Namasté is often heard at the opening and closing of yoga classes, and is often though of in that association with yoga, but is used all over the world, especially in parts of Asia, where it is used as a sign of respect when greeting elders.
More than a salutation, like the English “hello” or “goodbye,” namasté carries an imbedded philosophical meaning, based in the belief that a spark of divine light shines in each one of us. It honors the interconnectedness of all.
Definitions and translations of namasté vary from the simple — “I salute the light in you” — to the complex. Translations vary from tradition to tradition. Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas translate namasté as “I salute the potential to become the God that lies within you”.
To get technical, namasté, a Sanskrit word, is composed of roots: Na reflects a simple negation. Mah points to ego, referring to “I” and “my”. Thus “namah” means to bow or be humble in the presence of another, to be without sense of self. Most simply, it means “not me”. Te is derived from the personal pronoun tvam, or “you”. A literal translation of namaḥ te, therefore, is “without ego, I bow to you.” Of, course, culturally and philosophically embedded in this is the belief that we are all divine. Therefore, “Empty of my sense of self, with only the divine in me, I bow to the divine in you,” is a potential translation (mine) that could give rise to many of the others.
This is an ancient poem said to be an expanded definition. I recite it at the end of each yoga class that I teach, right before I say “namasté” to my students, and they, in turn, say “namasté” to me:
I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells.
I honor the place in you that is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace.
And, when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
we are one.
“Namasté” is traditionally said with the hands in the anjali mudra, palms pressed together in front of the heart center, fingers facing upward.
