Greeting Poses in yoga encompass a variety of postures used to begin practice honor the divine or express gratitude. The most common greeting pose is Anjali Mudra (Prayer Position) where the palms are brought together at the heart center. This simple gesture acknowledges the divine spark within oneself and others creates a sense of centering and cultivates reverence before practice.
Namaste is both a verbal greeting and physical gesture often accompanying Anjali Mudra. The term comes from Sanskrit ‘namah’ meaning bow and ‘te’ meaning to you. When performing Namaste practitioners bring their hands to heart center bow slightly and acknowledge the divine light in another person. This gesture serves as a reminder that we are all connected in our shared humanity and divine essence.
Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) represent another important greeting sequence used to honor the sun as the source of energy and light. This flowing series of poses traditionally practiced at dawn expresses gratitude to the sun while warming the body preparing the muscles and establishing rhythmic breathing at the beginning of practice.
Other greeting poses include Pranamasana (Prayer Pose) at the beginning of Sun Salutations and various prostration poses like Dandavat Pranam (Staff Prostration) or Ashtanga Namaskar (Eight-Limbed Prostration) which express complete surrender and respect. These greeting practices help transition practitioners from everyday consciousness into a more mindful and reverent state suitable for yoga practice.
