Why We Say "Namaste" in Yoga Classes and Some Alternatives

by Nina

West Meets East by Arvind Ramanathan

Richard Rosen emailed me after he read my post "Namaste" and the Anjali Mudra, in which I discussed among other things, how to use and pronounce “namaste” as well as what it meant, based partly on information on got from his book Yoga FAQ. He started out by saying I was correct in the way I recommended pronouncing “namaste.” Whew! That was a relief. 

You’re correct about the pronunciation being more like nuh-muh-stay. That’s because the first two a’s are short and so pronounced like “uh” (say the “a”’s in “America”). And yes, final “e” is pronounced like the “ay” in “stay” (say the “a” in “gate”). 

Then he went on to answer the question that I was left with after reading his section on “namaste” in his book, which was why do some teachers say this in yoga classes? I liked his explanation so I asked him if I could share it with you. Here’s what he wrote:

It’s really not much of a mystery why we end classes with namaste. Like much of what we do in modern Western yoga, the Sanskrit reassures us that we’re actually practicing yoga, when in fact many classes are simply exercise workouts (though there's nothing wrong with that) with only the most tenuous connections to the tradition. Similarly that’s why many classes begin and end with OM, or the Patanjali invocation, or why many modern asanas, like the splits (aka Hanumanasana), are given Sanskrit names. These things tend to “yoga-cize” the class, while at most we’re practicing what should properly be called Modern Western Exercise-influenced Asana. 

I think that if your class includes only asanas (and not meditation, breath practices, and/or philosophy) the idea of reminding people that they are taking a yoga class and not just doing a simple workout is compelling one. But Richard then surprised me by making some recommendations for other ways to end a yoga class:

I think it’s probably best to end the class with a simple “Thanks for coming, I really appreciate your presence,” or if you have a passable Porky Pig imitation, “T-T-T-That’s all, folks.” If you want to use Sanskrit, which is a complicated but beautiful language, and that acknowledges (as we should) yoga’s Indian origins, I recommend, “shanti, shanti, shanti-hee,” which in English can be rendered as the “peace which passeth understanding.”

A reason why you might want to consider an alternative to "namaste" is that some people from India living in the West find the practice of saying "namaste" at the end of a yoga class rather funny. For example, a reader directed me to this NPR article A Ga. School Bans The Greeting 'Namaste.' Do They Know What It Means?, which I recommend reading. The author, Deepak Singh, described how he used the word growing up to mean "hello" and said that when he hears Westerners use the word he finds it "funny and cute":

I got the feeling that they didn't think of it just as a greeting, but it had a spiritual connotation — a Hindu mantra, a divine chant, a yoga salutation. Using namaste in India never made me feel spiritual in any way. Even in the yoga classes I took in India, the teachers never uttered a namaste.

And my friend Arvind Ramanathan—who created the original cartoon for us above—goes on to say:

People say Namaste when they just meet you, and not usually not while leaving. It would be like an English speaker going to some class in India where the teacher ends the class by saying 'greetings' or' hello'. That would be so odd Ha Ha.

Thank you for reading this blog, y’all! I really appreciate your presence.

Shanti shanti shanti



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For information about Nina's upcoming book signings and other activities, see Nina's Workshops, Book Signings, and Books.

Video of the Week: Three Versions of Tree Pose

In this video, Baxter demonstrates three versions of Tree pose, one of the few original standing yoga poses (according to author Richard Rosen) and a foundational balance pose in the modern yoga practice. All three versions are demonstrated away from the wall, but if your balance feels shaky, feel free to position yourself closer to a wall for a feeling of security or to practice more safely.





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Follow Baxter Bell, MD on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. For upcoming workshops and retreats see Baxter's Workshops and for info on Baxter see baxterbell.com.  

Friday Q&A: Sesamoiditis and Yoga

Q: I've been recently diagnosed with sesamoiditis. My normal dynamic sequence of standing poses and sun salutations is awkward and/or painful so I've mainly switched to a seated practice. Is there an alternative to sun salutations for warming the muscles before stretching? Are there poses that may help speed the healing in my feet and toes? Thanks in advance for any help and insight. 

