Namaste

You’ve heard “Namaste” in your yoga class. What does it really mean ? If you visit Nepal, Bhutan and some parts of India, it replaces “Hello” and “Good-bye”

It truly is one of the loveliest greetings in the world.

"Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, "Namaste" literally means "I bow to you."

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is a greeting or acknowledgement of the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all. It can also be translated as, " I see the light in you", or " The light in me sees the light in you", or "I bow to the light in you".

To perform Namaste, we place our hands together at the heart charka, close your eyes, and bow your head. It can also be done by placing your hands together in front of your third eye, bowing your head, and then bringing your hands down to your heart. This is an especially deep form of respect.

We bring our hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart.

One can say Namaste to oneself, hands together in prayer position, as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra.