What does Namaste mean?
Namaste!
At the end of my first yoga class, coming out of Savasana (shah-VAH-sah-nah aka 'Corpse Pose'), and a self induced coma of relaxation, I sat up and faced the teacher and the end of the yoga class. The yoga teacher thanked us for attending her class and chuckled about the zombie state that she observed us all to be in. She then brought her hands in front of her heart, bowed her head and said 'Namaste' to the class. The students responded, in unison, in same.
It was my first time hearing Namaste, and being an extremely curious and eager yoga student, I researched the meaning of Namaste until I understood it; until I was able to truly conceptualize and practice the meaning, the greeting and the gesture that is Namaste.
Namaste (Nam-a-stay) can be used as a general greeting, like 'hello'; Namaste can be heard at yoga class, to begin and end class with a sense of unity and respect for one another. Namaste can be seen as a physical gesture where the hands are typically placed on or over the heart followed by a gentle bow of recognition.
Namaste can be felt by looking into the eyes of oneself and of one another and discovering the divinity that binds us all.
The meaning of Namaste
Namaste means "I bow to the divinity in me; I bow to the divinity in you; I bow to the divinity in everything". Let's dissect this further.
I bow to the divinity in me: Have you ever heard the time-tested-and-true saying "you can't love anyone until you love yourself"? Well, that's what bowing to oneself is - LOVING oneself. This is not an easy feat for most of us because we are taught from a young age to value things outside of ourselves, and we are bombarded with this message throughout the rest of our days. In addition to the development of the ego, we also tend to hold on to guilt, regret, fear, jealously etc, causing this self-love to be almost alien, or much too selfish a quest to even think about achieving. I say it is the most important, positive and life changing thing you can do for yourself.
First learn to like yourself, and then learn to love yourself. I mean TRULY love yourself. Learn to accept yourself, the great, the good, the bad and the ugly. Meditate, practice yoga, eat well, think well, liberate yourself and you will be your own priceless treasure.
I bow to the divinity in you: OK. It's one thing to Namaste in yoga class. It's another thing to Namaste during meditation. It's an entirely OTHER thing to Namaste the person at the top of your least-favourite-persons list. But to invoke the magic that is Namaste, it is required.
It is important to recognize that this is not a bow to the ego self - it is a bow to the source that is giving life TO the true self. We are all unique expressions of DIVINITY mixed in with free will, karma, etc... etc. You don't have to like anyone. You don't have to agree with their actions and, in fact, your allowed to be downright shocked by them. Understand, though, that you don't know what their lifetime has exposed them to.
Violence begets violence. Abuse begets abuse. That adult man was once a child himself, who learned what he learned from his environment. That woman could have a serious imbalance that has gone undetected for years, resulting in her horrific actions. If one applies COMPASSION, then one can see the cause-and-effect relationship that we are all privy to. Find a perspective that will allow you to bow to the divinity in our brothers and sisters; offer them your compassion and understanding and hope that they, and their victims, get the help that the need to end the cycle of negative actions.
I bow to the divinity in everything: If it exists, it was created, and therefore it is divine. Everything comes from one source and everything is divinely connected - inanimate objects? Those are divine (the substance / molecules etc came from somewhere, didn't they?) The elements, the mountains, the deserts and the trees - they are divine too. Our planet, solar system, galaxy and universe? Divine.
Remember, everything is an expression of Divinity - sometimes it is easier for us to see this in nature - which is why many spiritual teachers reference nature or use it as a foundation to explain the divine systems of our existence. Nature brings to us a perspective that reminds us of our roots. We are exhilarated when we jump into the waves of the ocean; we are stunned by the beauty of a flower in full bloom and we are amazed by the instinct and behaviors of the animals on our planet. Let nature teach you to appreciate it's divine presence and you will develop your bond with everything.
There are many different levels of meaning to the word, the greeting and the gesture that Namaste encompasses, and hopefully this explanation assist with understanding Namaste even just a little bit more.
May you be blessed with the ability to keep on keeping on, with the desire to be and learn more and may the divine flame within you continue to grow and offer unlimited sources of love, prosperity and joy.
