It’s more than just the signal that the brutal yoga class has finally ended. (You heard it there first? Me, too.) It’s the first word taught in Hindi, and argubly the most important. In a normal context this word is a respectful way of greeting someone. It is commonly accompanied by a slight bow
made with the hands pressed together, palms touching, in front of the chest.
In this context “Namaste” can be taken to mean any of these:
- The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you.
- I greet that place where you and I are one.
- I salute the Light of life in you.
- I receive the free spirit in you.
- I recognize that within each of us is a place where peace dwells, and when we are in that place, we are One.
- My energy salutes your energy.
- The life in me sees and honors the life in you.
- May the life within you be strong.
- The light within me sees and honors the light within you.
In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness and interconnection of all, as well as to the source of that interconnection. One hand represents the higher, spiritual nature, while the other represents the worldly self. By combining the two, the person making the gesture is attempting to rise above their differences with others, and connect themself to the person they bow to. The bow is a symbolic bow of love and respect. Cool. Namaste, friends.
(Source: Wikipedia)
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