The Conversation That Made Me Think About Namaste

The other day, I met up with a few friends for dinner.

We were chatting and one of my friends was telling us about some new friends she’d made through her son’s kindergarten. They’re from Nepal, and she had asked them if they could teach her a few words from their language.

“How do you say hello?” she asked.

“Namaste,” they replied.

She looked surprised.

“Wait,” she said. “I thought namaste meant thank you for the yoga class.”

Her new friends had thought that was very funny. The story made all of us smile as well.

Then she turned to me, the yoga teacher in the room. “It doesn’t mean thanks for yoga?”

“Well, no. Namaste is actually a greeting.”

The conversation that followed reminded me of how often this word is misunderstood in Western yoga spaces.

Many of us first encounter the word namaste at the end of a yoga class. The teacher brings their hands to their heart, bows their head, says “namaste,” and the students repeat it back.

Over time, it’s easy to assume that it simply means “thank you for practicing with me today.”

But that’s not actually what it means.

Namaste is traditionally a greeting. Depending on the context, it can be used both when meeting someone and when parting ways. A direct translation is difficult, but a common interpretation is: “I bow to you.”

In many yoga communities, you’ll also hear a deeper spiritual interpretation:

“The light in me honors the light in you.”

Or:

“The best in me honors the best in you.”

I think that’s beautiful.

At the same time, words matter.

When I completed my first 200-hour yoga teacher training in New York in 2018, one of the topics we discussed in depth was cultural appropriation. It’s a huge and nuanced conversation, far too big for a single blog post.

But it did make me reflect on how I use language as a teacher.

Personally, I don’t tend to end my classes with namaste.

Not because I dislike the word or because I think it’s wrong. But because I want the words I use to come from a genuine and intentional place.

I don’t want to throw around terms from a culture that isn’t my own without fully understanding their meaning and context.

So I made a conscious choice to use my own closing words instead.

Occasionally, if I’m teaching a longer course or workshop, I might use namaste. But if I do, I always explain what it means and why I’m using it.

I’ve also noticed that yoga teachers with Indian or South Asian heritage I have practiced with or I follow online have different perspectives on this topic. Some are completely comfortable with non-Indian teachers using the word. Others find it strange or even uncomfortable.

There isn’t one universal opinion.

For me, the most important thing is intention.

If we use words like namaste, it should be because we understand them and genuinely connect with them, not simply because they’ve become part of a standard yoga script, in my opinion.

As I write this on International Day of Yoga, it feels like a good reminder.

Yoga is an ancient practice with roots in India that stretch back 5 thousand of years. It has evolved and spread across the world, which is part of its beauty.

At the same time, I think it’s important to stay curious about where these practices come from and what they actually mean, including the words we use.

I’m curious: Did you know that namaste is actually a greeting? And if you’re a yoga practitioner, how do you feel when teachers use it at the end of class? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you want to share with me. My email ibox and Instagram DMs are open, as always.

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