Why Do Yogis Say Namaste? (Definition, Meaning and Proper Use) • Yoga Basics

If you've ever attended a yoga class, you've probably heard the teacher finish with a bow and "Namaste." In India, this Sanskrit word and gesture is widely used and understood. In the West, this divine salute is often used without fully knowing and understanding its meaning and proper usage. However, in India, this is a general greeting used in daily life. Knowledge, devotion and respect are key components to reinforce the meaning behind a yogi's preferred way of ending their yoga practice.

What does Namaste mean?

To understand the meaning of Namaste, we need to break the word down into three parts. In the first part, the root word Namah is translated as "bow," "worship," or "respectful greeting." The middle As means "I" and the ending Te means "for you". So the literal translation is “I humbly bow to you”. In yoga philosophy, each individual is believed to contain a tiny spark of the divine entity called Atman or Brahman. So in this yogic context, the true meaning of namaste becomes “the divine spark within me bows to the divine within you.”

How do you say Namaste?

Pronounced "Nah-mah-stey," Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands clasped together in anjali mudra, or prayer posture. Your eyes can be open and looking into the other person's eyes, or your eyes can be closed. At the end of a yoga class, the teacher will usually end with a namaste. Students are expected to say Namaste to the teacher and all other students. When you say namasté to someone, feel your heart full of love, kindness, gratitude and respect towards them.

What is the Namaste gesture?

The hand gesture associated with bowing Namaste is called Anjali Mudra. This gesture is used in yoga traditions as a sign of respect and a simple greeting of peace. Bringing our hands together at the heart chakra increases the flow of divine love, kindness and compassion. Tilting our heads and closing our eyes helps us surrender to the divine within. When we do this, we show our gratitude for being alive and honoring the divine soul in each other.

Why Say Namaste?

Saying Namaste is a sweet and humble way of showing respect to another person. It allows you to express kindness, purity of heart and good wishes for the other person. Saying namasté provides a powerful opportunity to see and identify the goodness and virtue in others. Namaste is also used as an affirmation of unity, equality and unity between people in the yoga community and other Asian spiritual practices.

Should you say Namaste?

Just like chanting Om, you may feel comfortable bowing and saying Namaste at the end of a yoga class. If you're uncomfortable saying Namaste, know that it's perfectly fine to remain silent and just bow. Alternatively, you can whisper another word that has a similar meaning to you or say it in your head.

There are many reasons why saying namasté might not feel right for you:

• You do not understand the meaning and intention of the word.
• It feels culturally insensitive or inappropriate.
• It is not consistent with your religious beliefs.
• You don't feel right when you speak Sanskrit words.
• You feel that you do not have enough experience in yoga to fully embody the essence of the word.

Not all teachers say Namaste

Some yoga teachers feel uncomfortable ending their class with Namaste. Instead, they say "thank you" or use another similar word to signal the end of the exercise. Some teachers also ring a bell, carillon, or singing bowl. Bikram yoga teachers often leave the room without a word. Kundalini yogis end their practice with the Gurmukhi mantra Sat Nam, which translates to "I am truth" or "My essence is truth." Kripalu yoga teachers often use Jai Bhagwan, which means "May the divine within you be victorious".

When we ask a group of teachers or students what Namaste means to them, we usually hear a variety of ideas. Most involve light, love, the divine, or honor. Perhaps the most common is something like, “The divine in me bows to and honors the divine in you.” – Markus Stephens

What does it mean to you to say Namaste?

We asked several yoga experts and teachers what the saying Namaste means to them at the end of their class. They also included some stories about how they first started using Namaste and some tips and advice for students encountering the word for the first time.

Yoga teacher Anne Marie Herring shares how her feelings went from cheesy to deep respect when she used Namaste in yoga classes.

“When I first started practicing yoga, saying namaste felt a bit disingenuous and even cheesy. I would hear the teacher explain that her highest self sees and honors my highest self. I felt uncomfortable at the thought of a part of her talking to a part of me I didn't even know about.

My feelings about using the word Namaste changed after I developed a consistent meditation practice. Observing my thoughts and feelings from a place of worthlessness revealed a better way for me to engage with the world inside and around me. Observing an internal dialogue puts you in the role of awareness or observation. Nonjudgmental consciousness is in all of us; it is what we call higher self. It's really higher, I think, because this view of the mind takes us out of the mundane role of habits and thought processes. Now, when I hear and speak the word Namaste, I remember expressing respect and gratitude to consciousness, pure consciousness, that propelled life in this universe well before and well beyond our present existence.

I would encourage teachers to keep using the word Namaste even when, and perhaps even when, they are getting funny looks from their students. Offering a word that piques a student's curiosity is a way to lead them further into yoga, to search for a deeper meaning and to better understand their experience.”

Kino MacGregor, international yoga teacher and host of the podcast Yoga Inspiration, believes you should only use the word namaste with the utmost respect and devotion.

“Using the term namaste to begin or end a yoga class requires respect for the term's spiritual origins and its Hindu roots. Unfortunately, the word namaste has made its way into the pop culture lexicon. It is often used too casually, without precise knowledge of the word's origins or the depth required to truly embody devotion.

