a few weeks ago i was talking with my cube-mate, rubina, trying to learn more about her youth. (she grew up in india.)
we got on the topic of yoga. as you know i'm a pretty big fan of yoga. she mentioned she doesn't especially like how it's become so commercialized because the foundation of yoga goes against that. i can definitely see where she's coming from, but I do think it made it possible for yoga to spread and more to enjoy it's benefits.
during this conversation she told me namaste means hello, but that's not all it means. it means the divine in me recognizes and salutes the divine in you. you're supposed to have your hands together in front of you (which i would call prayer position), maintain eye contact, & bow your head politely as a sign of respect.
i generally say namaste once in every yoga class i take and I didn't know that. That's bad. I really appreciated her telling me this so I can be a bit more knowledgeable.
i made it back to my favorite class a couple weeks ago and we did the somewhat common chanting of 'om.' I was happy I now understood namaste (which we also did), but now I wanted to understand om.
I got on the internet and searched around. Whew, a lot of people have a lot to say about what they think om represents.
I decided to be smart and just talk to Rubina about it again.
She said om is the sound of the universe and chanting it in classes is attuning yourself to the universe (she didn't even need to use google... just her brain).
So all my notes I took while trying to figure this out were a waste. But I got my answers!
Rubina was very modest and said not to quote her... blah blah blah. I trust her and wanted to share, but I figure I'd say that since she sort-of told me to.
I will say if you're looking into giving yoga a try (or another try) don't let one teacher, style, or studio make up your decision. Try many different studios/teachers/styles. I tried a studio last year that I shall not name. It wasn't for me. (I'm not saying the name because maybe it is for you!) But I have a yoga instructor i LOVE, some I think are ok, and I'm still trying others. You have to find your fit.
This may sound silly or weird, but I think yoga makes me a better person. I'm sure people who practice will understand. Those who don't, feel free to think I'm crazy (we're all entitled to our own opinions), but also think about giving it a try.
I'm thankful for Rubina for sharing her knowledge and yoga for being wonderful.
we got on the topic of yoga. as you know i'm a pretty big fan of yoga. she mentioned she doesn't especially like how it's become so commercialized because the foundation of yoga goes against that. i can definitely see where she's coming from, but I do think it made it possible for yoga to spread and more to enjoy it's benefits.
during this conversation she told me namaste means hello, but that's not all it means. it means the divine in me recognizes and salutes the divine in you. you're supposed to have your hands together in front of you (which i would call prayer position), maintain eye contact, & bow your head politely as a sign of respect.
i generally say namaste once in every yoga class i take and I didn't know that. That's bad. I really appreciated her telling me this so I can be a bit more knowledgeable.
i made it back to my favorite class a couple weeks ago and we did the somewhat common chanting of 'om.' I was happy I now understood namaste (which we also did), but now I wanted to understand om.
I got on the internet and searched around. Whew, a lot of people have a lot to say about what they think om represents.
I decided to be smart and just talk to Rubina about it again.
She said om is the sound of the universe and chanting it in classes is attuning yourself to the universe (she didn't even need to use google... just her brain).
So all my notes I took while trying to figure this out were a waste. But I got my answers!
Rubina was very modest and said not to quote her... blah blah blah. I trust her and wanted to share, but I figure I'd say that since she sort-of told me to.
I will say if you're looking into giving yoga a try (or another try) don't let one teacher, style, or studio make up your decision. Try many different studios/teachers/styles. I tried a studio last year that I shall not name. It wasn't for me. (I'm not saying the name because maybe it is for you!) But I have a yoga instructor i LOVE, some I think are ok, and I'm still trying others. You have to find your fit.
This may sound silly or weird, but I think yoga makes me a better person. I'm sure people who practice will understand. Those who don't, feel free to think I'm crazy (we're all entitled to our own opinions), but also think about giving it a try.
I'm thankful for Rubina for sharing her knowledge and yoga for being wonderful.
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