Namaste--Breathing Meditation
Namaste. A statement so often heard and said at the close of a yoga practice. An everyday greeting in Indian tradition. But what does it mean in the context of a yoga practice? Why is it said with such reverence? The first explanation I heard was from a patient, ever-present yoga teacher who always listened with an open heart. She said, “When you are with the light in you, and I am with the light in me, we are one .” Now, this can represent something different to each person depending on their circumstances of day, time, life history, etc. But what makes the most sense to me is the profundity of such a subtle concept: when you recognize and honor the essence of who you are, and I recognize and honor the essence of who I am, we can see who the other person is without judgment, without contradiction, and with deep, compassionate empathy. How beautiful is that? Ok, that sounds awesome, right? But how on earth does one even begin to sort through the complex, intrica