To say Namaste or not to say Namaste..

This next scenario is likely pretty common: You just finished a yoga class, and the instructor has lead you out of your stillness practice. Before you get up and start the rest of your day, they finish by saying “Namaste.” You sit there and awkwardly repeat the word, or say nothing, or repeat it but don’t really know what it means….

Am I wrong?

So, heres the thing, I will always encourage instructors to close their classes however they feel is most authentic to them. This is a topic we go over in my teacher training, because I think there is a tendency sometimes to just do the “norm” or stick to what people are used to. I believe it is important to stay curious about why we say/do the things we say/do.

When I started teaching yoga in 2016, there was no discussion in either of my Canadian 200hour trainings on the different ways I could finish my class, the only option was to say “Namaste,” and I was told this translated from Sanskrit to “The light in me honours, the light in you.” Nice right? So, I adapted the phrase into my closing and didn’t think much of it, no questions asked.

In 2019 I went to India for a 300 hour training where I learned that in some areas of the country “Namaste” is used more as a greeting (like hello) rather than a goodbye or closing. When yoga came to the West, obviously there were a ton of changes and adaptations to the practice that are not carbon copies of the original “yoga.” This, and MANY other things about my time in India, made me question some of my offerings I was giving back home. Now, let’s stop here for just a moment, because this is important. QUESTION EVERYTHING - and be open to RELEARNING!

When you decide to become a teacher of anything, it is critical to continue learning, be a beginner, try new ways of doing things, and be authentic.

I returned from India with a yucky taste in my mouth about finishing my classes with “Namaste,” but I did it anyway. It felt unauthentic and that I was just saying it because it was what people expected. It took me, I am a bit embarrassed to say, 5 years to make a change!!

Being a white women, I have struggled with feeling that by owning a yoga studio and benefiting financially from this ancient practice (that was originally only for men) that I am culturally appropriating. With the fear of being judged, I held on to “Namaste” because if I was to stop saying it, would people think I was being disrespectful? Well, I hope not, because I have finally moved onto a way of closing that feels more authentic to me. And guess what?!?!

NOT A SINGLE PERSON HAS COMPLAINED, and I don’t get stoned on my way out of the studio, and people still seem to like me, and the sky is not falling. Phew! I did a scary thing, and it turned out okay:)

So, if you have been to one of my classes lately, you will hear a different closing, and I am going to be open to changing this new way from time to time. I am not attached to how I finish class anymore and it doesn’t cause constriction in my heart when I speak my final goodbyes. It feels good to trust in my community and know that they are growing with me.

I am curious what your thoughts are as a yoga teacher, or as a participant in class. Do you like closing with Namaste?

Stay tuned for my next Blog/Vlog post on “5 Reasons I attend a Yoga Retreat each year”