A: Sesamoiditis is an inflammation of the tendons that surround two small bones called sesamoid bones that are located just below the base of the big toes on the balls of the feet. They are like mini kneecaps and provide pivot points for some of the tendons that move the big toe. The inflammation in this area (the “-itis”) is seen most frequently (but not exclusively) in runners, ballet dancers, and baseball catchers, and usually develops from repetitive actions that bring strong force onto the ball of the foot. It is associated with pain under the big toe at the ball of the foot, which can vary from mild aching to a more intense throbbing. One rare occasions, the small sesamoid bones can be fractured, which can slow recovery and require special treatment, so if you are having persistent pain despite ongoing treatment, it may worthwhile to see a podiatrist and request an X-ray to rule this out.

Although I am not currently aware of any studies linking yoga practices to the development of this condition, there are certainly some forms of modern yoga practice that theoretically could put you at risk for developing this. One example would be vigorous flow practices where there is repeated jumping onto the balls of the feet, such as when jumping back and forth between Standing Forward Bend and Downward-Facing Dog pose or Pushup pose (Chaturanga Dandasana). However, because I don’t know what the reader was practicing when this condition developed or whether he was engaged in other activities, such as running, that could have caused the condition, I won’t speculate on the cause of the condition. Regardless of the cause, however, I can still make some general recommendations regarding our reader’s questions. 

The answer to the first question is pretty straightforward, as the key to practicing when the foot is inflamed is to do as much as you can without bearing weight on your foot, including practicing from a reclining position on the floor, seated on the floor, or seated on a chair, to take the pressure off the bottom of the foot. In all of those forms of practice, you can use your asanas to help you maintain strength and flexibility in the foot and lower leg. One way to do this is to work the muscles of your feet in a reclined pose, such as the classic version of Reclined Leg Stretch pose, where one leg is lifted up toward the ceiling. In this position, you could add in pointing and flexing your foot from your ankle, which will promote flexibility and strength in your lower leg, ankle and foot. In the same pose, with your foot parallel with the floor, you could focus on moving your toes alone by curling (flexing) and extending them dynamically, followed by static holds in each direction to work on the muscles in your feet. These two movements could be added to many other poses where your foot if free to move a bit. You can also use muscle activation in static poses that I mention below. 

This is also the answer to the second question about poses that may help to speed healing of the inflamed area because taking pressure off the foot by avoiding weight bearing poses will foster healing. In general I recommend starting out by practicing only non-weight-bearing poses and as the pain in your foot improves gradually re-introducing the weight-bearing poses. Using yoga in this way can be a good adjunct to any other healing protocols you may be getting from a foot specialist. 

As an example of a reclining warm-up that could take the place of Sun Salutations, you could do a combination of my reclining vinyasas that include shapes similar to Mountain pose, Arms Overhead pose, High Lunge pose (sort of), and Downward-Facing Dog Pose. For this purpose I recommend several rounds of Reclined Hip Stretch Sequence, which I also call Reclining Vinyasa 1, and several rounds of Reclining Vinyasa 2.

If you want to include some form of backbend to substitute for the Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog poses in your Sun Salutations, you can substitute Dynamic Locust pose. 

And of course, I have scores of other reclined mini-vinyasas, such as this longer dynamic floor warm-up  as well as seated mini vinyasas that would be good ways to warm you up for static poses that you are using to improve your flexibility in the rest of your practice. To view more of my dynamic practices, check out my Baxter Bell Yoga channel on YouTube.

To keep your leg and foot strong and flexible, while doing any static pose in the reclined position, sitting position, or chair variation add in the muscle activation technique described in Nina's post Why and How to Activate Your Muscles in Yoga Poses.

Finally, my post Yoga for Foot Pain has some more details and suggestions on moving from non-weight bearing to full weight bearing gradually as your symptoms improve. 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

Follow Baxter Bell, MD on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. For upcoming workshops and retreats see Baxter's Workshops and for info on Baxter see baxterbell.com.  

"Namaste" and the Anjali Mudra

by Nina

Photo by Sarit Z Rogers

Several of my yoga teachers throughout my many years of taking classes have ended their classes by instructing the class to take the Anjali mudra (or as some of them call it, “Bringing Your Hands Together in Namaste”) and say the word “namaste.” But I noticed that Donald Moyer and Richard Rosen never did this. Then I also noticed that YFHA staff member Ram Rao, who grew up in India, often signs off on his emails to me with “Namaste, Ram.” Naturally, although it was not exactly a burning question, this did make me wonder what the deal was with this “namaste” thing.

