Namaste. You hear it at the end or beginning of yoga class. A student asked me what it means. I told him, and he said, "Oh - I thought it meant See you later, peace out homie!" Hee hee. That is so cute.

He thought that because it was the last thing said by the teacher, and it was a casual way to say "See ya around - peace out" in a different language.

Namaste is SANSKRIT. Sanskrit is a language spoken by about 15,000 people in India. Only a few people speak and write it fluently.

In yoga, Sanskrit is still used to name yoga poses.

You hear the names all the time in class. Trikanasa, Savasana, Tadasana, and so on. As yoga teachers, we learn these names, but then usually say the English names like Triangle, Tree, Bow, Down Dog and so on.

But, Namaste still sticks around.

So - what does NAMASTE MEAN?

There are a few different translations, but the jist of the word means,

The light inside me, recognizes and honors the light inside of you.

(Or the higher power within)

We as humans are all connected by this one single point within all of us. Our soul, our spirit, our true self.

The word NAMASTE recognizes and honors this connection we all share.

Pretty cool, hey?

So, Namaste will live on.

Maybe I'll mix it up next class and say

"May the force be with you"

Or

"Shine on soldier"

Or

"Peace out light lovin homeboy"

But, I suppose in the end I will stick with the sacred word all good yogis learn and know.

Namaste,

Andrea

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