Why I Don't Say "Namaste" After Class

It's become ingrained in western Yoga classes that saying "namaste" is the proper closure to end a practice. To be blunt, this is incorrect.

Firstly, most of us with American accents don't even pronounce namaste as they do in India (which has hundreds, if not thousands, of dialects). For more on this, I recommend the Instagram (and book) of Susanna Barkataki.

Secondly, the commonly translation of "the divine in me bows to the divine in you" was invented by an American scholar, Stephen Phillips. Fine, he has a PhD from Harvard, that doesn't make him infallible. Namaste does have meaning of "I bow to you," but it's a greeting, a hello, because bowing is how you greet people in places like India and east of there.

Finally, there's the position of being a Yoga teacher. Most of us are not experts, but we are educated. The concern of appropriating and colonizing Yoga is deep with me. I'm a white woman from the US who has to rely on family for basic needs while others struggle with housing, food, and education. What I bring to the studio space is my clear knowledge of how I would exist (if at all) without this safety net. If my privilege were removed, I don't think I'd be here today. I considered not calling my parents to bail me out of a tough situation, losing my apartment, and living in my car six hours from home.

Instead, I had them and they responded.

Therefore, I know my lane and my privilege.

It's not for me to tell others not to say namaste, but I will explain why I don't say it at the end of my classes. I prefer Om, shanti, shanti, shanti because it's more of a direct translation to other religious messages like the Christian "peace be with you" or the Pagan "blessed be."

Right before I say, "Om, shanti, shanti, shanti," I always try to fit in some metta bhavana or lovingkindness, which I find is a beautiful prayer with significance that teaches us how to love ourselves, love those close to us, love those neutral to us, love our enemies, and love all beings. This practice comes from Buddhism, not Yoga from India. Again, it's a lot like the Pagan custom, "May you never hunger. May you never thirst." Of course, if you've been raised Christian you can likely see correlation there to saying grace or lighting a candle or praying in general. For more information on lovingkindness I recommend reading the works of Sharon Salzberg and Bodhipaksa.

Namaste isn't the only possible point of contention. Whether a western Yoga teacher uses the sanskrit names for postures can be debated. Some say, "don't if it's not your culture." Others say, "Only use sanskrit if you can pronounce it well." While others argue, "if you don't say the sanskrit, you're whitewashing the practice."

Finally, I'll end on this note: it's also really offensive for merchandise to have quips like "Nama-stay in bed." Just don't.

I'm a big advocate of helping your local community and neighbors whenever possible. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes I had the billions to give it away rather than build a rocket and not pay taxes. It's been my life experience that the friends with the least amount to give tend to give the most. They'll pawn things. They'll scrape. They'll give their time. They'll literally do so much more to be charitable than the people with the most. Below are some ideas about giving locally and globally.

Kiva.org is an incredible non-profit that's designed for people who don't have a lot to give but want to help others for around $30USD. These are called micro-loans. I've personally given 25 of these small loans since 2024. Only one has ended in default and that one was an American.

Many of the Kiva applicants have matching loans which is a great way to double the impact. When you go to the lending page, there are filters to narrow down choices for you. I often select women-owned businesses or eco-friendly. There are a lot of filters to help you find someone that resonates with your own desire for how to help.

Plus, since Kiva itself is a non-profit, you can support them to back what they do for the world. To keep something like going has got to be expensive. When you checkout through your cart, you can add on more for a portion to go directly to this overhead.

The Seeking Dharma Yoga Kiva Team has made 56 loans and that doesn't count the 6 I made and forgot to select my own team at checkout. That's an important reminder! When you get to the checkout system, there's a small drop-down box to select which team to apply this toward. If you don't see any listed, make sure you join our team before checking out. You can be on more than one team too.

CASA SHaW provides well-trained, trauma-informed volunteers to serve as advocates in court for children living in foster care. Their goal is to ensure that every child served has a safe, permanent home and the resources and services needed to thrive and not just survive adverse childhood experiences.

If you have the dedication, compassion, and TIME, consider becoming one of their advocates. Not only does CASA need monetary donations, but they run on volunteer advocates. Their grants were decimated by the Trump/Musk cuts because CASA helps all people of all genders and sexual orientation.

Reach out to their Volunteer Trainer, Marnie Carrick at marnie@casashaw.org or call 908-689-5515.