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The Namasthe or/and Namaskara mudra, is a beautiful gesture to humble ourselves, connect to the heart and cultivate Empathy. Through this balanced connection with ourselves, we connect to the essence in another. We truly LISTEN.
Reconciliation becomes natural when we EMBODY the Namasthe. “Nama” means to bow and “they” means you in Sanskrit. More details are given as you scroll down
“Namasthe” warranted a post of its own as it has become the poster child of appropriation that “lay Indians” ,not just yoga practitioners or academics are getting annoyed with. I do get that it may be taken out of context thereby tokeninsing or trivialisisng south east asian spirituality. However it is interesing to see that Namasthe is being singled out rather than the flaws in the structure of the yoga class itself or its exclusivity. I encourage teachers ( as I train them) to immerse in deepening their understanding of all aspects of Yoga and Tantra.
In over 25 years of teaching yoga and many more years of being immersed in it, “Namasthe” used by a westerner never hit a nerve. I understand why “Namasthe” is a trigger point for many Indians raised in the west . In fact many Indians in India are happy to see westerners eat Indian food, dress like Indians and say the “Namasthe” even if mispronounced. However it is not a yoga teacher mispronouncing it, in a white predominant space, but a tourist.
I had seen the Namasthe through the lens of my privilege, which is an upper middle class Indian raised in post independent India, with a very progressive grandfather, in Chennai, South India.
No one told me I was “less than” for existing and “too much” for speaking up till my gradfather was around. The ones who did that were the odd ones, so I learnt to step back from them. However the bubble burst when he passed on.
My grandfather did not have the same privilege I had. He was born in British India and had to push back against being constantly reminded he was less than. This might mirror the experience of many Indians in the west. So my heart does go out to Indians in the west and I see why the word irks them. I also try to understand why they would attend a yoga class taught by a white teacher yet not listen to her say Namasthe. If the yoga teacher mispronounces the Namasthe, then explore the possibility of sharing the right pronounciation instead of telling them to not say it at all as a few of those I know have done. For that a brown person has to first educate themselves about this word. I hear many “coconuts” as we call them in the east mispronounce it themselves. Coconuts are brown on the outside but white on the inside. They end up pronouncing the “t” in Namasthe as the “t’ in table rather than rightly pronouncing it as the “th” in thank you. I have seen this with innumerable brown yoga teachers. So let us self correct and stop spreading misinformation before we focus on the exclusion piece.
Namasthe for some Indians in the west, has become the symbol of exclusion that is seen in yoga spaces and studios. Many BIPOC people (Black Indigenous & People Of Colour) feel they do not belong, as they enter white spaces and this is the push back for that.
This is also the push back from years of imperialism and oppression, where yoga was banned in India during British colonial rule (around 200 years) along with other sciences and arts like classical dance, ayurveda and martial arts. Weavers were taxed so highly (more than 70% tax) that many were forced to buy British, machine made clothes that were only taxed around 1/25th of what Indians were taxed. We lost a lot of fine artisans thanks to the profit crazy British colonisers who could not appreciate fine art. This consumeristic approach can harm any art or science including yoga.
The sheer atrociousness of all of this seethes within the corners of one's mind, carrying ancestral pain, as many revolt against the Namasthe being exoticized.
Many may not even logically understand, why a slender white woman, saying “Namasthe” at the end of class evokes a strong response. It is simply the legacy of the colonial past their minds are trying to break free from. It is also their bodies cringing from the subtle or gross superiority that they see in a white worshipping or white washed society.
You can refer to this article listed below for a more in depth understanding
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION IN YOGA - Part 1: Solutions with Yogacharini Maitreyi — ARKAYA YOGA
Namasthe: Poster Child and Scapegoat for Exclusion
“Namasthe” has become the sore point for all the exclusion faced during British rule as well as in present circumstances in white washed societies. Whiteness is deified and it is the new God or demigod. The stereotyping of Indian accents, now allows opportunity to give back with full sarcasm, a little of what one has received.
I personally am with the practitioner ( of any colour), who wants to incorporate Sanksrit and Namasthe and does not want to divorce yoga from the culture of yoga. So please see listed the proper way of saying it below and understand context. Even though India has over 26 major languages and instruction is in those languages, the names of asana are often in Sanskrit. There is a deeper meaning when I call a practice the “Brahma Danda Kriya” than back stretch. Brahma danda = vertebral column /walking stick of the creator, kriya = action for purification. Imagine feeling your spine and its impulses are being purified to become the walking stick of the creator. Feel how much more reverence and care that understanding and awareness brings. In the same vein using “ Namasthe” or its equivalents or using “ Namaskara mudra” which is the gesture, is a beautiful inclusion and cannot be replaced by a hello.
