Pick a Card. Any Card.
What began as a way to keep viewers engaged
has become the most meaningful part of my practice.
If you’ve been following Daily Flow for any length of time, you’ve noticed that I started pulling a card from a Yoga Oracle Deck (here’s my Amazon Affiliate link) at the end of each Ten-Minute Mornings practice.
I started this practice for a couple of reasons. The main one, if I’m honest, was to try to get more people to watch until the end. As with most YouTubers, my views tend to fall off pretty rapidly after the first 30 seconds or so, which is why so many videos say things like “watch ’til the end for XYZ.” The other reason — a little less cynical — was that I thought pulling an oracle card might inspire me to end the videos with something more meaningful than a closing “Namaste.”
That was an understatement.
After just a few days of card pulls, it became my favorite part and the thing that makes these videos really unique.
From Yoga Poses to Yoga Philosophy…
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥ १.२ ॥
Yoga Sutra 1.2
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
I talk about yoga asana practice a lot. I teach upwards of a dozen classes most weeks, and I believe strongly in using the physical yoga practice as a way to deepen connection, concentration and — ultimately — one’s ability to be comfortable in stillness.
Mind you, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing up to a yoga class “just” because you want to move your body or be more fit, but the movement can vary wildly — from more intense “Power Vinyasa” or Ashtanga classes to prop-filled Iyengar studios, quiet Yin practices, or a totally still Yoga Nidra meditation.
The common thread — the thing that makes them all yoga — is the philosophy. Thousands of years of profound teaching that centers the mind.
What the Card Pull is Teaching Me
I don’t know which card I’m going to pull every day. I find it fascinating that in this deck of 40 cards, there are many that I’ve never pulled, and a few I’ve pulled several times — often on back-to-back days.
And every day, I have to pause, reflect on the card I’ve drawn, and come up with something to say. It is in these moments that I feel most led. The Yoga tradition would call that the Prana — that vital, life-force energy that connects all things — but it can go by any name: inner wisdom, Holy Spirit, The Universe, guide, God, consciousness, flow.
Whatever the name, most days I just kind of start talking. And more often than not, something comes out that I didn’t expect. (To be fair, it’s sometimes near the end of what might be a rambling start.) My egoic mind steps out of the way just long enough for something Greater to speak through me.
It really makes me wonder what would happen if I did more of that: pausing, listening, and trusting.
A Simple Practice
The only reason to blog about this is if it serves you. So I have a challenge for you. For us.
Do this two or three times today…
- Grab a pen and a sheet of paper or a journal.
- Set a timer for 30 seconds or a minute (no more than five minutes, but 30 seconds is plenty).
- Breathe.
- Write.
That’s it. Just write anything that comes up. Let your pen lead the way. It can be random words. Fragments. Doodles. Doesn’t matter. Just let the pen move. Don’t even try to make it legible. What you write doesn’t matter. That you write does.
You can throw away the sheet of paper when you’re done.
The Point…
You’ve let that deepest part of yourself — the light that is in you — have the floor for a little bit.
You will have just loosened the grip of your egoic mind: the part that wants to think, manage and judge. And you’ve made a little space, even if it’s just a sliver, for that light to peek through.
Eventually, maybe the sliver will widen. Maybe you’ll open a whole window. But even if you never do, you will benefit from the pause.
And so will the people you encounter. So will your community.
So will the World.
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Nothing that appears in this blog or on this website is intended to treat or diagnose any disorder, physical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.