Jeremy David Engels’s case for Living Namaste is that it treats “namaste” not as a yoga-class sign-off but as a practical way to meet yourself and other people with dignity, attention, and compassion. He argues that doing so can help counter loneliness, alienation, and habitual snap judgments by strengthening real connection and community.
A respectful greeting or parting phrase in yoga sessions, “namaste” translates as “the divine in me bows to the divine in you,” a recognition of each person’s inherent worth. This book asks readers to carry that recognition beyond the yoga mat and into ordinary interactions.
Engel offers a three-part namaste prescription:
Remember your own dignity and capacity to matter.
Recognize the dignity and worth of other people.
Put that recognition into practice together, through how you speak, listen, act, and form communities.