“Let’s close out practice by bowing forward and saying ‘Namaste’.”

This is a topic I’ve thought about for years. I’ve had every intention to write a thoughtful blog post about it, but, after attempting to get out a number of sentences, I typically delete everything I put out there and move onto a different, less divisive topic. We’ll see how this attempt goes.

Before I dive in, I want to highlight Susanna Barkataki in this post. As a yoga teacher and Indian woman she speaks about her personal relationship with yoga and yoga related topics, she’s an incredible resource for those who practice yoga and want to learn more than just the mechanics of Downward Facing Dog. You can read about her perspective on Namaste here.

And, again, before we go any further: Let me make it known from the jump that I don’t actually care how a yoga teacher or student decides to end their classes or practices. I do care, however, that people put some consideration into how and why they are closing out their practices in the way that they do.

The Shift

It was either 2018 or 2019 when I started to question how I ended my yoga classes. The very common Namaste just didn’t land with me anymore. I had started reading material written by South Asian yoga teachers and practitioners and I felt like it was time to investigate my use of the word. (It also caused me to investigate my entire career as a yoga teacher, but that’s another post for another time.)

Was it time to eliminate the word from my classes? How would I even end my classes if it wasn’t with Namaste? Every aspect of the classes I taught were so intentional and thought out. Shouldn’t I be intentional with how I ended my classes too?

It’s Familiar

I eventually took the leap and nixed the Namaste closing of my classes. I was initially anxious because I knew it’s what students were used to. It was the period at the end of their practice sentence and without it the space felt weird and unsettled. The students I had taught for years were used to me and all my fellow teachers signaling to them that their group practice was over with this one word. Now that familiar word was missing. How would everyone react?

Because I was insecure about this no-Namaste approach, I instantly invited students into the conversation. I recall ending classes and encouraging folks to chat with me in the lobby to discuss the topic further. For the most part students were excited to have meaningful dialogue about their practice and their familiar rituals. It was a bit of a relief to say the least.

After settling into my new way of ending class I’d periodically have a student approach me and remark, “I noticed you didn’t end your class with Namaste. Care to share why?” Conversation! Yes! Nothing brings me as much pleasure as a student getting curious about their practice and my approach to teaching.

Ultimately, just because it’s how everyone ends their class and it’s what’s most familiar just wasn’t reason enough for me to continue with Namaste. This is why I stopped closing out my classes with the word. Sure, it’s what my students were used to. But just because it was familiar wasn’t reason enough for me to continue.

As I’ve evolved as a yoga teacher I’ve become less interested in the monkey see, monkey do approach. I don’t want students to blindly follow along with my instructions without actually thinking about the choices they make in their practice. The same goes with how I end my classes. I found that students didn’t actually know the meaning of the word Namaste. I ended class with the word and, because they were being such good students, they would repeat the word back without a second thought.

If you’re a teacher or student who ends your practice with Namaste, take a moment to reflect. Are you saying the word out of habit? Does it have a sincere meaning to you that also honors the depth and history of the word?

T-Shirts With Words

I once had a studio manager who would get so annoyed every time she opened up a box of retail merchandise from the studio’s corporate offices. She’d say, “Please stop sending us t-shirts with words on them.” I understood what she meant.

Yoga is a massive industry. Beyond yoga studios and yoga classes, there’s yoga pants, yoga mats, straps to conveniently carry your yoga mat, yoga towels, yoga socks, yoga headbands, and so much more for you to easily purchase online or at your local studio. And once you get the latest and greatest of a certain product, there absolutely will be a better version in a more exciting color that will be released in a couple months and soon you’ll be that person with five of the same yoga mat. (That’s me. I am the person with same yoga mat in five colors.)

I am not innocent in any of this! I am a sucker for the latest and greatest yoga apparel. (And clearly the latest and greatest yoga mat color.)

