly using the contact form below or email me at yogi@asanaoracle.com.
If you enjoy the Oracle, please share it with your friends. The more people that share their truth and insights about each card, the more benefit we will all get out of it.
With Love, Namaste.
Chris