How to Use Namaste Yoga to Transform Your Inner Being

By Jimi Lanronle

Namaste yoga represents a style of yoga based on the Hatha Vinyasa yoga practice. Namaste is an Indian greeting and blessing that is literally composed of nama which means I bow and te which is you, and we have I bow to you. It is a form used when greeting someone or when departing. As for Namaste yoga, the practice focuses on the importance of breathing; the breath works as the guide and the body has to follow up the lines imposed by the breath.

When greeting with namaste, the hands are placed together in front of the eyes while, bowing the head, and afterwards the hands drop down to the heart. The gesture implies a profound form of respect. Westerners perceive namaste in a different way than it is performed in India: westerners would speak the word Namaste while making the gesture we've explained, while for Indians the gesture itself carries in it the word, and they don't utter the word when bowing.

Namaste yoga is usually practiced together with other styles of yoga. The gesture namaste, the salute per se, is meant to increase the flow of divine love; when one closes the eyes and bows, he/she surrenders the mind to the divine in the heart. Ideally, Namaste yoga is a popular practice that opens and ends a yoga session, but it is usually done before completing the work routine, because it is considered that the peace of mind and body is superior then, and there is also a more positive energy in the room.

The core of Namaste yoga is combined with the principles of Gautama Buddha, biggest Indian guru and the founder of Buddhism. Hence, a general consideration for all yoga styles is that the practice is more than a way to stay flexible or in good physical shape, as it is rather a way of life.

Nevertheless, it does not mean that one cannot enjoy Namaste yoga from the physical fitness perspective alone, it only means that if one gets interested in Namaste yoga, one will develop other preoccupations beside the immediate external reality. The yoga instructor initiates Namaste as a token of gratitude and respect for the students, and in return launches the invitation to connect with their lineage starting the energy flow from their hearts. It is rather difficult to properly perform various yoga positions, it requires practice until one is able to do them with minimal effort. - 31856

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