Namaste

Namaste

by Steve Johansen, Hummingbird Pilates and Yoga

 

Each month I agonise over writing my monthly Yoga article for this magazine, while I’m confident in my knowledge and understanding of Yoga, I struggle to overcome the hurdle of my dyslexia, and equally hard is the dilemma I have with the content of the article, what should it be about, a Pose, or perhaps one of the 8 limbs of Yoga, this month I finally decided on a Sanskrit word, Namaste.

 

Out of all the Sanskrit words I could have chosen, why I asked myself, did I pick out this word? Partly because I had been thinking about when I first started doing Yoga, and how I focused on the physical practise of the Asanas, this was because it was easier than the overwhelming number of strange sounding words and the eastern philosophical concepts, that the Yoga teachers were using, and as I didn't understand the meaning behind the words, I was reluctant to use them or to fully engage myself in the Yoga philosophy, over time as I began to feel the benefits that Yoga gave me, I realised I needed to deepen my knowledge and gain a greater understanding of Yoga as a whole. This is why I undertook my yoga teacher training. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

Namaste isn’t just a word or phrase, it is also a gesture, that we often see as well as hear Yoga practitioners say, sometimes at the beginning and more frequently at the end of the yoga class. Sanskrit like Latin is a dead language, that outside of Yoga nobody uses, even in India. Although the idea, gesture and meaning of Namaste is still widely understood, it isn't spoken on a day-to-day basis, consequently over time in India, it’s evolved into a silent gesture, referred to as a salute, and used in the same way that we might use the phrase “Good day” as a greeting or a goodbye.

 

The full translation of (nuh-muh-steh) Namaste from Sanskrit to English is “My true self, sees your true self!” The true self in Yoga is the Atman, the little spark of life that resides in the heart of all sentient beings, in essence the thing that make you, You! Your likes and dislikes and of course your personality, the idea of Namaste is often shortened to “I recognise you” or “I see you”. While for us the concept of Namaste is foreign, when we meet people, we tend to shake hands, this is why lots of Yogis say Namaste at the same time as making the gesture. Just using the gesture, means it’s possible to express Namaste, across a noisy room.

 

Where to start

The Namaste gesture can be made sitting or standing. Bring the hands together in prayer at the heart centre, indicating the Atman, then inclining the head in a little bow, towards the other person, showing deference to their true self. One can also include reference to someone’s knowledge or wisdom, by bringing the hands to prayer at the third eye, between the eyebrows, then on your exhalation down to the hart centre, as you lower your head in a little bow, and say Namaste while lowering your head. Alternatively, you can just say Namaste.

 

For all those of you who would like to know more, about Namaste or Yoga in general and how to incorporate it within your practice, join me at my studio, using this free pass code HPYFREECLASS. My gift to you.