Namaste

is a Hindu word that literally means “I bow to the Divine in you”.

Traditionally, Namaste is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest.

In India, Namaste is a customary greeting when people meet and when they depart. It is a respectful form of acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger. However, there is so much more to it… the real meeting between people is the meeting of their minds. When we greet one another with Namaste, it means “may our minds meet”.

Saying Namaste has a deeper spiritual significance. It recognizes that the life force, the divinity, the Sacred Self or God Within is the same in all. Acknowledging this oneness with the meeting of the palms means we honor the Sacred within the person we meet or greet.