I also know that when this topic came up in the class I took for a while with Richard Rosen, Richard explained that the student can say “namaste” but it is incorrect for the teacher to do it. That’s because “namaste” is “singular “and should only be used for greeting a single person. Then he said what the teacher should say to greet a group of students, but I immediately forgot the word. And since he never used it himself, I never heard it again. But that discussion gave me the uncomfortable feeling that that there might be more to learn about the use of this word and that way of ending a yoga class. Fortunately, as I discovered last night, this is one of the very questions that Richard Rosen addresses in his book Yoga FAQ. So, I thought today I’d share what I learned about it from you. 

First of all, the word is a compound word that includes the word “namas,” which means to “bow to, salute reverentially, to adore” and the word “te,” which means “you” (in the singular form). Put together, these two words mean “I bow to you” or “I salute you.” Although Richard did not say this, I’ve also read that the “you” in this case is “real” you, not your body-mind but your atman or Self (pursa), which we have discussed in Spiritual Ignorance and Richard Rosen Clarifies the Meaning of Avidya. So that leads us to another translation of namaste as “the divine in me bows to the divine in you.” This is actually the translation that I originally learned back in the day so that’s what I’ve been thinking it meant all these years. 

That being said, I’ve also read that “namaste” is the most common way to say “hello” (kind of like “Salutations!”) in India and Nepal and is sometimes used to express deep gratitude as well. Hmm, I will have to ask Ram what he means when he ends his emails to me that way! And I guess it’s up to you to decide how to interpret what you’re saying when you say this to your yoga teacher or anyone else. 

I’ve also learned that many of us who pronounce the word as “nah-mah-stay” are mispronouncing it. The first two syllables should be pronounced more like "nuh" and "muh." Trip Advisor, which encourages you to use this word when greeting people in India and Nepal, says think of "num" to begin the word and "the rest will flow." Yeah, that works. And it fits with how Richard says to pronounce the salutation to a group.

According to Richard, to address a group of students (or even two students) correctly, the teacher should say, “namo vaha” which is pronounced “nuh-mo-vuy-huh.” Basically, this means “I bow to you all,” or “y’all” as they say in Texas, where my daughter lives.

Now about the hand position used along with this word. Richard says that is the Anjali mudra, which most people position in front of the sternum. But I’ve noticed that some students either don’t put their hands on the sternum and place them elsewhere or, more commonly, move from sternum to forehead to overhead. You might want to be careful with that! Richard says:

“For the teacher the hands are brought opposite the sternum, before the face for a respected elder, and above the head for a deity.”

By the way, I’ve also seen this hand position called Pranamasana (with the same word being used for the starting position of a Sun Salutation). Perhaps that is because when you’re saying “hello” to someone in India, although you include the hand gesture, you’re not really practicing a mudra. Or, perhaps this is just another name for the hand position (something I see frequently with Sanskrit names for poses and such), just as, it turns out, "namaste" can also be said as “namaskar.”

Unfortunately, Richard really only answered part of the question that was asked of him, which also left me still wondering. The question in the book actually was: “Why do we say “namaste” at the end of yoga class? What does it mean?” While Richard answered in some detail about the word and the hand gesture mean, he never said why it is often used at the end of yoga classes. So, at this point I still have no idea why many yoga teachers do this and who started it. Certainly not all schools of yoga do this. Jivana reports that in Integral Yoga classes they end class with "Jai Sri Satguru Maharaja Ki! Jai." And my friend Iyengar teacher Jarvis Chen, who has studied extensively in India, reports that they don't end classes in Pune that way, either. In fact, he says that at the end of the class, "Often Guruji would just say, 'That's enough for today." Yet in The Meaning of "Namaste" in Yoga Journal, Aadil Palkhivala, who was trained by Iyengar, discusses how to use the word and hand gesture at the beginning and end of a yoga class as a symbol of "gratitude and respect." For now, it's a mystery. If you know something about this, do tell!

