• Namaste involves clasping the hands at the heart chakrayoga pose sukasana, simple cross legged image by Susan Rae Tannenbaum from Fotolia.com
  
  Namaste is a Sanskrit/Nepali word that is used as a greeting and a blessing both in Eastern cultures and in many yoga schools. Participants of yoga, New Age practices and Eastern spiritual practices use both the word and accompanying gesture, all of which have spiritual origins.
  
  

Definition

• Namaste (pronounced NAH-ma-stay) is a word comprised of both the Hindi and Nepali language. According to Aadil Palkhivala, a leading yoga teacher, "nama" means "bow", "as" means "I" and "te" refers to "you." The exact translation then reads, "I bow to you" or "Bow me you".
  
  

Gesture

• The word "namaste" is represented in gesture form by closing the eyes, bowing the head and clasping the hands together at the heart chakra (an energy center within the heart area of the chest). This is because the gesture is symbolic of the belief that a spark of divinity lies within all of us in the heart chakra. It is essentially an acknowledgement of the soul of one to the soul of another. Some individuals and yoga schools use another version of namaste which involves clasping the hands at the third eye (center of the forehead) and bowing.
  
  

Yoga

• Yoga teachers typically initiate namaste at the beginning and end of each yoga class. The students bow back as they repeat the word. This is done to create a respectful and honorable atmosphere, flowing with positive energies between teacher and student. It is meant to show the truth that all humans are one when living with the heart.
  
  

Considerations

• The expression "namaste" has several uses culturally but all are representative of the same thing. It is used on a daily basis in Indian and other Eastern countries as a greeting and a blessing. Although "namaste" is a word heard frequently in Western civilization by those who use it, those who live in India typically use only the hand to heart or head gesture and don't vocalize the word. This is because "namaste" is considered understood by whomever is making the motion, thus rendering use of the word unnecessary.