When using Namaste to end or begin your yoga classes, it is recommended that you do so with the utmost respect for Indian culture. In a sense, Namaste has a fairly formal, or at least spiritually serious, meaning and origin that can sometimes get lost with casual use. If you truly intend to bow down in an act of worship to the eternal essence within another being, then that very act could be considered the highest form of yoga. But if you take a term simply because it sounds cool or exotic and commodify it without respecting the spiritual intent behind it, then that could be problematic.

I begin and end my classes with my hands in prayer position, thumbs to heart. This is a common gesture of respectful greeting in India and Asia and is called anjali mudra. In Sanskrit, anjali means a gesture of reverence, blessing and worship. A mudra is a seal or sign. The importance of the hand position is likened to a lotus bud, which represents the beginning of an awakening in the heart of the spiritual practitioner.”

Registered Yoga Teacher and Certified Life Coach Mary Kearns uses the word Namaste to recognize the light within each of us.

“I have always used Namaste to complete my yoga classes and most of my students respond in the same way. The only exception was the first time I was teaching teachers in a public school and I wasn't sure about the culture so I didn't use it. But in third grade, after meeting the teachers, I started using it and everyone responded with Namaste. I say it out of a deep belief in its importance that we are literally all manifestations of the divine.

I grew up Quaker (what I call straight Christianity) and one of the main ideals is to see the light in yourself and others. In doing so, we feel compassion and unity towards all humanity. That's why I always close my classes with the words, “Honoring the light and love within me, respecting and seeing the light and love within each and every one of you. Namaste.” I do this to convey the idea that I see our common humanity/divinity and to remind my students to see this in each other. Hopefully they'll take that out into the world and give others a little more leeway.

I would encourage new students to study the word to learn the intricacies of its meaning. And to understand that it is not religious or dogmatic. I see it as a nice, compact way of saying something that many wisdom traditions say, sort of like saying aloha.”

Leslie Kiel is a QuickQuote writer and RYT 200 teacher who explains how the meaning of Namaste changed during her yoga teacher training course.

“When I first started practicing yoga, I was mainly looking for a way to stay motivated through movement. Saying namaste and bowing at the end of my class felt mandatory. I did it because everyone else was doing it and it didn't matter to me. Years later, as I went through teacher training, discovered the meaning and reflected on what it meant for my personal practice, my thoughts changed.

I realized that sharing this word at the end of a class can be a way for me to acknowledge that we are all together, not just with yoga but with life. Just because each person is at a different point on their own path doesn't mean that one person's practice is more rewarding than another. Namaste encompasses all of that for me.

When I started teaching, I wanted to try to create a space where no one and nothing feels forced. I decided to end each class with a simple expression of gratitude, followed by the word that represents so much tradition, acceptance, and love: Thank you for sharing your practice with me. Namaste.”

Chair Yoga Instructor Rachel Baer uses Namaste to connect students to something bigger than themselves.

“I'm aware that there's been some negative thoughts about using Namaste lately. However, I like to use it for my students and myself as it feels like the word connects us to something bigger, something more than just ourselves and our own little worlds that we live in.

I often remind them in class that we are all connected; we all have the same/similar desires, needs and desires in life. We all have hopes and dreams; We are all connected to those across the room, across the state, across the country and beyond. I explain this with the image of throwing a stone into a lake and seeing the wave getting bigger and bigger. I often explain that this is the same as our attitude and how we treat each other, we can spread and radiate kindness and empathy or the opposite. Taking this awareness with us after class can make a world of difference, even when we're irritable at the checkout or stuck in traffic, our reactions to ourselves and those around us can really make a difference to our own well-being and that of the people around us.”

Rosie Araujo of Mint Body Studio describes how saying Namaste creates a safe space for her yoga students to let go and experience a sense of oneness.

“It wasn't until I started teaching classes that the definition of Namaste blossomed in me. Namaste at the end of the class became a solidification of how I was able to touch people's lives and souls. It's the end of an experience I create for people every week in every class that gives them a safe space to let go. And at the same time, it's the beginning of a new moment of clarity that washes over you the second after you say Namaste and open your eyes. I can give it many meanings such as unity, understanding, love and acceptance.

However, I would say that the meaning that stands out the most for me and what I really feel as I repeat this word along with everyone is, "We are one." We all experience this thing called life together . That's my way of saying we've made it this far and we're on the right track. For those who have never heard or spoken the word, you don't have to. All you have to do is allow yourself to feel it. It speaks without speaking. I don't see it as appropriate or inappropriate. It's really what you make of it and what you connect to by using it.”

Bestselling author Mark Stephens describes what "you" to bow to in the spirit of namasté.

“Most yoga students are familiar with the sun salutation, also known as Surya Namaskar. Here you bow to the sun. But it's not just the sun that we know as part of the cosmos. In Indian cosmology, the entire universe is found written in small letters in humans with specific representations. The sun, found in the heart, is thought to be the ultimate source of truth and wisdom, while the moon – whose light is the distorted reflection of sunlight – is found in the relatively intelligent (and often confused) gray matter of the brain.

So when one bows with the spirit of Namaste, one bows to the deeper truth and wisdom that resides within their heart. And just as in Surya Namaskar, where some suggest that we bow to Lord Surya (the sun god) to appease him and thus manifest the light of day, we bow to someone else with the spirit of Namaste, to the they bow to truth and wisdom in another's heart."

What does it mean to you to say Namaste? We'd love to hear your thoughts on using or not using this sacred word in the comments below!