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Preventing Falls with Yoga

by Ram 

Rising, Falling, Flying by Sophie Taeuber-Arp

Postural balance is the ability to keep your body stable and to regain balance whenever there is a shift in your posture. This ability diminishes as we age, which can result in an inability to maintain proper posture, balance, or stability during standing or walking. Aging is also associated with decreased balance responses from the vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive systems that results in increased levels of instability and unsteadiness. With decreased ability to maintain balance together with increase in postural sway and weak gait, aging/older adults are more susceptible to losing balance and falling. In addition to weakness-associated balance impairments, prior falls, loss of strength, gait, and certain medications are also risk factors for poor balance and falls. 

Falling is a leading cause of injury-related death for those over the age of 65 in the United States. According to the World health Organization, fall-related death rates are highest world-wide among adults over the age of 60 years. Falls are the second leading cause of accident-associated deaths globally and 80% of these individuals come from low and middle-income countries. Falls also cause other health problems, including but not limited to trauma, fractures, broken bones, and head injuries. And the immobility as well as the psychological impact of falling makes the elderly people more susceptible to developing secondary problems, such as infections, or they may be at a risk of repeat falls, subsequent injuries, a reduction in quality of life, and sometimes even death. 

Thus, it is imperative to develop programs for aging adults to not only improve balance and decrease falls but also manage the fear of falling. Of course, yoga, which includes postures (asanas), meditation, and breathing (pranayama) is known to enhance relaxation, flexibility, balance, strength, overall fitness, mental and emotional well-being. And studies suggest that the combination of postures, breathing, and stillness when practiced together improves an individual’s physical strength and stability as well as a sense of well-being and enhanced quality of life. With yoga practice, elders experience less drama in the intellect, as the mind is encouraged to focus on the pose and the pose itself improves balance by increasing muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and heart and lung function. While there are quite a good number of studies focusing on yoga regimens for falls, in most cases the size of the study populations have been quite small. Nevertheless, based on the conclusions of these studies, I feel it is definitely helpful to promote yoga for seniors. 

In one of the earliest studies on elderly subjects Effect of a 12-Week Yoga Intervention on Fear of Falling and Balance in Older Adults: A Pilot Study researchers found improvement in balance and reduction in fear of falling in 14 adults over the age of 65 after a 75-minute, 2X/week, 12-week yoga intervention. Participants reported fewer physical constraints, felt more relaxed, and enjoyed the program. In a study involving nine older women The effectiveness of therapeutic yoga on community dwelling older adults with and without balance deficits, researchers explored the effectiveness of yoga on preventing falls by putting the subjects on a four-week yoga intervention, including one supervised session per week plus a home therapy program. All the older women experienced improvement in balance and expressed overall fitness whereas a control, a non-yoga group of four subjects, demonstrated no improvement in balance. In another study A yoga-based exercise program to reduce the risk of falls in seniors: a pilot and feasibility study, researchers studied the impact of yoga on balance and balance confidence in 27 older adults from a retirement community and found improvement in balance and the ability to transfer from the floor smoothly. Nearly all of the subjects improved their times on the one-legged standing test. The subjects also reported feeling more steady, improved in gait, and less fearful of falling. 

When recommending yoga for elderly people with balance issues, researchers advise they begin with seated poses first then slowly move into static standing postures. After that they can increase movement and lastly move to the floor. The use of yoga props, including a strap, blocks, or bolster will help people get into postures that would otherwise be too challenging. Straps are particularly helpful to improve leg movements, such as crossing the legs and hamstring stretches while in the seated position. They are also a great way to improve stability in one leg balance poses that also allow you to work on engaging the core and lengthening the spine. Blocks come in handy or resting the hands on a relatively stable surface especially in those poses involving standing stretches. Both blocks and bolsters are great for restorative poses to allow elderly people to experience the effects and benefits of the practice without too much exertion. In addition, encouraging people to work with their inhalations and exhalations in all the poses and including a short pranayama practice and mindfulness meditation before or at the end of the session helps to reduce anxiety and fear of falling.

In general people like to see anecdotal studies and personal experience supported by scientific observations. Despite the limited studies with small-sized populations that I highlighted in this post, based on the advice of the experts in the above-mentioned articles and my personal experience with some elderly people, I do believe that yoga can help the elders achieve increased strength, stability, coordination, and well-being. 

