Why I Don't Say 'Namaste' in my Yoga Classes

It happens all the time in my Yoga classes. The students have finished Shavasana, I put my hands together in the centre of my chest in a Namaskar (a gesture of respect) and say, “Thanks team……” I often get confused looks from my students and I assume its because they are wondering why I didn’t signify the ending of the class by saying the Hindi word, ‘namaste’ that has now become synonymous with Yoga in the West.

For me, my lack of ‘namaste’ is both the linguistically correct thing to be doing at the end of Yogasana and a form of silent protest towards what I find to be a modern form of Colonialism that the Western Yoga machine has imposed on aspects of Indian culture and Yogic Philosophy.

With the popularisation of ‘namaste’ that occurred after its introduction to the West in roughly the Mid-20^th Century, came a wide array of definitions and marketing phrases coined by Western Yogis. A quick google image search gives me meme format definitions that tell me ‘namaste’ means anything from, ‘the divine in me bows to the divine in you,’ ‘my soul honours your soul,’ ‘I honour the place in you where the universe dwells,’ to ‘I bow to you.’ Seems like we’re in a pickle doesn’t it….  

‘Namaste’ is a Hindi word comprised of two Sanskrit roots: ‘namas’ (bowing) and ‘te’ (to you). A literal translation of this word would leave you with ‘bowing to you’ or ‘I bow to you.’ If we take the literal translation and apply it into the context of a Yoga class there doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with it. However, when we deal with language, we also have to take into account the context in which language is used. Another quick google search of the etymology of ‘namaste’ will tell you it is a greeting. In India, it isn’t a normal greeting though, it is reserved as an extremely formal greeting for elders such as Grandparents or other high-status individuals in Indian society that command respect. If I were to greet my Indian friends with ‘namaste’ I would be laughed at. If I were to say goodbye to them by saying ‘namaste,’ (like Western Yoga teachers effectively do), I would be met with both very confused faces and some even louder laughter.

I mentioned earlier that ‘namaste’ has been included in marketing phrases in the Western Yoga industry. ‘Nama-SLAYY,’ and ‘Namastay in bed,’ are some cutesy (cringe) plays on the word that have graced (cursed) my attention. They’ve been included on -tshirts, meditation cushions, tapestries, posters, mugs and basically whatever else you think of. ‘Namaste’ really is central in the collective consciousness of Western Yoga but this doesn’t make it right.

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi recently described Yoga as being India’s gift to the world. This is true, it is a philosophy born in India, but it is not quintessentially Indian. Any person from any ethnicity or religion can practice Yoga. However, the gift of Yoga from India to the world did not include the stealing and misapplication of a Hindi word that is completely divorced from Yoga. Using the Sanskrit words in Yoga is different, teachers saying ‘Uttanasana’ when they are cueing a forward bend is fine- they are using the correct Sanskrit word in the correct context, this could be seen as honouring Yoga, and India. 

I also acknowledge language can change but I think Westerners misusing ‘namaste’ in Yoga is wrong. We have our own ability to express what we want to say without misusing another culture’s word. India suffered greatly under British occupation, and they are nowhere near close to recovering after the widespread cultural desolation that was experienced. The West has taken enough from India- we don’t need to take their language and misuse it as well. If teachers still want to express the sentiment behind what they believe ‘namaste’ stands for, I believe it should still be done, but do it in your own language. I have no issue with teachers ending a class with “I bow to you” or “I honour the divine in you." Whatever rocks your boat. 

I hope most Yoga teachers have a deep love and respect for the Philosophy and it is up to us to uphold it in its purest and truest form while also respecting where it came from. I simply believe we are missing the mark with our current use of ‘namaste.’