Along with all the yoga products a yoga student might desire, all over yoga studios Namaste is plastered on t-shirts, yoga bags, and more. It’s become such a common word in popular culture that you can find manipulations of the word like “Nama-Slay” or “Nama-Stay in Bed”. The word has been co opted to sell consumers a product that tells the world “I might practice yoga, but I just really like this shirt.”

Again, it comes down to consideration. A product is being pushed to the general public without taking a moment to explain the meaning of Namaste or the importance of the word to some populations.

Definitions Gone Wild

Full disclosure: I am not a native Sanskrit reader, writer, or speaker. Other than the names of some yoga shapes and words that relate to the practice of yoga, I actually know very little Sanskrit. I have learned from some incredible teachers with vast knowledge of the language, but my general understanding of Sanskrit is quite limited. Now perhaps my limited knowledge should discredit my take on words like Namaste. I’ll let you be the judge.

I’m fairly certain the first time the word was defined for me I was told Namaste meant the light in me sees and respects the light in you. I recall hearing this breakdown of the word and thinking, “Wow! What a special, deep word! Of course I would want to end my yoga classes with this word!”

Not that the definition I was given was wholly incorrect. But there might be a tiny bit of flourishment going on there.

Namaste, when used by folks in regions of Asia, is actually used as a greeting and not a farewell. And not just any greeting. It’s a greeting that reflects respect and praise towards the recipient. Now this is a massive generalization. Not all people on the continent of Asia use the word Namaste. And those who use Namaste in their everyday vernacular might use it beyond a greeting toward a person they respect. However, based on lectures I’ve participated in and conversations I’ve had with folks from South Asia, the placement of Namaste at the end of your average, drop-in yoga class just doesn’t feel in line with how I have chosen to conduct my yoga classes.

Alternatives to Namaste

So you’ve decided to consider alternatives to Namaste, but you’re unsure how to proceed? I’ve got some suggestions!

A Breath

Considering many yoga practices are grounded in breath awareness and connection to breath, I have found that inviting a class to take a final breath together as a group is a lovely way to close out a practice. Everyone can come to a comfortable seat, take a full breath in, and a full breath out.

After the breath I invite students to move on with their day when they feel ready to do so.

A Reflection

I sometimes finish practice by inviting students to take a moment to pause and reflect upon how they’re feeling in the final moments of their practice. How does your body feel? How does your mind feel? I encourage folks to take those feelings with them into their rest of their day. It’s a way to invite students to bring their yoga practice into their everyday life.

An Acknowledgement.

I end a lot of my classes with the following:

As a gesture of gratitude toward the practice and the circumstances that allowed all of us to be here, you might lift your thumbs to your brow and close out our time together with a bow forward.

I use this closing for a number of reasons:

It shows appreciation for the practice of yoga. Ultimately, I think that’s what many who use the word Namaste to end a practice are communicating. I just choose to express that gratitude in a different way.
It acknowledges that there’s more to showing up for a practice than moving the physical body through shapes. It takes time, resources, discipline, focus, and humility to show up for a yoga practice.
It speaks to the shared time and space that comes with a group practice. I see importance in highlighting the energy that is create in a group yoga practice.
The bow forward, I have found, provides students with one more synchronized movement and a signal that our time in our group yoga class has now concluded.

Choose Your Own Adventure

One of the best things to come out of my removal of Namaste is the space it creates for students to end their practice in way that feels right for them. I still hear students end their practice with Namaste and that’s great! I have a number of students who close out their practice with Thank you. There’s a few who say a prayer or whisper the word Amen. Many close out their practice in silence, however, I’m sure there’s something personal that they hold within their mind.

Without the closing being dictated by a teacher, it’s been beautiful to hear and see how students choose to end their practice. It is their practice after all. It should be concluded in a way of their choosing.

To wrap up this long, rambling post, I hope - if you made it to the end of this blabbering - you find yourself thinking about how and why you end your yoga practices in the way in which you do. Your yoga practice is something you can explore and investigate. Let the closing to your practice be a part of that exploration.