I was in a time machine the other day attending an epic musical performance of Dhun (Dadra And Fast Teental) by Indian masters Ravi Shankar(sitar), Alla Rakha(tablas), and Kamala(tambour).   Uhhhhh.............ok, so it wasn’t really a time machine – it was more like a YouTube video.  But in my mind, I was transported back to their performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival!  What is so enchanting about this video (beyond the incredible music) is that almost half of the video is devoted to views of the audience.  Imagine for a minute – 1967, the hippie counterculture movement, the Vietnam War, The Great Society, some of the best rock music ever!  Ahhh, but I digress……..

Actually, the reason I mention watching this video is because it reminded me of a question I’ve been asked about the postings on codexvita.com.  Namely, why do I sign all of the posts with “Namaste” and what does Namaste mean?  Many of you that practice yoga or meditation may already be aware of the meaning.  However, for those of you that aren’t familiar, you might find it surprising to learn that that simple word has exceptionally deep meaning.

Namaste is a greeting, still practiced in India, with Hindu origins.  It may be used when people initially greet each other as well as when they part company.  The spoken word is usually accompanied by a gesture involving the “namaskar mudra.”  Mudras are positions of the body that have an influence on the energies of the body.  It is also true that the spoken word is sometimes omitted as the gesture itself is understood to mean Namaste.

Namaste is pronounced naw-maw-stay.  To perform the gesture, place your hands together in a prayer position – palm to palm and fingers pointing up .  Then position your hands in the center of your chest (the location of the heart chakra), thumbs touching your chest (this is the namaskar mudra).  Next, close your eyes and bow your head.  As you bow your head, speak the word Namaste (although the spoken part is optional as I mentioned earlier).

Namaste has deep cultural and spiritual meaning and is not a superficial action.  It is much more than saying hello.  Namaste is Sanskrit meaning “I bow to you.”  There is a belief that within each of us resides a life force.  Some call it the Divine and others refer to it as God.  The Divine is thought to be centered in our heart.  The Divine force within me is the same as in you and everyone else.  We all have it and are all a part of it.  When we place our palms together, we are symbolizing this oneness that we share with each other.  Closing our eyes allows us to clear our mind and form a closer connection to the Divine within ourselves.  As we bow, we release our ego and show humility to the other person.  Although there is no physical contact, there is a flow of subtle energies between the people.

There’s a variation of the gesture that signifies an especially deep form of respect.  To perform this variation, enter namaskar mudra just as before.  Now, move your hands to a position between your eyes with the thumbs touching your forehead just above the line of your eyes (this is the position of your third eye chakra).  As you close your eyes and begin to bow your head, move your hands to your heart chakra as in the first version while speaking the word Namaste.

So there you have it.  When I sign off on my posts by saying Namaste, what I am saying to you is that I respect you and that the Divine within me acknowledges the Divine within you.  As you read the word Namaste at the end of each post, picture me performing the Namaste gesture in your mind.

Oh, yeah!  The video!  Where is the connection?  So, at the end of the video, as the performers bring their music to a close, the crowd goes crazy with delight, giving them a standing ovation.  And as you watch all three performers, they remain on stage and make the Namaste gesture to the audience repeatedly.  It is beautiful to watch!  I like it so much that I want to share it with you.  You'll find the video below.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

One last thought.  We spoke about a lot of new things in this post: mudras, subtle energy, chakras, the third eye, and so on.  All of these concepts will be explored at codexvita.com as time goes on.  If you found them interesting stay tuned, there is much more to come!

Namaste