The Deeper Meaning of Namaste

Most of us have heard the word Namaste mentioned among some people  from the Indian subcontinent, as well as the yogic community. 
 
Physically, it is a common, non-contact greeting, bringing the hands  towards the heart in the prayer manner, used with a slight bow  indicating respect when we salute a person hello and when we say  goodbye.
 
The meaning from the Sanskrit word can be roughly translated as:  I bow  to you.  A wider interpretation would be:  I honor the spark of the  Divine in you, or if you’d like to expand even more: I honor the place  in the universe that is of love, light and beauty.  When you are in  that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are truly one.

The fascinating fact here is that we say this consciously with the  understanding that the person we are bowing to may be of any other  religion, atheist, agnostic, or from a different social status, rank, or  position of power, liked or not, yet  in that moment, none of those  human labels matter, because we are going farther and deeper than that,  to the divine spark of life in each one of us.

The conscious expression of Namaste, I have found through my years of  Yoga practice, make a significant difference when we start a  conversation or discussion. It sets the tone of humble equality between  two speakers or groups; it sets the tone for listening in peace and with  a disposition towards non-conflictive resolution to any communication  problem that may arise. 
 
Namaste implies we are all children of this divine creation, we are all a  Father & a Mother’s Child, and there is an an essential  dignity  and respect owed to the other person.   When that sense of equal and  mutual dignity and respect is broken, then we are no longer within the  Yama or moral observance of Ahimsa, or non-harming. 
 
Next time you are going to embark on a discussion with another human  being, take a moment to greet this person with a conscious Namaste…  (either mentally or physically) and see what it does… maybe nothing, or  maybe a lot!
 
In any case, it is a gracious and universal greeting that honors the most sacred aspect in another human being.
 
 Namaste…