I come from Tamil Nadu with a rich history of Sidhas and yogis. There is beautiful poetry and prose in the Tamil language. However the asana names are still taught in Sanskrit with slight variations in pronounciation. So sanskrit names can become accessible even if instruction is in English.
One needs to look at solutions and not veer towards extremes. So please use Namasthe or Namaskaram in your class understanding its deeper significance. However do not just stop there and learn from someone who can teach you the full ethos of yoga, including its inclusiveness and boundaries. Also put back into environments that have given you that knowledge. I often hear that nothing goes back to the motherland, India and please put back into the earth and India.
To me what will get me into the yoga class of a white or BIPOC person is when I see they are moving away from the industrial or exercise paradigm to accomodate the indigenous or yogic paradigm in their sequencing which will translate onto their living. Not many even know there is a difference in the approach to yoga. Yoga is multidimentional and if one does not understand and want to connect to ones multidimensional being, there is no scope for yoga. It merely becomes exercise that looks like yoga asana or postures. So Namasthe to me is the least of the worries of what is happening to yoga.
In fact I find some south east asian teachers learn the watered down one dimensional version of yoga and then become crusaders for “No Namasthe”, “social justic” etc. This is also dangerous as many now presume that their brownness somehow makes them an authority on yoga. Just as when one presumes that every Spaniard is an authority on Flamenco. Or just because one has researched dance one can comment on the experience of it. They are two different things. The guru sishya paramparya is a soulful and heartful transmission of the experience of yuj (union, communion, cohesiveness). Guru = dispellor of darkness, sishya = disciple, worthy realignment practitioner, paramparya= lineage.
That is why approaching Namasthe from the head alone will not work. I will invite all south east asian practitioners and teachers of yoga to sit with their bodies, energy and hearts to feel and release the pain of exploitation. Not deflect those unresolved emotions onto Namasthe.
I am also concerned by the trivialisation and misappropriation being perpetrated by western trained brown teachers. This weaponising of ones pain to nit pick on one aspect, the “Namasthe”, being clueless about many other aspects is a trend I have often noticed. This is a classic example of misplaced pain and trauma.
Yoga has somehow become a free for all to comment on even with little immersion in teaching it. Once again I understand the inequality , power dynamic , disrespect, packaging, hypersexualisation, commodification, grasping and exclusion pieces and by all means call that out in the yoga world and everywhere else. However I find it quite disturbing that non authorities on yoga are reccomending what is right in a yoga space when it comes to Namasthe. My question is why stop Namasthe when you are not stopping the class. Do you know if the pacing in the class is right or if a jathi, asana or kriya is being instructed as it should ? Yes as Indians we may be able to identify mispronounced manthra (that also is doubtful as I hear Indians raised her mispronouncing) but beyond that many do not know if the class is in alignment nor have the experience or expertise to comment on it.
Authentic Yoga has always been trauma informed
Authentic yoga has always been trauma informed. However it also recognises that unresolved trauma can be projected onto unsuspecting souls or the interpretation of yoga itself. This is a very important point to keep in mind when one gets triggered by a white person wanting to teach authentic yoga and incorporates NAMASTHE in their class.
Applying Yogic Principles To See Clearly
When we do not apply the yogic principle of Viveka (discernment) we may miss what is obvious. And we reduce yoga to a physical practice. It is meant to awaken a thinking, feeling, integrated human.
This integrated human did not have just a good IQ but a healthy EQ and SQ or Emotional and Spiritual Quotient.
This comes through Vichara (enquiry).
Enquiry comes when there is Karuna Sakshi Bhava (compassionate witnessing) with Vairagya (detachment) and Abhyasa ( practice).
By applying these principles, we do not get dragged into drama or self-flogging but look at what needs to be changed for the better. We clearly see the conditioning / programming that has managed to get its hold on us and others. We see this collective hypnosis or Maya that we are trapped in. We see the fight, flight, freeze or fawn, hamster wheel we are endlessly caught in. We learn to step back and make choices that honour ourselves and others.
In India we have become conditioned by many western mind sets and lost pride in our own culture and ethos. However there are better ways of reclaiming that lost self esteem than getting triggered by Namasthe.
