“Namasté”, a term used in yoga. But do you know what it means? Here is the answer

All you need to know about “namasté”, the Indian greeting accompanied by the gesture of reaching the hands at the height of the chest, chin or forehead, while hinting a bow with the head

Eleonora Biliotti

The word Namasté has now rightfully entered our vocabulary and this thanks to the great diffusion of discipline of yoga. Namasté is in fact the greeting which is pronounced at the end of the practice. The origins of this word plunge into the ancient Hindu culture, it is a word in Sanskrit, a language considered perfect and complete from a grammatical point of view and, above all, considered sacred. Indians use this word as a form of greeting.

How can it be translated? What is the meaning of the Indian greeting?

Namasté: meaning

The word Namasté literally means “I bow to you”, and derives from the Sanskrit: namas (bow, greet with reverence) e you (to you). This word associates a spiritual value, so it can perhaps be translated more completely as “I greet (I bow to) the divine qualities that are in you”. The word accompanied by the gesture of joining hands and bowing the head could be translated as: the divine qualities that are in me bow to the divine qualities that are in youand still, more explicitly, I unite my body and mind, focusing on my divine potential, and bow to the same potential that is in you. In summary, therefore, the ultimate meaning of the greeting is to recognize the sacredness of both those who offer the greeting and those who receive it.

It is not just a greeting

Namasté, however, is not a simple greeting, it encompasses the whole Indian culture and the way of relating and dealing with others and with divinity. Namasté is, in fact, the greeting that is made when one enters a temple, a sort of annulment and submission, a way to recognize the divine that dwells in each of us, as a benevolent gesture and at the same time of gratitude. However, considering “namasté” as a simple greeting is excessively reductive: this word tells and hides much more. It is a very important spiritual concept, which is perfectly linked to practice yoga. Namasté indicates that one’s soul bows to the soul of the other person and recognizes it as a spiritual soul.

Word and gesture

The gesture that accompanies the word consists in the join your hands and bring them to heart level, tilting your head slightly forward (Anjali Mudra). It is therefore clear why at the end of each yoga session / practice the teacher and the students leave, greeting each other with this word that contains in itself a greeting and thanks. We could also speak of a simple cultural appropriation, but even in this case it is a greeting that contains a profound meaning and recognizes our spirituality and, above all, that of others and before whom we bow, humbly without ego.


“Namasté”, a term used in yoga. But do you know what it means? Here is the answer