Namaste -/\- Decoded

I have to confess that until recently I never thought of Namaste being anything beyond a Sanskrit version of "Hello". Last week however, as an acquaintance and I exchanged emails over the topic of Yoga, it made me intrigued and uncomfortable all at the same time as she greeted me with "Namaste". Growing up, being Indian, I always thought that's something you said when you greeted someone older than you, as a sign of respect.  Long story short - I've since, spent a lot of time researching the essence of Namaste and I am amazed and how profound and multi-dimensional it is. And here it is, decoded and condensed for you.

The literal meaning
In Sanskrit Namaḥ means 'bow', 'obeisance', 'reverential salutation' or 'adoration' and te means 'to you'. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bowing to you".

The act of Namaste
It is often accompanied with an Anjali mudra (Anjali is an offering, Mudra is a seal) where the hands are pressed against each other. 
You bow your head and take your pressed hands up to your forehead, touch the tips of your thumbs between your eyebrows (the position of the third eye) -
You then bring your hands down and touch your thumbs to your heart - an acknowledgement to lead your life with an open heart.

Why bring together both hands?
As you bring your hands together at your center, you are literally connecting the right and left hemispheres of your brain. By bringing together the two hands, namaste recognizes the duality that exists in this world and signifies an effort to bring these two forces together, masculine and feminine, logic and intuition, strength and tenderness, ultimately leading to a higher unity and non-dual state of Oneness.

Why the fingers of the left hand blend with those of the right ?
The five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of perception - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch , and those of the right hand the five organs of action(arms, legs, speech, genital organs and excretory organs). Hence it signifies that our karma or action must be in harmony, and governed by rightful knowledge, prompting us to think and act correctly

Why do we place our hands near the chest?
We bring our hands together at the heart chakra (energy center, there are 7 chakras in the body), to increase the flow of self love.

And finally, the essence - acknowledging the divinity that lies within you and within me 
The whole act of namaste through the touching of the palms, bowing the head, closing the eyes and uttering the word, embodies the spirit of total submission, total surrender of oneself. This is parallel to the devotion one expresses before a chosen deity, also known as bhakti. The devotee who thus venerates with complete self-surrender is believed to partake the merits or qualities of the person or deity before whom he performs this submission. Hence by performing namaste before an individual we recognise the divine spark in him/her. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics that dwell within our own selves.
And so, Simply put, namaste translates as
'The God in me greets the God in you. The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you'. It recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

I quote what a very dear friend of mine Vandana Ramani, (a traveler, a thinker and a yoga instructor) here as she says, "Namaste is the beginning of your commitment to knowing and accepting your self and accepting others as they are. In Eastern Philosophy and languages, there is a conscious recognition of the heart-mind that sits between the ever changing outside world and an inner light of awareness. The inner light of awareness is present in all of us. However, our day to day activities, emotions, perceptions, egos more often than not, cloud the heart-mind lens, with which we see the world. 

Through a constant disciplined practice (such as meditation, pranayama, yoga), a person can create more clarity in the heart-mind and this allows their inner light of awareness to shine through. It also enables them to accept and appreciate the inner light of awareness in others - as they are. That is Namaste - the recognition. At what seems a very subliminal level, I recognize and accept that you and I are both the same and I accept ,respect and bow to that divinity/inner light of awareness within you."

Finally, I thought this gentleman summed it up perfectly when he said that Namaste is "a simple but profound gesture of reverence.” “It is true that in India and Nepal it is an informal gesture, but by our intention the mundane becomes the sacred,”

Honestly, this post has taken me a lot of time to write. Every time I revisited it to edit, it left me thinking, wanting to switch off and really soak in the greatness of you, of me of each one of us. I hope something here reaches out to you and touches you the way it has touched me.

Namaste_/\_

Ayesha@Choose WellThee
Choose WellThee is about making choices that enhance your Mental, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual wellness.