Why I stopped ending yoga classes with 'Namaste'... | UK Yoga Teacher | Emily Rowell Yoga

[@sirshaunak7846]

I'm an Indian & I feel it's perfectly fine to say namaste may be at the beginning or at the end. So plz feel free to say it..

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Thank you for your comment, it's great to hear different viewpoints on this subject :)

[@reyemoon]

You’re also one person and don’t speak for everyone 🙏🏽 respectfully

[@sudhaohara-dhand899]

1

[@DC-fw7ie]

I am Indian and I totally disagree. It is not appropriate to end a class Namaste. Also it’s not “Nama-staay”. It’s pronounced “namasteh”. I am tired of the whitewashing and cultural appropriation in western yoga

[@MAKEDAofficial]

@@reyemoon same goes for both sides, respectfully. You don't speak for everyone either :)

[@SolaRa08]

I am Indian and I think it's perfectly fine for you to use 'Namaste'. Infact, I think it's sweet! We all need to stop overthinking...

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Thank you for your comment, it's great to get a variety of different voices and opinions on subjects like this :)

[@SolaRa08]

@@EmilyRowellYoga This verse is dedicated from me to you... Yoga Sutras of Patanjali A balanced state of mind and body The path to tranquil serenity Strength, flexibility, greater immunity Wholistic wellness, heightened awareness Higher consciousness, sustained happiness Through Asana, Dhyana, Pranayama Art, Science, Ancient Philosophy Billions worth of global industry Way to navigate hustle culture Stress, insomnia, lifestyle disorder Take a breather, feel empowered With the challenge of yoga posture Steadiness of mountain (Tadasana) Grounding of Tree (Vrikshasana) Celebrate the joy of small victories Via poses: Cobra, Cat, Cow, Camel Connect with the elements of nature Honor the creator: Surya Namaskar Dig deeper, find the treasure…

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

@@SolaRa08 That's so kind, thank you :)

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

We need to stop speaking for all cultures. Just because you're a member of a culture doesn't mean you can decide whether or not something is inoffensive to all.

[@SolaRa08]

@@itsgonnabeanaurfromme FYI I am also an intelligent, secure, sensitive, inclusive and sensible person.

[@beitheleaf8221]

Thank you so much for explaining this. I’ll refrain from using the word from now on and continue learning. Yoga has already beautiful in my mental healing, so I strive to take all parts of this practice seriously and reverently. ❤

[@bijalchauhan6058]

I love your videos and thank you especially for doing this video as I'm Hindu. I can tell you have so much knowledge about yoga and have a passion for making it accessible. I start my YTT next month and your videos break down the asanas as well as being informative with regards to the training. x

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Thank you, I really appreciate your comment :) Good luck with your YTT!

[@sneharashmi7553]

Okay. I appreciate your sensitivities regarding cultural appropriation & it's refreshing to see it come from a Britisher. (Hey! You ruled us for 200 years, remember?) Cultural Appropriation has one strong element going on, & that's power dynamics. Here, we have the West & a third world country India whose centuries old practice is repackaged & commercialized. It's like Rudyard Kipling's 'white man's burden'. A sense of superiority just because white people are rich & managed to colonize rest of the world, so yeah, it's fine to put judgements on other cultural practices. Orient & occident. The fact is, we should strive to learn to respect other cultures & see them the way natives look at their practices. Now, coming to the topic of your video, 'Namaste'. I've seen quite a few videos of yours & I'm mighty impressed by your openness & acceptance towards our culture. As an Indian, & a person who believes has a good understanding of what 'Namaste' means, I'm telling you; it's not inappropriate or offensive at all in the usage at the end of the class. Or beginning. Hinduism or any other Asian religion is different from Abrahamic religions. You might know, that in Hinduism, God exists in all beings, living or non-living. It's inside you, & inside me. Inside a saint, & also a sinner. God exists in all beings; that's the tenet. You also got it right about Sanskrit words being compounds & each separate element having it's own meaning. 'Namaste' comes from two words, 'Namah' which means 'I bow in respect' & 'te' which means you. So the word Namaste means "There's also element of God inside you & to that, I put forth my respect & fold my hands & bow in front of you". Isn't that beautiful? Well, unless one's an atheist, cultist or communist, it's a greeting which I think is universal & anyone can use the greeting to greet any other person regarding differences of age, sex, colour or what not. I don't mean to convince you, just clarify the meaning. Namaste is my favourite form of greeting & yes; we Indians don't have copyright. And yes; it's not a literal translation of hello. Namaste!

[@MAKEDAofficial]

Love this perspective

[@rachaelcooper8427]

Thanks for this great video. Its interesting because I say Namaste at the end of the classes that I teach because "it's the thing to do" but I actually feel a bit uncomfortable saying it and I think its because I feel that I'm not correct when I do it (relating to the whole cultural appropriation thing). It's also interesting because I occasionally go to a Yoga class and the teacher is Indian and they say Namaste at the start and not at the end.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

That's really interesting, thanks Rachael. Yes it's very easy to just say things because 'it's what everyone does' but I think it's important that we are mindful of the words we use and take the time to think about the intention and meaning. I hope you find a way of ending the classes that feels right to you :)

[@manassrivastava1214]

@@EmilyRowellYoga you can say hari om 🕉 , Ram 🙏Ram , Radha Radha or namaskar 🙏 is not bad to use this greetings/words sorry for my bad english I am your new student pranaam 🙏 to my cute 🧘‍♀️yoga teacher👩‍🏫‍

[@angier2289]

Thank you for this video! I deeply appreciate it. I’ve just started practising yoga a few months ago and have been keen to understand more about it. I had a sense that it wasn’t about developing a photo-worthy booty but the teachers I have so met have been very much about teaching the poses. Your suggestions for other teachers and books are very much appreciated.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Hi Angie, that's really great to hear, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I'd recommend trying out different classes and teachers in your area and online as unfortunately there are definitely some teachers who focus purely on the physical side of yoga and omit the deeper teachings. 😊

[@sharmisthatralalala]

Thank you for addressing this, as a indian subscriber i have a whole lot of respect for you.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

I appreciate that, thank you :)

[@trustyourpulse]

When we arrive at the end of a yoga Asana practice, we have emerged from savasana, as a rebirth. Seems appropriate as a greeting at that time ☺️

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

That's a lovely point 🙏🏼

[@kimll88]

I'm from Malaysia and all my Yoga teachers says Namaste at the end of the class. Some are not Indian origin while others are. They still say Namaste. Cultural appropriation is/was(?) never a thing in the East.