Namaste,
Anna G Cianci
Namaste!
At the end of my first yoga class, coming out of Savasana (shah-VAH-sah-nah aka 'Corpse Pose'), and a self induced coma of relaxation, I sat up and faced the teacher and the end of the yoga class. The yoga teacher thanked us for attending her class and chuckled about the zombie state that she observed us all to be in. She then brought her hands in front of her heart, bowed her head and said 'Namaste' to the class. The students responded, in unison, in same.
It was my first time hearing Namaste, and being an extremely curious and eager yoga student, I researched the meaning of Namaste until I understood it; until I was able to truly conceptualize and practice the meaning, the greeting and the gesture that is Namaste.
Namaste (Nam-a-stay) can be used as a general greeting, like 'hello'; Namaste can be heard at yoga class, to begin and end class with a sense of unity and respect for one another. Namaste can be seen as a physical gesture where the hands are typically placed on or over the heart followed by a gentle bow of recognition.
Namaste can be felt by looking into the eyes of oneself and of one another and discovering the divinity that binds us all.
The meaning of Namaste
Namaste means "I bow to the divinity in me; I bow to the divinity in you; I bow to the divinity in everything". Let's dissect this further.
I bow to the divinity in me: Have you ever heard the time-tested-and-true saying "you can't love anyone until you love yourself"? Well, that's what bowing to oneself is - LOVING oneself. This is not an easy feat for most of us because we are taught from a young age to value things outside of ourselves, and we are bombarded with this message throughout the rest of our days. In addition to the development of the ego, we also tend to hold on to guilt, regret, fear, jealously etc, causing this self-love to be almost alien, or much too selfish a quest to even think about achieving. I say it is the most important, positive and life changing thing you can do for yourself.
First learn to like yourself, and then learn to love yourself. I mean TRULY love yourself. Learn to accept yourself, the great, the good, the bad and the ugly. Meditate, practice yoga, eat well, think well, liberate yourself and you will be your own priceless treasure.
I bow to the divinity in you: OK. It's one thing to Namaste in yoga class. It's another thing to Namaste during meditation. It's an entirely OTHER thing to Namaste the person at the top of your least-favourite-persons list. But to invoke the magic that is Namaste, it is required.
It is important to recognize that this is not a bow to the ego self - it is a bow to the source that is giving life TO the true self. We are all unique expressions of DIVINITY mixed in with free will, karma, etc... etc. You don't have to like anyone. You don't have to agree with their actions and, in fact, your allowed to be downright shocked by them. Understand, though, that you don't know what their lifetime has exposed them to.
Violence begets violence. Abuse begets abuse. That adult man was once a child himself, who learned what he learned from his environment. That woman could have a serious imbalance that has gone undetected for years, resulting in her horrific actions. If one applies COMPASSION, then one can see the cause-and-effect relationship that we are all privy to. Find a perspective that will allow you to bow to the divinity in our brothers and sisters; offer them your compassion and understanding and hope that they, and their victims, get the help that the need to end the cycle of negative actions.
I bow to the divinity in everything: If it exists, it was created, and therefore it is divine. Everything comes from one source and everything is divinely connected - inanimate objects? Those are divine (the substance / molecules etc came from somewhere, didn't they?) The elements, the mountains, the deserts and the trees - they are divine too. Our planet, solar system, galaxy and universe? Divine.
Remember, everything is an expression of Divinity - sometimes it is easier for us to see this in nature - which is why many spiritual teachers reference nature or use it as a foundation to explain the divine systems of our existence. Nature brings to us a perspective that reminds us of our roots. We are exhilarated when we jump into the waves of the ocean; we are stunned by the beauty of a flower in full bloom and we are amazed by the instinct and behaviors of the animals on our planet. Let nature teach you to appreciate it's divine presence and you will develop your bond with everything.
There are many different levels of meaning to the word, the greeting and the gesture that Namaste encompasses, and hopefully this explanation assist with understanding Namaste even just a little bit more.
May you be blessed with the ability to keep on keeping on, with the desire to be and learn more and may the divine flame within you continue to grow and offer unlimited sources of love, prosperity and joy.
Namaste,
Anna G Cianci
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