India Celebrated Colour
In India, as well, where there was colonial rule, fairness (having fair coloured skin) is worshipped up until today. Pre British rule we celebrated colour. Rama, Krishna, Arjuna and Draupadi ( Avatars and characters from the Epic , Mahabharatha) were by no means fair, and are described as different shades of dark and as beautiful. Their beauty is described in the most exquisite of ways in the scriptures and in verse.
However they are depicted in Indian movies and television dramas now by fair skinned actors. It was disappointing to see that even a recent movie of the Mahabharath had Aamir Khan play Krishna. As much as Aamir is a good actor, there are dark complexioned actors in India they could have chosen from. Draupadhi is also disappointingly played by someone who is far from dark complexioned, Deepika Padukone.
Even Jesus who is a brown man has been whitewashed in the west to fit their idea of a white saviour.
Rarely will someone be mentioned in a story line as being fair and then represented by a black actor or one who is dark complexioned. However as observed innumerable times the reverse is definitely true in Indian movies as well as western movies where white is right. This classist perception that someone speaking English or one who is fairer is better, is still prevalent in India. My grandfather spoke impeccable English and said the reality of India was such that, that is what paid. Not his love for Telugu poetry or Sanskrit chants or his knowledge and love of Vedic and modern science. So he made his money as a lawyer and supported many Vedic organisations and practices.
So imagine if he were alive now and had seen the very same colonialists who prevented the Indians from practicing yoga are not packaging it, commodifying it or exoticizing it. Not every white person is a coloniser, however taking over and packaging something one knows little about is an age old trait of the shallow. By bringing awareness to this arrogance one can hopefully break that pattern.
I understand why the yoga educated or older generation of Indians are irked by new yoga trends that do not respect its ethos like “alcohol yoga.” There is an energetic rationale and not just a preference, which I have shared in the teacher trainings and will write about in detail.
Fairness Cream Advertisements
Despite laws in 2014, that say one cannot deride dark skin, sales of fairness creams are on the rise in India. Here is an article on this particular issue:
Over 20 years ago, in India, after I graduated in visual communication and worked in film, I decided I would not be engaged in or produce adverts that fed inequalities and I see now I was ahead of my time. I was also teaching yoga for free then.
This unfairness of deifying fairness, I have witnessed by being empathetic to those who have been discriminated against by function of their skin colour and requires an article on its own.
In Defense Of The Sincere White Person Connecting To Namasthe
It was important to discuss why Namasthe has become a trigger point , before I share a few points in defense of the sincere white person as well.
I have seen many Indians write on the deification of Namasthe and how ridiculous it is, as it simply means a “hello.” I want to defend the sincere white person here, who has taken the time to go and study in a yoga school or ashram in India and come back with a deeper understanding of what Namasthe means. There are many traditional Indians and teachers immersed in Yoga or Ayurveda who some have learnt this from. Hence some may have a deeper understanding than the average Indian.
That is why there are so many misguided articles written by irked Indians as well. Some of them have been raised in the west or in India with no immersion in ashram life or studying in traditional schools. They themselves have picked up asana from western teachers , Indian drill masters or propoganda machines . Or they equate reading about yoga to experiencing it.
Also during my generation’s formative years (over 30 years ago) there was less frenzy about mass gurus ( we did not google solutions then in India :) ) and hence studying in a gurukulam (traditional place of unlearning old patterns and conditioning) was not a common aspiration for Indians.
Everyone wanted to climb the social ladder and ensure survival by becoming a doctor, lawyer , engineer or a Phd. So those who were middle or upper middle class were mostly encouraged on this route by parents. That is how many of them got to North America. I was told by a few that doing what I did (studying formally in an ashram and committing to the yogic path) should be a part of my retirement plan and not to sacrifice my life when young. Many of my cousins are doctors, Phds, engineers etc as was the norm. Nowadays yoga or spirituality is a lot more acceptable and fashionable.
The focus on survival and wealth with Indians, was also a fallout of British rule as before the British there was a lot of patronage and encouragement for the arts and sciences. The British stripped india so much that poverty soared. We are still dealing with this legacy of over exploitation. So even that focus on survival is understandable. Yet it does not absolve a brown person from the responsibility to delve deeper before becoming an authority in yoga and thinking they have the authority to cancel Namasthe, just because they are brown.
