The Namaste Cringe
/Namaste Yogis!
Before I practiced yoga I was unfamiliar with the term ‘Namaste’. It closes a class and it’s really nice; hands together, a little bow. I mentioned two weeks ago that Namaste, as used in India, is primarily a greeting. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
In an NPR article, How 'Namaste' Flew Away From Us, the author Kumari Devarajan asked ‘South Asians’ on Twitter how they felt about the use of Namaste in yoga class. Many, many eye-rolls and cringes followed. Not everyone objected, though. At a political level, Prime Minister Modi loves the spread of Indian culture via yoga. India has been spreading its culture from Buddhism to the spice trade to rice ‘n’ curry to Bollywood to become the most animated alternative to Western culture there is!
Namaste is part of India’s ‘soft power’. People are familiar with it and like the spiritual definitions such as Mahatma Gandhi's definition of Namaste to Albert Einstein. He said it means: “I honour the place within you where the entire universe resides. I honour the place within you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honour the place within you where, when you are in that place within you, and I am within that place in me, there is only one of us”. Of course we like it! There’s nothing like that in English!
A friend of mine says she doesn’t mind Namaste at the end of a class but cringes at the jokey use of Namaste and its notoriety on T shirts and mugs with wordplay like "namastay in bed". Many of those Twitter answers (above) agreed. In the light of that, this new country song with the lyrics ‘Namaste right here and drink this beer’ is pretty ill-advised and cringe-worthy, if not uncomfortable to listen to. I sincerely don’t want to hear it again. And this is how objections and accusations of cultural appropriation start to carry power and potency.
When all is said and done, though, I can’t help thinking that if I went to a yoga class in India and the teacher finished by saying ‘Hellooo’, I’d never get used to it. How to finish the class, then? Ashtanga classes might finish with the closing prayer ending with Shanti Shanti Shanti. Also, for those who practice daily, ‘See you tomorrow’ might be the parting words. David Williams over in Hawaii says ‘Aloha’ - the direct translation from Hawaiian to English is the presence of divine breath. What about ‘thank you’? The word “thank” stems from the Latin word tongēre. The root tong- means ‘think’, loosely translated to “I will remember what you have done for me.”
There’s plenty to choose from! Choose your own.
Zoom Classes
Well… bookings are down. I understand… the temperature is rising, hugs are coming out and Zoom fatigue is setting in. On Wednesday and yesterday there were no bookings right up until the last minute. Same with last Friday. I wonder again if it really is time to change one of the Ashtanga classes to a stretchy class. There’s certainly more zest for the stretch. Let me know what you think. Having said that… It’s Ashtanga today at 4.30. Come and have a go.
Yoga in the news
The Mirror has: Sir Paul McCartney says discovering eye yoga has helped with his vision. “"'So head still," he explained. "And then you look up as far as you can, one, two, three, go back to the middle, then down, back to the middle. "You do three lots of that then go to the left and the right. Now you've got a cross, up and down, and sideways, now you do the diagonals."
The Times has: How naked yoga could transform your life. ‘There’s nothing remotely sexual about this exchange’. “This is not a space for sexual or sensual energy,” my flaxen-haired enforcer makes crystal clear. “If anyone misbehaves, I will block them and report them.” And it is not a venue for voyeurism. “This is not a popcorn-and-Coke, watching other people vibe – your camera has to be on too, at all times.”
Well done if you’re celebrating the end of Ramadan. May this Eid be the most blessed.
