Today is International Yoga Day, the second one ever. Millions of people will celebrate, and seal their practices with the echoes of one word. Namaste. This word has been given so much meaning in the West. Especially to those of us whose lives were changed by yoga, saved by yoga. Namaste in India is a formal greeting. A sign of respect. But here, we've taken its original meaning and heightened it. Because for us, it's more than that. It's the word we spoke after our very first yoga experience, and each practice after that. It was the first word to come out of our mouths after we cried in savasana. For us, namaste means I humbly bow my body, mind, and soul to your body, mind, and soul. The divine in me recognizes the divine in you. All that is good in me, honors and loves all that is good in you. We have packed this word with meaning. With emotion. The fact that it isn't the "correct" or original meaning, does not lessen the value this word has for us. Originally the swastika was a symbol of peace, but now most people would consider it a symbol of the exact opposite. Meanings can change and grow, and that is perfectly natural. We can honor our roots and pay homage to the beautiful beginnings of yoga, and still choose to feel the reverberations of the word namaste deep in our hearts. More than just a respectful greeting. I bow to the place in you where the entire universe resides. Where lies your love, truth, beauty. I bow to this place in you because it is also within me. When I am in that place and you are in that place we are one. Cosmically connected. Namaste.