Elemental Lifestyles by Kelly

Is this what happens when you turn 60? I just realized we left the house and are driving to our errands and I still have my slippers on.

Sharing this! As a yoga instructor, I rely on props. Props really help you graduate into the poses properly!! https://youtu.be/wr4Hr-v-yx4

Yoga Props Are Not Cheating | FFD This accusation really irritates me, and I worked really hard to not go off on a rant here. Yoga props are a totally valid tool for learning, and besides, yo...

You learn something new!

I’m a yoga teacher, among other things. Here’s why I no longer say “Namaste” at the end of my classes…or at all!
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I encourage you to read this, and reflect on what will be new information for some of you! Then do what you feel is right.
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Namaste is used everywhere, from yoga classes to endings on newsletter emails sent by well-meaning Western yoga people.
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But Namaste does not mean what we think it means. It does not signify “the light in me bows to the light in you,” nor anything else that could be considered spiritually reverent.
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It was/is a more formal greeting in India, something you’d say when walking into a business meeting.
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Namaste is akin to “Greetings”. It’s morphed into a more common “hello”, too.
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So here we are, Western yogis/yoginis with good intentions - very somberly ending our classes with “hello there”, as if it somehow seals the spiritual deal.
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It’s also not pronounced “Nah-mah-STAY” but rather more like “nah MUSTH-ey”.
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When we want to honor the origins and heritage of a practice that has now moved throughout the world, we should at the very least say any Sanskrit words properly if we need to say them at all, and their original meaning should definitely match how we translate them to our students.
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Here’s a great podcast I found where an Indian linguist and a professor explain it best:
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Link in IG bio or/
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/55-namaste/id957430475?i=1000385164443
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I learned, I shifted. I removed Namaste.
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Holding on to tradition for its own sake, when the tradition is actually incorrect, is not more important than listening to the core culture, and mindfully evolving.
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I now end my classes with other options, like “Circle your arms up, gather all the fresh energy and inspiration of your practice to you, then bring your palms together to seal it deeply inside as you bow to your efforts today. You rocked it!”
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Whatever you finish your practice - or your next yoga email - with, I recommend choosing something that correctly expresses: “The light within me, bows to the light within you”
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…or maybe just say that. 🙏🏻
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What do you think?
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❤️ Sadie