Here is an Indian comic who is irked by the white Namasthe. I chuckled when he speaks of how turmeric chai or namasthe is mispronounced and made valid points. However he misinterprets Namasthe as only meaning a hello : Though I can understand why he is irked, namasthe being just a hello cannot be farther from the truth. When I came to the west I was suprised to see so many popular manthra teachers make very little or no effort to learn proper pronounciation and get it when the comedian said “ it hurts his ears”.
Hurts mine too. One of the classical examples I use in my courses is where every “th” is mispronounced as a ‘t” Imagine I said “tumb” instead of “thumb” or “tank” you instead of “thank” you or said ‘tunder” instead of “thunder” or “trive” instead of “thrive” all the time :) . How hard would it grate on your ears. Shakthi is pronounced Shakti, Shanthi as shanti, kirthan as kirtan, prachodayath as prachodayat, tath as tat, manthra is pronounced with a hard “t” and the list goes on. There are certain sounds in Sanskrit that are not there in English and can understand if those sounds are misprnounced. However “th” is a sound all English speakers can easiliy pronounce.
In my classes I use this chant listed below as a classic example. Every word with a '“th’' is mispronounced as a “t”. The singer has made zero effort to get her “th” right.
(393) 60 min. ૐ OM Asatoma MANTRA ૐ Deva Premal - Impostare a 720p - YouTube
White People Can't Say Namaste | Akaash Singh | Stand Up Comedy - YouTube
Here is another funny video explaining Namasthe (412) Indian Namaste - Do's and Dont's - YouTube
True meaning of Namasthe
Namasthe means, “I bow to you.” We are bowing to the universality in another and not to their power and position in life. That is why a wise elder who allows this light of wisdom to shine through is always bowed to. We connect from the heart and energetically to our elders, gurus and teachers with this gesture. It is also useful to connect to our peers knowing we seek the harmony of the unitive consciousness.
Namaskar or namaskaram is another term used and comes from the root word namaha which means “paying respects'' or “having reverence.” This reverential greeting is not just defined by words but also by the mudhra one holds. A mudhra is a gesture, a mystic, energetic seal. It moves and seals energy in a particular pathway just as a smile does.
The mudhra used in “Namasthe” is called the Namaskara Mudhra. The right and left palms are brought together connecting the right and left, masculine and feminine at the heart. All the meridians or pranic pathways have a reference point in the palms and fingers.
This coming together of the polarities at the heart allows for the expansive connection that is beyond time and space. This same namaskar is used in prayer to connect to divinity and humble oneself. The heart is awakened to unconditional love and one surrenders one's personality to one's universality. That is why yoga was taught by those who had an experience of this ( guru, acharya) and not just someone who is a scholar or exercise teacher. There are various other mudras like the Kailash mudra, anjali mudra and hamsa mudra where the palms are brought together for this very purpose of yuj or union or creating cohesiveness in thought, word and action.
Namasthe: A Sathvic Greeting
During Covid, namasthe is the best greeting to use as it enables a contactless connection without any transference of germs. On an emotional and psychic level as well, since the intent is to connect to the atma, divinity or higher consciousness , there are less chances of transference and unhealthy enmeshment with the other’s personality
Sathva is the quality of still alertness. It is the building block of ease, peace and harmony. Inherent in it is fairness and justice.
Different Depths Of Meanings
Namasthe has different depths of meanings in different contexts, which the average Indian does not usually see. So they attack the white person who has gathered the idea of connecting to one's essence at one's heart and relating to another from that space. This “essence” is commonly translated as, “the divine in me bows to the divine in you” in the west. Though this sounds cheesy to many , it is much more accurate than just a ‘hello” in the yoga class context
Namaskara Mudhra Can Be Used Without Saying Namasthe
Many use just the gesture without mouthing the words. The average Indian may not make the connection that in classical dance one exits with the namaskara mudhra or the hand gesture of the palms coming together at the heart and bowing. Or that some shlokas (a poetic chanting form) end with Namosthuthey. to the energy or divine aspect being invoked.
And that some traditional hindu priests would actually say namaskaram or make the gesture of a namaskaram and say, “see you later” or “I will be back” as opposed to “I am leaving,” which is not considered an auspicious or a good affirmation. Words have power. So many traditional people will only say “I will be back” instead of “bye.”
Namasthe is definitely deeper than a “hello” and not completely wrong when used in the end. However it is more appropriate in common usage to use namasthe as a greeting in the beginning when you are mouthing the word.
So use it in the beginning of your letter when you write it out, not in the end. Use it when you meet someone in a general context or in a yoga class. This will signify you are familiar with seeing and acknowledging those in front of you, despite colour, creed, religion etc. That you are willing to humble yourself and not call yourself a master after a month in India or a few weekends in intensives.