For further information on improving balance with yoga, see the following posts: 

In Want to Improve Your Balance? Take Off Your Shoes! Nina emphasizes that yoga asanas—whether or not they are balancing poses—when performed with careful attention to the alignment, helps to develop our balance and attention. In that same article, Nina argues why exercising with bare feet is the best way to improve your ability to balance. 

In Friday Q&A: Feet and Comments both Baxter and Shari fielded questions from readers who had trouble balancing in Tree pose and who also wore orthotics. Shari recommends that the reader spend some of her time practicing with bare feet to help her with her balance. 

In The Importance of Preventing Falls, Baxter discusses Dr. Atul Gawande’s book “Being Mortal” regarding the importance of feet. According to the book, in addition to overall balance, a person’s functional ability can be gauged by checking the feet. 

In News on Balance, Falling, and Yoga Baxter also talks about how improving balance not only reduces the chances of falling and fractured bones, but it also reduces the chances of other sorts of injuries as well. 

In Techniques for Improving Balance Nina describes basic techniques for improving balance that she and Baxter recommend

In Easy Balance Sequence for Regaining Confidence Nina provides a sequence she designed to help those with fear of falling.

In Featured Sequence: Easy Balance Practice Baxter provides an easier sequence for helping improve balance. 

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A "Light" Practice for Summer

by Jill

Two Bees in a Thistle
by Heidi Santschi of Heidi Santschi Garden Design

Since it's summer where I live I'd like to stay a little “light.” So, I thought I would share a question that has come up over the past months several times and see if it resonates or might be something you can play around with in your heart, mind, and body—gently and “lightly.”

The question I've been asked by others recently is about “advanced practices,” especially as they might be embodied or focused somatically in the body. But right away, this brings up another question of what “advanced” is. This is interesting on many levels, especially with regards towards what many of us believe: that to be advanced means to do something more complex and complicated.

As I have come to understand practice over the 30 plus years of exploration and inquiry is that the more simple and unadorned the practice is the more difficult it might be to actually do it. It's not easy to let go, allow, be with, sit in, notice, or turn towards or away by choice. These words and (ancient) gracious instructions point toward having and or developing a restful and at ease mind, not one that is hardened against thoughts or trying to stop the mind from thinking (it won't).

It takes repeated practice to rest the mind and provide the mind with an easeful body, too—one that is relaxed yet stable and upright, soft yet not falling apart, and not rigid or contracted,. This is much easier said than realized or felt or embodied. The words and phrases can glide or guide us into or toward an experience, but they are really just the finger pointing at the moo. We have to experience the moon for ourselves.

It's easy and often fun to talk about practice, discuss it, analyze it, think about it, promise to do it tomorrow, or more regularly. But do we actually practice? Maybe yes and sometimes not. This isn't cause for critical appraisal, but it is an opportunity to start where we are and do something as simple, elegant, and yet as challenging to remember to do what we have been guided towards, reminded about. For instance, can you notice how your body is responding as you are reading these words. What are the sensations arising as you are reading? Can you find your breath and maintain awareness of it while reading or even walking or watching the news?

Feeling your feet touching the earth can be a lifelong practice and one I never tire of, which challenges me to stay awake and notice where I am at any given time. You can notice the space between your thoughts not just the thoughts themselves and maybe even relax in that space between. Or you can listen to what fills the silence of the night sky, feel a breeze on your skin, really taste a piece of watermelon, or linger in the sensations of receiving or giving a kiss in the warmth of the sun.

Some of the greatest teachings I've ever received have been from the fortunate opportunities I've had to hang around with the most incredible Buddhist teachers and just laugh and be lovingly laughed with. I've been metaphorically held with such sweet lightness it began to rub off on me—slowly, slowly.

It's summer now in the Northern Hemisphere—what we've waited for all winter—so enjoy the light lasting a little longer and the nights being warmer. And allow yourself to be lighter, freer, and easier. This could be one of the most advanced practices you'll try and at the very least will train your heart, mind, and body to stay awake with more gentility and ease of being. This spaciousness and lightness of being could bring you some great joy if you allow it to.

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Follow Jill Satterfield on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. For information about Jill's classes, workshops, and retreats, see Jill's Classes, Workshops, and Retreats and School for Compassionate Action, and for information about Jill and Vajra Yoga jillsatterfield.org.