RITUALS The Ritual of Namasté Anti-Aging Serum, Glow Collection, 30 ml

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Ask most people in the yoga community to translate “namaste” and the common reply will be something like, “The Divine in me honors the Divine in you.” It’s a lovely sentiment that has inspired many a yoga studio poster. But is it accurate?

In my personal experience living in India and with my elders and family here in the U.S., Namaste or Namaskar is said when I meet and greet an elder. Not when I leave,” writes Susanna Barkataki, author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. The gesture associated with namaste is called Anjali Mudra—pronounced UHN-jah-lee MOO-dra. Anjali evolved from the Sanskrit word “anj,” which means to honor or celebrate. See also: Yoga for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Practice What is the meaning of namaste? Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!To perform the Anjali Mudra—a physical expression of namaste—press the hands together, fingers touching and pointed up, with the thumbs at the breastbone. Close your eyes and bow your head or bend at the waist. Alternately, Palkhivala says, “It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart.” Susanna Barkataki, M.Ed., E-RYT-500, C-IAYTI, is an Indian yoga practitioner in the Hatha yoga tradition. She is the founder of the Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute; leader of Embody Yoga Trainings; and a diversity, accessibility, equity, and inclusion educator. She is the author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. If the word and gesture are used in yoga settings, Palkhivala says it may be done both at the beginning and at the end of class. The first will be a greeting of respect. “At the end of class, the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful,” he says. “The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers, and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart.”

Namaskar brings harmony between two polarities within,” says Isha Foundation leader Sadhguru. It levels out any internal sense of duality. The scene at the end of a typical yoga class: The teacher sits cross-legged at the front of class, takes a deep breath and, pressing hands together in a prayer position, leans into a deep bow and reverently intones the word “Namaste.” Dutiful yoga students mirror the pose and bow low in return, whispering namaste in unison. It’s so common that yoga doesn’t seem like yoga without this ritual. While she stops short of saying that namaste has no place in yoga class, Barkataki suggests that if it is used, it’s best used as a considerate greeting, not a pseudo-spiritual way to signal ‘class is over, y’all can go.’”

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Rina Deshpande, Ed.M., RYT-500, grew up with yoga philosophy shared by her parents in Florida, and was inspired to reconnect with her own roots in India after she became a New York City public school teacher in 2004. She is a teacher, illustrator, and poet as well as a researcher designing yoga-based interventions for scientific research at Harvard Medical School. Rina teaches yoga in New York City. See also: The Art of the Silent Bow What is the namaste gesture? Shot of a group of people doing yoga Photo: PeopleImages / Getty Images

Mudra means gesture. Hasta mudras are sacred hand movements that are used in yoga and meditation to deepen the practice. “The simplest form of yoga is to put your hands together in namaskar,” says spiritual leader Sadhguru. American English speakers tend to attribute a shorter “a” sound to the vowels and put the emphasis on the last syllable: nah-mah-STAY. But the term is more correctly pronounced nuh-MUH-stheh, according to Rina Deshpande. When you see those two a’s, train your brain to pronounce them with a short “u” sound. It is also an effective way to enhance your connecting with others. He says that bringing your palms together and turn your loving attention to a person or situation you are honoring, brings almost instantaneous results. “In three to five minutes you will begin to harmonize. Namaskar into peace. Namaskar yourself into love. Namaskar yourself into union,” he says.For a teacher and student, namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically,” Palkhivala says. “If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.” As long as you are making an honest attempt and are pronouncing Sanskrit terms as best you can, you can feel comfortable saying the word, our experts say. But if you want to practice the correct pronunciation, listen to Deshpande in the video above. When do we use it?