The first time I heard the word Namaste, I thought perhaps it was the equivalent of gesundheit. A sort of utterance after a sneeze to ward off the evil spirits of bad health, only it was said every time yoga class was about to begin and again at the end. Eventually I noticed a gesture went along with it every time: palms coming together over the chest and a slight bow of the head. My interpretation of Namaste began to shift when I noticed this. I surmised, when other people in the class would return the gesture, that it was more of a salutation than a keep-the-demons-away-blessing.

When I learned that Namaste, a Sanskrit word that has made its way into our vernacular, literally translated into “I bow to you,â€� I thought I was way off the mark with my original impression. It was a salutation, a sort of greeting between people, but there is a wealth of history, and thus meanings, behind it. The mudra—a ritual gesture—of the palms touching is said to represent the spiritual in one hand and the physical in the opposite hand. When the hands touch, it is symbolic of one trying to rise above the physical and worldly aspect of himself—and to accept openly the person to whom the greeting is being given. Read more…