Do I have to say Namaste?

No. No, you don’t.

Just like you don’t have to say the pledge of allegiance or accept communion at a Catholic mass.

You have the right to remain silent, or, choose words that more descriptively convey what you want to say. For many of us who have practiced, studied, and taught yoga, we accepted the use of “namaste” without questioning it. And this is where the conversation starts for me. I think it’s time we apply a bit of critical thinking.

In my case, I accepted the use of “namaste” blindly. The Crunch “Joy of Yoga” cassette that first introduced me to yoga at the age of 10 ended by saying, "the light within me bows to the light within you, namaste". This certainly sounded lovely and I started repeating it back, no questions asked. When I started attending classes, I practiced enough to feel comfortable chanting Om and proudly bowed with a “namaste” at the end of class. These actions served their purpose. These were moments where I felt extremely grounded. Extremely linked in mind, body, and spirit. Having this ritual to mark those quiet and expansive moments is not lost on me.

Throughout my teaching and education, however, saying "namaste" passed from something unknown to something routine to something inauthentic. As a student, I was able to stop repeating it back, but as a teacher, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. After pouring effort into giving a kick-butt class, I wanted to address the group with words that felt more genuine coming out of my mouth. I decided that the best course of action was to listen to that feeling of inauthenticity and do some research.

Knowledge is power and the more I read, the more that inauthentic feeling started to make sense. What’s important is to look at the facts, consider the options, and ultimately make the decision based on what your intuition and body compass tell you. In my case, I decided to stop saying this “namaste”.

What does Namaste mean?

“Namaste” is a Sanskrit word. Sanskrit is one of the 22 official languages of India. It’s the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and the language of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language to transmit Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Central Asia in the early medieval era. Sanskrit became a language of religion and high culture, and the political elites in some of these regions.

While the use of Sanskrit stopped completely by 1350, certain words remained in the Hindi vernacular, including the greeting “namaste”. The first part of “namaste” comes from "namaha," a Sanskrit verb that originally meant "to bend." Bending is a sign of submission to authority or showing respect to some superior entity. The “te” portion means “to you”. There is dignity and reverence suggested with “namaste” as it’s often used in more formal situations, like when addressing someone older or someone you don't know well.

How it’s used

While it is important to understand the history and meaning of “namaste”, it’s also helpful to understand how it’s currently used among Hindi speakers throughout the world. And that’s the thing, just like other words that have religious roots ("adios," "inshallah" or "goodbye"-- an abbreviation of "God be with ye"), the way Hindi speakers use “namaste” today isn’t really all that deep.

“Namaste” is a simple greeting to say hello. It’s typically used in more formal situations, to demonstrate respect to elders, etc. But that’s still all it means — hello. And yet, yoga teachers all over the place (like the Crunch cassette teacher) teach overblown interpretations of the word as a way to ground their classes in a sense of legitimacy or even holiness. On the other hand, plays on the word “namaste” make for endless jokes. You can find "Nama-stay in bed", "Namaslay", or "Namaste, B****es" merchandise all over.

My mind flashes to the poorly translated English catchphrases that I see stamped on tee shirts in Buenos Aires. It’s hard to avoid a giggle when I see a sweet grandmotherly neighbor wearing a “Bad to the Bone” or “Whiskey Made Me Do It” tee-shirt. Hindi speakers must get a giggle out of our punny extrapolations of the word that’s equivalent to “hello”.

So if our usage of “namaste” is incorrect or misunderstood, what is it about “namaste” that makes it stick? “Namaste” and its various English interpretations are typically presented during a very appealing, grounding, and peaceful moment: at the end of a yoga class. It’s attractive to be offered this word as a ritual to mark the moment when we feel most connected in mind, body, and spirit. After all, these are the feels many of us are striving for on a more regular basis.

Use your words

Knowing what we know now, the question for us as teachers is whether we continue to see the purpose in closing classes with “namaste”. And if not, it’s time to find our own way to end class. There are tons of ways to close a yoga or movement class! Movement coupled with breath and quality rest can easily speak for themselves and many times, less is more. Also, in the era of Zoom classes, we have the option to leave our students in their final resting pose and end the class then, allowing each student to choose their own adventure as to when or how they end their practice.

Also, we are well equipped with words from our mother tongues that describe the same sentiment “namaste” has come to represent for us. For me, it’s one of gratitude, honor, quiet, and expansiveness and I opt to choose words that capture those feelings to close a class.

Here are some easy ways to end class without saying “namaste”:

“Thank you”

“I appreciate the effort and energy you brought to class today.”

“Sit in an upright seat with hands resting anywhere that brings comfort.”

Sit upright for a collective breath (or three)

Read a poem or quote that reflects your sentiment or a theme from the class

Now, I end classes with everyone seated upright. I offer choices as to different hand positions and encourage students to do whatever feels natural and comforting in their bodies. After we ensure that our bones are stacked upright, I cue a collective exhale. We breathe in together and you can see the group unanimously grow taller. Then we exhale, big and loud, through the mouth, letting every last bit of tension go.

Ahh...

Feels good right?