[@susanfage4671]

Thank you so much, as always a great informative video!

[@johnsissins7449]

Thank you Emily. That makes it much clearer. Can I ask a question of listening in to (yoga) music while practicing. I know tuning into our breath is emphasised but is tuning into soul-lifting music being disrespectful. Thanks.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Hi John 👋 thanks for asking. Although yoga was traditionally practised without music, I don't think it would be considered disrespectful to listen to music.

[@vipin_in]

Namaste still means what it used to be, and you initial knew it when you used to include it. If it's a common practice in one culture or religion, that doesn't change it's meaning. It just tells how spiritually rich that culture is.

[@reyemoon]

Appreciate you. Thank you for this video 🙏🏽

[@jutaisate8118]

Being offended implies an egoic self which is not compatible with yogic philosophy. When one practices yoga, shouldn't it lead to the opposite of this offence, woke nonsense?

[@emilykoontz7693]

It's more about honoring yoga's roots than anything else, and recognizing the harm that has been done to the culture of origin through the whitewashing of yoga (starting with the British colonization of India). Yoga is ultimately about liberation of suffering, and it is important to educate ourselves on the impact of cultural appropriation, sterilization, etc. of oppressed groups. There's truly so much more to learn on this topic, and I've just barely scratched the surface. I highly recommend reading Susanna Barkataki's book, as she references above! It has opened my eyes to many uncomfortable truths, but truths that are important to know, as someone who benefits from this ancient practice.

[@magicworldbyjorg]

,a cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Thank you 😊

[@magicworldbyjorg]

@@EmilyRowellYoga Thank you very mutch... have a nice day.... see you….

[@alanthompson2063]

So much sophistry that's just plain wrong. "The God In Me Greets/Recognises the God in You". This is a Hindu religious understanding, that most Westerners/Christians in particular do not accept. Its not cultural misappropriation at all, its Spiritual Growth, to understand what it means and when to use it. Most don't even understand the words, never mind the idea of you being part of the GodHead. Unless like you and I they have set out to learn.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Thanks Alan, yes that's right. Within Hinduism 'Namaste' refers to the God/divine spirit within each of us. That's why it's so important that we don't misuse this sacred word.

[@2006minesh]

The british never used Namaste when they colonised India for over 300 years?? Lets not go into what words were used. Thank you

[@roxannepizzano9257]

I think it's ridiculous that even it yoga, we have to become so woke. In all my years of taking yoga classes, I have never come across anyone who was upset by any teacher saying Namaste to our class.

[@vipin_in]

Is practicing yoga not a cultural appropriation?

[@kirangem]

Saying Namaste by anyone to anyone is allowed to greet each other, it is not restricted to be use by only particular culture. You need to relook into the decision that you have made

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Hi there Kiran, I never claimed that people shouldn't use it. I simply explained that I don't use it to end yoga classes anymore because it is a greeting, not a goodbye :)

[@gitismita418]

Take it from an Indian, we dont have any COPYRIGHT on NAMASTE. And whoever made that video, doesn't have real knowledge about yoga. M also a yoga student still but can tell u, Use it freely.

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

Hiya, thanks for your comment. I don't think there's any problem with saying namaste when it's used correctly, for example as a greeting or mark of respect. As I explained in the video, the problem (in my opinion) is when 'namaste' is thrown in at the end of a yoga class without any consideration of what it means. Again, that's just my opinion 😊

[@gitismita418]

@@EmilyRowellYogai appreciate your consideration and respect for the language. It's totally your call what u wanna use. But as an Indian, i will have to clear this. We use Namaste at the end of a conversation as well. At the end of a class, "thank you" is perfectly alright but it's not the same as Namaste. Thank you in Hindi is "Dhanyawad" but if u mean to say simple "bye" to your students, then u can use "Namaste". It's a sign of respect we show because we don't use the word "bye" with elders or in formal settings. P.S - yoga is above all these segregation. If India is willing to share Yoga with the world, then why would we hesitate in sharing our language. Use it freely and respectfully. Namaste!! ❤️🙏

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

@@gitismita418 Thank you for explaining this so clearly, I really appreciate your kind and respectful comments :)

[@gitismita418]

@@EmilyRowellYoga welcome 😊😊

[@thegroundedcircle]

@@gitismita418such a beautiful sharing. Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment x

[@arvind1631]

Namaste show feeling of respect for others wheather in the beginning or ending of the class. Also the word YOGA is not correct, it's YOG according to various definitions in Patanjali Yog, Hath Yog which are the purest form of YOG. SO please correct the spelling.

[@visageessence5774]

Yoga is over 10 000 years old. Why does a name change matter?

[@KimberlyLetsGo]

Oh, bother....

[@marysveil5113]

Very good 👍 Thank you for clarifying this 😇💯🫀🙏 gratitude 💯 🫀

[@EmilyRowellYoga]

You are so welcome :)