Namaste!

I think the first time I heard the word Namaste was in a yoga studio in Norway, or at least that was when it had an impact. It was January and snow was pouring outside. We were sitting on our yoga mats with scented candles in the corner of the dim lit room. Our yoga teacher looked at us, closed her eyes, bowed her head and greeted us with a soft Namaste. Being used to greet each other with a firm handshake, a pat on the shoulder, kisses on the cheek or a hug, this was something new. So elegant, exotic, clever and a bit mysterious...

shalusharma.com

And you may remember my attempt to master Hindi? Then you'll know that Namaste was the first Hindi word I learned (hopefully not the last). Namaste is a greeting, and when saying it, you place the two palms of our hands together in front of the chest (heart center), and bow your head a little. You can also place your hands together in front of the third eye, bow your head, and then bring the hands down to the heart - to show a deeper form of respect. Doing the gesture in India, it is understood that it means Namaste, so it is not necessary to actually say Namaste when you bow. But, I'll still say it...:-)

Obama's greetings when he visited India. about.com

For me, Namaste sounds like the Greek Na'maste (Na imaste) = here/there we are. So for me, hearing it makes it sound both familiar and friendly, and a thing I am used to say catching up with someone. In English: So-here-we-are-and-it-is-so-nice-to-see-you-all-and-be-together-with-you-all!
The word Namaste origins from Sanskrit: namah + te = namaste. (namah= to bow, te= you). I bow to you – my greetings and salutations to you. A wonderful way to greet someone, I always thought...

Namaste, dear reader, and thank you for following:-)