So What Does Namastē Mean, Anyway?
You’ve probably heard the word Namastē a bajillion times… especially from those happy yogis. The word is all over trendy merchandise and has seemingly become its own catchphrase all kinds of people use to be more spiritual. But what the HECK does it actually mean?
A Deeper Meaning to Hello…
All over the world, people greet one another to acknowledge the other person’s presence. BUT, greeting in namaste takes things to a deeper level, and acknowledges their spiritual presence, or the soul in another person. Here is a common translation:
“My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, and of Peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are one. We are love.”
That all can sound a little intense, so…
Why Should I Use This ‘Namastē’ Thing??
Clearly it’s not a cultural norm in the U.S. to greet someone with Namastē… Unless we’re in a yoga class. But, we can still greet one another mentally with namastē and benefit from it’s positive influence.
The pros at Spiritual Science Research Foundation say it is important that one should do regular spiritual practice to generate the spiritual emotion used in namastē — but baby steps! Think about what kind of happy vibes you could send out into the world. For example: a simple hello, with an intention of love, counts as namastē. It’s as simple as that! We really can make our world a better place by doing something as simple as setting a positive intention behind our next hellos and goodbyes 😉
More of the History…
Namaskār, also known as namastē, is a form of greeting practiced most in the Indian Subcontinent. It is used to initiate conversation, or to end one. The traditional greeting is accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards and closely positioned in front of the chest. The hand position is very much a part of the spiritual side to Namastē.
So what do you think – is this something you’ll try?