Yoga On & Off the Mat

Om, Shanti and Namaste: Sacred Sounds of Yoga, Part II

By Brooke Hewes, 8-22-07

Last week we considered Om (pronounced Aum and also referred to pranavah), a syllable that many spiritual traditions consider the primordial sound – the sound from which all sounds spring. Namaste is another sacred chant prevalent in yoga that carries similar significance and symbolism.

In very general terms, Namaste (or Namaskar depending on the dialect or region), translates to “The God (Spirit) in me greets the God (Spirit) in you.” In Sanskrit, “nama” means to bend or bow. “Te” means you. Together: I bow to you.

One should consider the respective syllables of nama: “na” translates as not and “ma” as mine. Bowing in the context of Namaste, then, connotes a rejection of the individual and a celebration of the universal Self or divine consciousness inherent to yoga. (Read more about this in What is Yoga?)

Timothy O’Brien, an ordained Buddhist and executive director of Seattle’s Northwest Dharma Association, calls Namaste a Vedic acknowledgment of spiritual identity and offers two similar translations:

• “I bow to that which is, as everything that does not cause harm to others is sacred in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions;” and
• “I salute that within which is the One.”

Most of us probably hear or say Namaste at the beginning or end of a yoga class (though O’Brien says that the “Namaste greeting” is becoming more prevalent as Westerners come into contact with Eastern traditions). In this context, Namaste is both a greeting and a submission of respect. From teacher to student, student to teacher, and student to student, there is humility, as well as acknowledgement of the teachers and students throughout the vast lineage of yoga. Because of the non-dualistic, “not mine” rejection of the ego, Namaste honors the shared vitality and spirit between all people.

As Aadil Palkhivala writes in “The Meaning of Namaste” for Yoga Journal online, “Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection.”

Namaste, then, is a greeting between friends and strangers alike. It is a way to honor and respect all people humbly.

Namaste is more than a spoken word, however. It is both mantra and mudra, or sacred gesture. Traditionally, the gesture is performed by placing palms together (anjali mudra, translated as Salutation Seal or Heart Seal) in front of the heart, closing the eyes and bowing. The hands can also come between the eyebrows (the energetic third eye) before lowering to the heart. 

Joining the right and left hands together in anjali mudra unites opposites—it is the literal and symbolic pairing of the left and right body, mind and spirit. Symbolically, the five fingers of the left hand represent the five senses of Karma or action, while the five fingers of the right hand signify the five organs of knowledge. This union, then, allows knowledge to guide action (which in the context of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra includes compassion, truthfulness, non-steeling and contentment). And because Namaste represents the reconciliation, interaction and union of opposites, the mudra and mantra are performed between many brides and grooms in India during a wedding celebration. Their union strikes a balance between opposing forces; it creates whole from part, and eventually, new life and another physical manifestation of the Divine.

Like Om and Shanti, the significance of Namaste extends to its resonance. Beyond the word and the gesture, the sound is symbolic.

“The sonority of the sacred sound ‘Namaste’ is believed to have a quasi-magical value, corresponding to a creative energy change. This transformation is that of aligning oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself.” (Source)

Check back each week for Yoga On & Off the Mat with Brooke Hewes. Bookmark www.newwest.net/yoga.

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