‘Namaste’: What Exactly Does it Mean?

If you have the privilege of being a person immersed in the world of relaxation and practice some disciplines such as yoga, you may have noticed that instructors often use an intriguing word: Namaste

In the same way, it is also very common that you have heard the same term on occasion in certain environments of deepening spirituality and in certain Asian cultures. But what is the meaning of this word?

What does the word ‘Namaste’ mean?

Namaste (you can also find it written as ‘Námaste’, with an accent on the ‘a’) is a term that comes from the Sanskrit language (the classical language of the India ), and its meaning is unknown to most people precisely for this reason: the term Namaste originates in lands very far from any Spanish-speaking region.

So, in today’s text we will take care of discovering the history and applications of this beautiful word.

The origin of Namaste

The etymological roots of the word Namaste are found in the atavistic culture Hindu One of the many languages ​​that were spoken in Indian and Nepalese geography is Sanskritwhich is considered a sacred language for practitioners of Hinduism.

The term Namastetherefore, it is used as a traditional form of greeting, both in a meeting moment and in farewells, and the gesture of joining the palms of the hands in front of the chest when uttering (gesture called mudra) . It is also used to say thank you or to ask for something, and always as an unequivocal show of respect towards the interlocutor.

The meaning of Namaste

The etymology of the word Namaste reveals that there are two roots that make up the term. The first of them, namas is a neuter noun that means something like ‘greeting’, ‘reverence’ or ‘courtesy’, and is a particle derived from the root nam whose meaning is: ‘bow down’ or ‘reverence’.

The second root of Namaste is constituted by the pronoun tea , which is the second person singular of the indirect object: “to you.” For this reason, an exact translation, etymologically speaking, of Namaste could be: “I greet you,” or “I bow to you.”

Currently, the Hindi language and many of its dialects use the term regularly, being one of the many ways of greet or say goodbye of someone.

Spirituality, yoga and Namaste

The meaning of Namaste being so concrete, Why is it used so often in the Eastern disciplines of relaxation and meditation?

The spiritual and philosophical meaning of Sanskrit gives Namaste a dimension that escapes its purely semantic definition. Buddhism incorporates this word into its spiritual tradition.

According to experts, the particle ‘namas’ can acquire the meaning of “Nothing from me ”, proving that the ego of the person who enunciates the term is reduced to nothing, this being a sign of the attitude of absolute humility towards the interlocutor. When the Namaste greeting is done from the authenticity of the soul, they say, A genuine bond is created between the two people, beyond interests, expectations and social roles

Divine Essence: Buddhism and Soul Purification

Another interesting feature of the spiritual significance of this word lies in the belief that There is a divine essence in each person Therefore, according to the religious traditions in which this term is rooted, when saying the word Namaste while accompanied by the mudra (hands joined in a prayer position and a slight inclination of the trunk forward, whose cultural meaning is born from religions Eastern), we are attesting to the presence of the essence of God in oneself and in the other person. The divine essences recognize and greet each other.

Although Namaste is usually used as a farewell in yoga sessions, at the end of the class, the truth is that it is more of a greeting than a way of saying goodbye. In fact, Practitioners of Eastern self-knowledge disciplines recommend that Namaste be used in the introduction and the first exercises of each session, as a mantra (although there is no reason based on the scientific method why the word Namaste should be used in one context and not another). This expression is often used in the Western world as a way of expressing good wishes towards others.

However, yoga teachers prefer to use the mantra at the end of the class, since that is the moment when the environment and psyche of each of the students are in a more inclined situation to benefit from Namaste.

The secular use of this term

Of course, it is not necessary to believe in the Buddhist faith to use this term. However, it must be taken into account that since the practice of many forms of meditation usually occurs in environments associated with Buddhism, it can be an element that contributes to the atmosphere of the sessions and increases their power of suggestion.

We must not forget that in tasks related to the regulation of attentional focus The aspects associated with suggestion are very important, so it is worth taking advantage of its potential to achieve the desired effect and make the work easier for those who participate in these experiences.