Namaste is usually spoken in conjunction with the deep ‘Aum’ sound that in the Devanagari alphabet is spelled as ‘ॐ’. The same in Sanskrit script is ‘णव’. If you are an avid yoga practitioner you will probably be familiar with it and the Namaste symbol.
The Namaste symbol is the physical representation of what Namaste means – showing respect and recognizing the soul of another as part of a greeting. Namaste in India is the equivalent of saying ‘I bow to you’ as both a greeting and an expression of your reverence for the person you are acknowledging.
Knowing that ॐ is what Hindus know to be the worldwide name for the Lord may help with understanding and relating to the Namaste symbol, and how it’s been interpreted a little differently by Western cultures. They associate it with a sense of body and spirit as a whole and perfectly connected with each other for true existential wellness.
Namaste from India is how this spiritual concept may have been introduced to people, but now it has been borrowed and expanded on to be a key part of mind/body therapy and wellness techniques. Everything from yoga and Pilates to massage and aromatherapy. Is it possible that we may see the meaning contained in the Namaste symbol incorporated into other parts of practices, products, and anything related to wellness?
Does the Namaste symbol have any immediate meaning for you when you look at it? If so, we’d like it if you’d tell us about it.