I used to say Namaste at the end of each yoga class. It’s how I was taught to, and students did (and do) it without my lead. Then I started listening to teachers like Susanna Barkataki and an elder named Conchen who lived at the local Ashram here, and realized I was ending my classes with “hello.” Zarna Garg has a great bit I just saw about this too. Her stand-up on Prime “One in a Billion” hits on multiple points of western appropriation in Yoga. The lady’s got chops!
Yes, ”namaste” translates to “reverence to you” in English, which in theory is a nice way to close a sadhna (sacred practice). However, as I said, it is a commonly used greeting in South Asian cultures. Yoga comes from India/South Asia, so to respect yoga’s geo-cultural origins I stopped saying it. Part of my practice of ahimsa (non-harm) is the active practice of respect for others.
Non-harm was a practice I was not well versed in for a long time. I learned asanas like cat, cow and plow in a Quaker elementary school, the emphasis on non-violence (in all forms) was lost in practice though. Learning the Yamas and Niyamas in my late 20s helped/helps me be better to and for myself, my family and my communities. My thoughts on violence and the practices of non-harm are for another essay—suffice it to say the ways I close my classes are with the intention of ahimsa and gratitude.
So that’s how I close now. I say “thank you for practicing with me,” or some similar variation. Sometimes I say “Om shantih, shantih, shantih” or “om peace, peace, peace.” I incorporate Sanskrit words throughout my classes—I believe Sanskrit is a vital part of Yoga. I don’t close with “namaste” anymore though. If you still do, I’m curious why, or if you changed your closing practices too, in what ways and why?
Thank you:)
P.S. In reading for the links in this post, I found Ms. Barkataki’s awesome blog post with 60+ alternatives to ending classes with Namaste, linked here.