As you deepen your practice of Namasthe you will see your true potentiality, however not proclaim yourself enlightened and write a book about it. One magical psychic experience does not mean one is enlightened.
Namasthe implies one can truly surrender to the divine essence and therefore be of service to oneself and the world
When To Use Namasthe and Namaskara mudhra
In a yoga class you can use it both in the beginning to acknowledge all bodies and spirits and the end as well. Having your hands in the Namaskara Mudhra you can say a “thank you” to close the yoga class which will be more appropriate. The mudra, or hand gesture, still remains the same and you can say “Dhanyavaadhaha” if you want a Sanskrit term for thank you.
When I studied in the ashram, one of my acharyas (teachers or guides who are living and embodying what it means to be firmly established on the path) said she would not give a student marks as he never greeted those he met and just walked past them, ignoring them. I made excuses for him in my head that maybe he was just spaced out or tired etc. She noticed that he did not even bow to her. So you can see why he was not her favourite student. She saw his samskaras or conditioning by how he moved in the world. Especially how and if he said Namaskaram or Namasthe.
The Namasthe is not just important in class or at the ashram but reminds us to be reverential towards all of life and humble ourselves. The more we ignore people, situations or life, the more the ignorance in us grows. I see how significant this one act of acknowledging can be. It translates onto everything we do including acknowledging our emotions. If one does not have it naturally then cultivating it is primary to a yoga life. So whether one greets another with “Hari Om” , “ Jai Ma” or “Namasthe” the idea is to acknowledge ones and another’s expansiveness.
We are present to everyone in class and their unique essence when we start with the Namasthe, Namaskar or Pranam.
Pranam is also a reverential way of greeting. Many times people leave without saying Namasthe but just using the Namaskara mudhra or the gesture.
The mudra at the heart can be taken on top of the head, touching the top of the head where it is called the kailash mudra and on top of the head with arms extended called the Anjali mudra.. These are used to show extreme respect as when in front of a temple as well as practiced as a posture in yoga to evoke that same reverence from within.
How To Pronounce Namasthe
Nama sounds similar to “mama.” Sthe sounds similar to “stay” except the ‘t’ is soft as with “thimble” or “thumb.”
Please listen to the audio file here:
How To Pronounce Namaskaram or Namaskar
This is a bit more formal than the Namasthe.
You would have heard it in the term Surya Namaskar which are the sun salutations. Surya means “sun.”
Nama sounds like "mama."
Skar sounds like "scar-a."
Note that the "a" sound at the end is a short "a." This is the Sanskrit pronunciation. In Hindi there is no "a" at the end. Just like "scar."
In the South where I am from Namaskaram is used in many settings in traditional families to greet and part ways. Though I never grew up using namasthe at home and only in the ashrams I studied and lived in, the Namaskaram is the equivalent word in the South
How To Pronounce Pranam
Pra sounds like "bra.”
Nam sounds like "Viet-nam-a."
Note that the "a" sound at the end is a short "a." This is the Sanskrit pronunciation. In Hindi there is no "a" at the end. Just like "Viet-nam."
Obvious Transgressors
By now it should be clear to any sincere yoga practitioner that a play on words with Namasthe only adds insult to injury. So please understand that terms like “Namaslay” and “Namaste in Bed” are not in line with the ethos of yoga. None of the my students would ever do that, whatever shade of melanin then have. This reverence for the science and art of yoga is an important attitude that needs to be cultivated. The colonial mind set of demonisisng, minimising and exploiting is seen clearly and if any threads remain in us we are careful not to carry its legacy forward. That is the real yoga
Namasthe: The Great Connector
Step up your yoga awareness by making a genuine effort to be reverential to the life that you have. Then you cannot but bow to all of life with a Namasthe. This deep connection to life and the divine matrix will enable you to do what is best for you and others.
Reconciliation becomes natural when both parties can embody Namasthe. We start with acknowledging ,surrendering to serving and doing what is best for healing. We close with acknowledging and thanking.
So in any process of reconciliation, both the oppressor and the oppressed need to start and end with Namasthe and the Namaskara Mudhra. This will lead to a deeper connection and understanding on the level of the spirit which is connected to the cosmos and the collective world we all live in.
Let us create true connection when we meet someone and let us not loose connection when we part. Namasthe is the great connector to ourselves, others, the divine and life.