Like most other yogis in the world, I begin and end all of my classes with a single concept - a single word...
Namaste.
We all say it. But do we truly know what it means? Do we truly feel the significance of the idea? Do we do our best to live its tenets? Or teach it to our children?
In 2016, I spent most of the year volunteering at a Buddhist Monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas, just outside the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. It was during that time that I really feel like I learned how to understand what Namaste means as well as what it implies.
The most fundamental idea behind Namaste's translation is this: the light inside of me recognizes the light inside of you.
Pause there for a yoga minute (as I say to my kids) to allow that to sink in. Take a few deep breaths with it...
Now, how do you feel? What do you think? Personally, I feel that is the single most beautiful idea in the entire world. That idea wraps me up like a warm sherpa blanket, from my head to my toes, and just fills me up with joy! I believe that the thought behind Namaste can be found at the core of every major religion. It brings out the best that all Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and everyone else has to offer. It is both religious and non-religious at the same time.
I honor you. I honor everyone. I honor the world. I honor existence. That is Namaste.
Now, in Cosmic Kids Yoga (where I was certified to teach Kids Yoga), Jaime uses Namaste as her 'Secret' code word, seeming to include her students in an exclusive club that makes them feel special and radiate that same warmth I described above. But that's the irony of the way Jaime does it. There's nothing exclusive about Namaste! It is just about the most IN-clusive concept ever created!
What a marvelous way to raise our children and the future generations of humanity... My inner light recognizes your inner light. It's just too beautiful for words!
Namaste!
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