10 reasons to say Namaste
The real meaning of Namaste is in understanding the power behind using the word –even if you’re not into Yoga.
Namaste is a spiritual reflection of honor and respect of another’s Higher Self. Typically, Namaste is heard when you greet someone or you are saying goodbye to another in recognition of their Divinity. The word Namaste originates from Sanskrit, which means; “I bow to you.”
If you’re from North America, you may have been taught that bowing is a subservient gesture. If this is true, here’s the real meaning of Namaste; Namaste acts like a spiritual bridge of gratitude in appreciating the God Self in each other. When someone says Namaste, they’re actually saying, “I spiritually see the Divine in you.”
Seeing the Higher Self of another is easy when you go beyond your own individual perspective or experience. Have you ever recognized the ageless wisdom of an old soul? Your admiring the special spiritual talents of another is the same as your recognizing an enlightened soul. Revering the God within can be done with everybody.
There’s a spiritual feeling in saying and really meaning Namaste. You are likely to hear Namaste pronounced as “nahm-ahs-tay” as an American, versus the Indian Hindu pronunciation, “num-us-teh.” Naturally, your pronunciation isn’t nearly as important as your intent to spiritually honor, reflect and connect as one.
1. Saying Namaste is another way of hugging.
Simply stated, you and I have a natural desire to connect. Currently, during this time of a Covid-19 pandemic, our normal means of connecting has been stifled. Social distancing is the recommended short-term solution in keeping ourselves safe both individually and as a whole. This makes shaking hands and hugging one another almost impossible.
Greeting one another with Namaste can feel like you’re breaking through that social distancing barrier. Interestingly, it’s like hugging –only you can hug one person or more. It’s a beautiful means of connecting heart to heart. Hard to describe until you actually feel it.
2. Saying Namaste just plain feels good.
When you hug somebody it feels good –right? Your mind may want to categorize or think about what’s happening but if you stay open, you find the magic of being present in saying Namaste. You know when something rings spiritually true. It genuinely feels excellent.
There’s a transmission of energy that helps you to know the depth and honor of the connection. Some people may hug harder to convey this intensity of their love. There’s a parallel when someone says, Namaste conveying their respect, love and honor while they bow their head. You certainly can feel the expanse of it.
3. There’s real love in Namaste.
When you sincerely say I love you it’s an active energized statement of affection. It’s not just uttering some words. The same is true is sharing this Divine recognition and love. Namaste absolutely unifies us in this first love in the same way gratitude aligns us with Source.
4. When someone bows to you it’s quite humbling.
In the Western part of the world, we’re not accustomed to bowing. Even rarer does someone bow in praise of you and your Higher Self. When it happens, it can feel like a part of you is being seen. Not egoically but your real self.
When an audience claps their hands in appreciation of you or something you offered, it’s a different kind of energy. Like someone who closes their arms tighter around you in a hug, loud clapping in often used to signify a greater appreciation. A quiet or silent bow of Namaste is almost energetically deafening. And the recognition goes way beyond the you in you. Nobody is bowing because of something you did, your intelligence or your good looks or humor; they are genuinely honoring who you are.
5. Some words offer a special metaphysical vibration.
Certain words contain a magical or spiritual quality. The word OM has such a vibration. The word seems to resonate all the way through your body as other words do such as; light or unconditional love. The word Namaste has an extraordinary frequency that makes it unique.
When you offer this energy or vibration of awareness to another you become one. This oneness is impactful in that it carries you beyond your own body and sense of self. There is a unity or even a communion of the souls in this space.
6. When someone says Namaste to you it’s like being touched on a soul level.
A friend of mine was visiting Bali, and she said when people said Namaste and bowed in honor of her that she felt like crying. She said, “It’s like someone finding that soft delicate and vulnerable spot within that so many of us spend our whole lives protecting.” My friend was being touched on a soul level.
7. Namaste connects you to a Divine Oneness.
Whenever we become one with nature, or another, we are given awareness that is Divine. This spiritual connection is like the frame to a blank canvass as it outlines a space for us to focus. Suddenly, the empty painting comes alive with majestic colors that are infinitesimally detailed in their unifying coordination to reflect the light. A masterpiece is before you in this framed space of oneness.
When we see the supernatural in another we are simultaneously offered a glimpse at our own soul. This connection, or oneness, is breath taking as it is awe-inspiring.
8. Using the salutation “Namaste” is totally spiritual.
When you put the palms of your hands together and take them to your heart in a prayerful position and then move them to your head, you are uniting your heart and mind. This ritual is meant to symbolically connect you to the Most High within as you acknowledge the spirit in another.
This kind of, “I see you on a high level” could almost be described as an out-of-body kind of seeing one another. While you see the person’s name, body, gender and even individual personality traits all of this kind of melts away to seeing the real gold treasures within. It’s spiritual.
9. Namaste forms a unification and bond.
This is the coolest part of sharing Namaste. Celebrating a sacred connection always creates a bond. Sometimes these bonds are so great it’s hard to classify them. If this ever happens to you when using Namaste as a greeting, now you’ll understand why.
In chemistry there are specific characteristics in elements that makes them combine to form a chemical bond. I suggest that most of us haven’t given enough spiritual consideration to the association of coming together as one. This is why some of our attractions are almost unexplainable. But perhaps on the spiritual level they are.
10. The ability to see the Light in another is one of your greatest gifts.
Your recognizing the soul of another is always going to be one of life’s highest honors. When you consciously bow in your behalf of an acquaintance you give them the opportunity to remember their real self. It’s amazing what a simple gesture can do. Saying Namaste is really seeing their light within.
You can literally change someone’s life in mirroring this truth. The bond of love that occurs when seeing and reflecting one anothers real potential and empowerment is an opportunity as it is a gift.